Off the road (ORT) tyre manufacturer
The new capacity will be used for the production of radial Earthmoving and Port tyres with a diameter larger than 24 inches (60.96cm). The German-based company says the expansion will create more than 100 new jobs.
The new production hall is created adjacent to the radial agricultural tire production facility opened in 2017. Equipped with tyre building machinery and automated devices, it is designed to deliver cutting-edge radial tyres. Once at full speed, the production lines will deliver three earthmoving tyre lines and another three port tire lines.
In addition to the new production facilities, the research and development centre in Lousado is being expanded and will be used for continuous performance and quality tests of all agricultural, port and earthmoving tyres. “This investment strengthens our footprint in Lousado and transforms the top-efficiency plant into a competence centre for big radial tyres for off-road use," said Christian Kötz, member of the executive board at Continental and head of the tyre division.
“Thanks to the investments and additional capacity created, we are continuing to pursue the growth strategy of the tire division. Both the port and earthmoving segments are among the key growth areas in the commercial specialty tire market."
In addition to investments in Lousado, Continental has invested in various facility expansions and technology offerings including the commercial vehicle tyre plant in Clinton, Mississippi; capacity extensions in other existing tyre plants, such as Sumter, South Carolina, and projects like the Automated Indoor Braking Analyser at the company’s Contidrom Proving Grounds near Hanover, Germany; the new testing centre in Uvalde, Texas, USA; and the High Performance Technology Centre in Korbach, Germany.
