Continental opens Chinese tire plant expansion

Hefei, China – Continental has opened a €250-million expansion of its tire plant in Hefei, Anhui province, according to local government websites.

Phase 3 of the Hefei expansion project started in November 2015. It is expected to increase passenger car tire capacity from 5 million units/year today to 14 million units/year by 2019.

By May 2015, the company had produced 10 million passenger car and light truck tires, mostly for the China market.

First tires were expected to roll out of the expansion in the final quarter of 2016. Start-up, according to Anhui provincial government’s website, was launched 28 March.

“The speed of the ramp-up depends on the market environment,” Michael Egner, general manager of Continental Tires (China) told ERJ, following the ground-breaking event in November 2015.