German tyre maker Continental says it will discontinue operations at its Aldora Mills textile manufacturing plant in Barnesville, Georgia (U.S.), by the end of 2026. The facility employs approximately 230 people and produces textile reinforcement materials, including tyre cord fabric, hose yarn and knitted fabric, which are used exclusively within Continental’s Tires and ContiTech group sectors. Continental acquired the Aldora Mills facility in 1988.
The decision to discontinue operations at the Aldora Mills plant follows a comprehensive business review to safeguard the company’s profitability, competitiveness, and business performance in the Americas region.
It adds that the plant has not been cost competitive for many years despite continuous turnaround efforts. In addition, ongoing changes in global market dynamics and supply chains have made it necessary to take this decision.
“The US remains a key market for Continental. The company reaffirms its commitment to its customers and partners in the US,” the firm stated, adding that it has tyre manufacturing operations in Plymouth (Indiana), Clinton (Mississippi), Sumter (South Carolina), and Mount Vernon (Illinois), that have an annual production capacity of more than 16 million tyres.
In total Continental employs more than 8,800 people in the US, in both its group sectors Tires and ContiTech.
Furthermore, the firm says that in the last decade it has invested around US$1.5 billion in its tyre manufacturing operations in the US.
In October, the company announced a more than US$85 million investment to expand its manufacturing operations at the ContiTech plant in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. In September 2024, the company broke ground on its first fully owned tyre distribution centre in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, scheduled to open in early 2026. The new facility will enhance service levels and customer support across the region, complementing the seven partner-owned distributions centres that currently serve the US market.