• The international technology company Continental officially starts tire manufacturing operations at its Greenfield tire plant in Rayong, Thailand
• The Thai manufacturing facility will produce up to four million passenger and light truck premium tires per year for Thailand and the APAC region
• Investments of more than €250 million in the Rayong tire plant will create about 900 new jobs by 2022
Hanover, Germany / Bangkok, Thailand, March 27, 2019.
The leading technology company Continental celebrated today on March 27th the grand opening of its Greenfield Tire Plant in Rayong, Thailand. Starting operations exactly on schedule, only two years after the groundbreaking ceremony, the tire manufacturing facility welcomed on site around 500 guests. Dr. Somchai Harnhirun, Deputy Minister of Industry, Nikolai Setzer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental and Head of 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 investment in Thailand and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to produce about four million passenger and light truck premium tires per year for Thailand and the whole APAC by 2022.
“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 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. Allow me to express to you all, my sincere ‘thank you’. 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”, added Setzer in his welcoming speech.
“It is an honor for me to be present at Continental’s opening ceremony for their first tire plant in Thailand. This new 250-million-euro tire manufacturing facility completes the automotive industry landscape in Thailand, strengthening the local economy in Rayong and creating hundreds of new jobs in Thailand. 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”, highlighted Dr. Somchai Harnhirun, Deputy Minister of Industry, of the Kingdom of Thailand in his speech.
“The German corporation Continental is bringing over 140 years of tires manufacturing know-how as well as advanced production technologies to Thailand. Having a production facility in Thailand will enable our market organization to be faster and closer to our customers, delivering high quality premium tires ‘Made in Thailand'", highlighted Sirivan Koo-Amphorn, Managing Director of Continental Tyres (Thailand) Co. Ltd. The Greenfield is built with the best-in-class energy efficiency standards of the global tire manufacturing network and machines are equipped with technology for sustainable production processes.
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.