Continental Celebrates Grand Opening of Thailand Plant - Tire Review Magazine

Continental Celebrates Grand Opening of Thailand Plant

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

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.

You May Also Like

TIA’s Advanced Farm Tire Service training to take place in June

The training class for technicians in the agricultural and farm tire industries is set to take place June 11-14.

TIA_training-

The Tire Industry Association's (TIA) upcoming Advanced Farm Tire Service (FTS) training class for technicians in the agricultural and farm tire industries is set to take place June 11-14 at Stellar Industries in Garner, IA. TIA said its Advanced FTS Training program provides technicians with hands-on instruction and classroom knowledge of the farm tire industry.

Maxxis-sponsored athletes make podium, overall top 10 at Mint 400

Maxxis athletes Michael McFayden, Ethan Ebert and Trey Gibbs had podium finishes at the Mint 400 on Maxxis RAZR XT tires.

2024-mint400-maxxis
Sun Auto Tire reveals winner of Ford Bronco Sport giveaway

Lowell Anderson entered the giveaway at his local Sun Auto Tire & Service store while receiving a routine oil change.

Sun-Auto-Bronco-giveaway
Nokian Tyres holds bracket challenge on worst roads in North America

In 2023, the tiremaker’s audience voted Quebec as the province or state with the worst road conditions on the continent.

Pothole-Protection-from-Nokian-Tyres
Gallery: 2024 Big O Tires conference and convention

Highlights from this year’s Big O Tires conference and convention, featuring a general session, trade show and breakout sessions.

Gary-Skidmore

Other Posts

How AI is being used in your shop

AI has been around in the aftermarket for over 20 years, making life easier for techs and shop owners without ever threatening their jobs.

TR-Continental-AI
Three spark plug service and replacement tips

How to avoid and overcome roadblocks that may come up during the removal or installation of spark plugs.

Continental-sparkplug
Bridgestone’s Firestone Liberia rubber farm receives ISCC Plus recognition

According to Bridgestone, its Liberia facility earned the ISCC Plus certification for its efforts in reducing environmental impacts.

Firestone_Liberia
Ascenso Tires adds new OEM sales manager

Douglas Duesing has more than ten years of experience working in agriculture, construction and mining OEMs.

Ascenso-Douglas-Duesing-1400