Continental Tire recently had a ground breaking ceremony for the expansion of their Sumpter facility.
The expansion is expected to bring the plant’s full production capacity to approximately eight million units per year by 2021. Altogether, Continental will invest more than USD500 million into the Sumter plant and create about 1,600 new jobs. With the expansion, Continental has met the total projected investment of more than $500 million announced in October 2011.
Continental named Kajima Building & Design Group, Inc. (KBD) as general contractor of the projected nine-month construction project.,
“This announcement celebrates Continental’s trust in the Sumter facility to continue delivering quality products to our customers,” said Jochen Etzel, CEO of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC (CTA). “We extend our thanks for the sustained support from Governor Haley, the state of South Carolina, the Ports Authority, Sumter County and the city of Sumter.”
“We couldn’t be more grateful for Continental’s continued commitment to its facility in Sumter and to our state,” said South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. “Our workforce has proven to Continental, and to the entire world, that when you invest in South Carolina and ask us to make your products, we’re going to make them well. Continental is a huge reason our state produces more tyres than any other state in the country, and we’re excited to celebrate a bright future for the partnership between South Carolina and this great company.”
To date, CTA has hired more than 700 employees in the Sumter facility. It is expected that the plant will reach an employment level of approximately 800 by the end of 2015. Continental continues to partner with readySC and local technical colleges to assist with staffing and training interested candidates and to develop tailored apprenticeship programs for mechatronics and production positions in the facility.