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
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
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.