Tag: Continental
Continental presents ContiConnect Live at IAA
Continental has presented the latest development of its digital tyre monitoring platform. ContiConnect Live, available from the second quarter of 2019, informs operators of truck and bus fleets immediately if there is a problem with the temperature or pressure of a tyre, even when the vehicle is on the road. The data is transferred to the servers and the web portal by the ContiConnect Driver app, which is also new. Before the end of this year, the app will be able to show tyre information on Daimler Fleetboard and TomTom Telematics devices as well as other Android devices, such as smartphones and tablets, initially in the driver’s cab. With ContiConnect Live, Continental presented a further development of the portfolio that has already been successfully launched in 15 markets as ContiConnect Yard, which works using a yard reader station in the fleet yard.
Conti’s Puchov, Slovakia plant celebrates 20th anniversary
On 4 September Continental celebrated 20 years since the firm’s Puchov, Slovakia truck tyre plant became part of the company. A special event was hosted at the plant by Ladislav Rosina, Plant Manager Continental Matador Truck Tires s.r.o., with the participation of the management of the Tire Division, the local leaders and employees who remembered together the achievements of the local team. Since then, manufacturing upgrade investments of over 630 million euros have been made, resulting in an almost ten-fold increase in production volume to around 2.9 million tyres. During the same period the team has almost quadrupled.
All-season tyres? Test recommends it pays to think big
Tyre testers have labelled all-season tyres a ‘compromise’ purchase in past years for their inability to deliver the performance of both summer and winter tyres whenever the weather snaps its fingers and demands this. In its evaluation of the current generation of all-season rubber, Germany’s auto motor und sport harbours no illusions that such a compromise still exists. It wanted to know, however, whether the compromise can be effectively reduced through considered choice of product – the answer, the publication shares, is that it can.
TecAlliance and Continental develop workshop voice assistance system
TecAlliance and Continental have developed a prototype of the first digital voice assistant for vehicle workshops as part of a joint innovation initiative. The innovative voice assistance system supports mechanics during the initial vehicle inspection. The companies are presenting the proof of concept at Automechanika.
Tyre wear particles – minor problem for the industry or potential ‘tyregate’?
The UK government identifies tyres as potentially responsible for up to ten per cent of the microplastics in the world’s oceans, and some research conducted abroad suggests this proportion could be much higher. A study from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicates that 28.3 per cent of all primary microplastics may come from tyre/road wear (this figure rises to 46.2 per cent when the IUCN includes both natural and synthetic rubber in its scenario), and earlier this year a marine biologist from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research singled out tyres as a “major influence” upon the presence of microplastics in our oceans. Taking such research at face value, it is feasible that the ‘dieselgate’ scandal could be followed at some stage by ‘tyregate’. Yet the tyre industry asserts that tyre/road wear isn’t the environmental and health risk some claim it to be. Continental’s Nikolai Setzer recently discussed this side of the argument.
Valtra A Series: Continental returns as an agricultural OEM supplier
As of next month, the Valtra A Series tractor will be available with Continental tyres as original equipment. AGCO’s homologation of the Tractor70 and Tractor85 hands Continental its very first agricultural tyre original equipment approval since its return to the segment late last year. Continental agricultural tyres are already available from Valtra Unlimited Studio, the manufacturer’s in-house customisation workshop that fits accessories and equipment not available directly from the production line.
Continental celebrates 50 years of tyre tests with driverless vehicles
Driverless cars? Continental had those 50 years ago…It is exactly half a century today since the tyre maker demonstrated its first electronically controlled driverless car at its Contidrom facility in Germany. In those days a car cruising the Contidrom circuit without someone behind the wheel was a novel sight, to say the least, and Continental recalls that more than 400 newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television channels reported on the events of 11 September 1968.
Continental to present ContiConnect evolution at IAA
A further development of Continental’s ContiConnect digital tyre monitoring platform will be showcased at the upcoming IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Germany. The evolution that Continental will show is said to be a “new solution that can be integrated into existing systems,” specifically a solution that will give these systems a digital tyre monitoring capability. Continental says it will announce further details at a press conference on 19 September.
Rubber extraction unit installed in Continental’s Taraxagum lab
In Anklam, near Germany’s Baltic coast, Continental is setting up a centre to oversee its efforts to industrialise rubber sourced from Russian dandelions for use in tyre production. Groundbreaking on the Taraxagum Lab Anklam facility took place last November, and Continental reports that the first machine for extracting rubber from the roots of the Russian dandelion plant was installed several days ago.
TractorMaster joins Continental agri range
With the arrival of the TractorMaster in its agricultural tyre portfolio, Continental now offers three model lines in this segment. It positions the new arrival as an “advanced radial tyre,” a technological cut above its 2017-launched “standard” Tractor70 and Tractor85 radials.
The four steps of the Bandvulc/Conti integration
Retreading has always been a key part of Continental’s truck offer to achieve what it refers to as Lowest Overall Driving Costs (LODC), but this was further enhanced when the company announced the purchase of Bandvulc, (located in Lee Mill, Ivybridge) in the UK in July 2016. Bandvulc had been producing Continental’s hot retread ContiRe for over 20 years to support fleet business in the UK, so it was a natural progression to bring Bandvulc into the Conti family – but how has the Devon-based retailer been integrated?
Continental downwardly revises 2018 guidance
Continental has updated its guidance for the 2018 fiscal year to reflect lower sales expectations, cost increases and warranty claims. The tyre maker and automotive parts and systems company now anticipates sales (including all expected negative exchange-rate effects) of approximately 45 billion euros rather than the previously forecast 46 billion euros. Expectations for adjusted EBIT margin have been revised from more than ten per cent to more than nine per cent.
Continental initiates voluntary recall for certain ContiPremiumContact 5 tyres
Continental has announced a voluntary exchange programme for 1,650 size 215/60R16 99H XL ContiPremiumContact 5 tyres. It is unclear whether UK consumers are affected by this voluntary recall – Continental says the tyre was shipped to various markets and names Germany, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Romania, Australia and New Zealand as countries where these tyres were sold, however other markets may have also received them.
£200 million acquisition expands Continental’s tyre sales network in Australia
Continental is set to gain a sizeable retail presence in Australia through its acquisition of acquire Kmart Tyre and Auto Service (KTAS), one of the country’s largest tyre and auto service suppliers. The company says the purchase of KTAS from Wesfarmers Limited for AU$350 million (£199.8 million) will “greatly reinforce” its tyre dealership network in Australia.
Vision Zero: Continental working with IAM RoadSmart
IAM RoadSmart has come together with Continental to support the tyre maker’s Vision Zero campaign to eliminate road deaths, injuries and accidents. Continental will work with IAM RoadSmart over coming months to engage road users at live experiential events. These will see attendees take the driver seat across a range of driving modules at test track locations, With IAM leading a module that gives a first introductory session to advance driver training, observing driver habits and advising on improvements that can be made.