Continental recently broke ground in Sumter, South Carolina, on the addition of a new building to its approximately 2-million-square-foot tire manufacturing facility to produce ContiSeal and ContiSilent tires. Producing these tires in the U.S. will increase the supply of tires on hand and reduce the turnaround time from order to delivery to customers across the region, according to a company spokesperson.

“Currently only two Continental plants in Europe produce ContiSeal and ContiSilent tires,” said Ahmed Boualam, Sumter plant manager. “This announcement celebrates Continental’s trust in the Sumter facility to continue delivering quality products to our customers. I am very excited to add these lines to our production portfolio in Sumter and look forward to ramp-up early next year.”

Continental broke ground on the new building in March and will begin the installation of equipment in September. Production of the high-technology tires is on target for May 2020. Along with this monetary investment, the Sumter plant also will be investing in people by providing more than 50 new jobs by 2020 to support with tire production.

“With the ability to produce ContiSeal and ContiSilent tires in the U.S., we are able to expand our portfolio in the Americas to support the demand for new mobility solutions,” said Juan Botero, vice president of key account management for Original Equipment Passenger and Light Truck Tires for Continental Tire the Americas. “We have listened to the needs of our customers and are excited to offer products and solutions designed to ensure a quieter and more comfortable ride, which undoubtedly will become increasingly important as we see more electrification and autonomous vehicles in the market.”