German tyre maker Continental has laid the cornerstone for a new motorcycle tyre factory in Rayong, Thailand. In the course of the next few years, the company plans to invest approximately EUR26 million. When the plant comes on stream in 2021, production will initially focus on radial tyres, followed at a later stage by bias-ply/cross-ply models. In all, the factory will create approximately 100 new jobs.
The new plant is being built in the immediate vicinity of the passenger car tyre factory, which Continental opened in March of this year. The ongoing dynamic demand for Continental motorcycle tyres in Europe, the US and the growth markets of Asia and South America is driving this significant expansion in production capacity, says the firm.
According to Martin Burdorf, Head of Sales and Marketing Motorcycle Tires at Continental Reifen Deutschland in Korbach, Germany, the expansion of motorcycle tyre production in Asia will serve exclusively to meet demand in new markets.
“Production operations in Rayong will neither replace any existing plants nor stand in the way of their expansion,” he said. “In Korbach, for example, the focus will remain on the development and production of premium tyres, accompanied by a further substantial increase in capacity.”
The firm also said the same high-quality standards apply to all Continental tyres worldwide, standards that the company has embraced in line with the motto “German Engineering since 1871”.