Continental Celebrates Grand Opening of Thailand Plant

Continental tire thailand plant grand opening — Vignesh Devasenapathy, Project Manager PLT Greenfield Rayong (far left); Nikolai Setzer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental and Head of Tire Division; Dr. Somchai Harnhirun, Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Industry; Sirivan Koo-Amphorn, general manager of Continental Tyres Thailand; and Georg Schmidt, German Ambassador to Thailand at the Greenfield plant grand opening.

Continental has officially cut the ribbon on its Greenfield Tire Plant in Rayong, Thailand.

Starting operations on schedule only two years after the groundbreaking ceremony, the tire manufacturing facility welcomed around 500 guests at its grand opening ceremony. Dr. Somchai Harnhirun, deputy minister of industry of the Kingdom of Thailand, Nikolai Setzer, member of the executive board of Continental and head of its tire division, Continental management, the local project team and employees, as well as suppliers, dealers and representatives of academic institutions gathered on site to celebrate this important milestone.

The new tire plant is a 250-million-euro ($281 million) investment in Thailand and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to produce about four million passenger and light truck tires for Thailand and the APAC region.

“We are honored to celebrate with you today the opening of our first Greenfield Tire Plant in Thailand. The investment here, in Rayong, is an integral part of Continental’s Tire Division growth strategy called ‘Vision 2025’ and further improves the balance of our global tire manufacturing footprint, strengthening our production capacities for Asia Pacific and enabling us to better serve our customers in the region” said Nikolai Setzer, member of the executive board of Continental and head of its tire division. “This is an extraordinary achievement, which was only possible through the excellent collaboration with the Thai Government, local institutions and our dedicated team who demonstrated once again our core value Passion-to-win, even with a very complex project. This is not just a milestone, with this investment, we have built a foundation for our common success, writing together history in the automotive industry in Thailand,” Setzer said in his welcoming speech.

Dr. Somchai Harnhirun, deputy minister of industry of the Kingdom of Thailand, said the plant strengthens the local economy in Rayong and creates hundreds of new jobs in Thailand.

“This new 250-million-euro tire manufacturing facility completes the automotive industry landscape in Thailand,” he said in his speech. “We are glad to have Continental in Thailand, and we wish the company and all its employees success in their mission to ensure more traffic safety and driving comfort on the roads of Thailand and the region.”

The Greenfield plant is built with the best-in-class energy efficiency standards, and machines are equipped with technology for sustainable production processes, Continental said. Higher automation of logistics and handling processes will ensure an ergonomic work environment for future employees.

The Rayong plant is the seventh Greenfield manufacturing facility the company has opened since 1998, and it expands Continental Tire Division’s global production footprint from currently 19 plants across 16 countries to 20 plants in 17 countries in 2019.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."