Continental Tyres in the UK and Ireland is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Continental Corporation. Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner, the international tyre manufacturer, automotive supplier, and industrial partner offers sustainable, safe, comfortable, customised, and affordable solutions. The corporation with its five divisions Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tyre and ContiTech generated sales of approximately €33.3 billion in 2013 and currently employs around 189,000 people in 49 countries.
The Commercial Specialty Tyre division offer a range of market leading tyres and services used across various applications such as materials handling, airports, port & harbours, earthmoving and heavy metal industries.
WLN – As the Industrial Tyres category experts, how has the category been performing in the last 12 months? What are the major trends and developments?
Over the last 12 months the industry has moved in the right direction in line with expectations. We have noticed that end users are now placing more emphasis on performance, safety and the environmental credentials of their tyres looking at the bigger picture rather than the initial purchase price. For Continental the Whole Life Cost of a tyre has always been important, our tyres focus on maximising the return on investment. The purchase price of a tyre is just the tip of the iceberg, when considering all the operating costs of running the vehicles – such as fuel consumption, tyre life and the cost of premature removal, vehicle downtime, vehicle maintenance – not to mention the comfort and safety of drivers, the purchase price is not as important as it once was.
WLN – What are your core products and services: what are you best known for providing?
Continental Specialty Tyres are the only manufacture to provide a full range of industrial tyres including Solid, Pneumatic, Press on Band and OTR ranges. We are best known for introducing innovations to the market such as the first SIT tyre, the revolutionary CSEasy, the market leading SC20 range and the first solid retread – Conti LifeCycle. As with most things in life you get what you pay for. Built to last, Continental tyres offer best in class performance, strength, durability and service life.
WLN – What developments or upgrades have you made to your core products and services in the last 12 months?
Over the last year we have further enhanced our harbour range of tyres which are developed to cope with the specific demands of the various vehicles used in harbours across the world. The harbour range, with its unique V.ply technology brings together the best features of radial and crossply construction to mark the end of compromises for the end user, whether it be between safety & economy or even economy & durability.
We have also recently established the Conti Industrial Network; an independent network of dealers delivering class leading products and services to industrial fleets. With strategically located partners around the UK & Ireland and fully accredited IMI qualified fitters, the network is able to offer rapid response and a professional service to local, regional and national operators.
WLN – What makes you the ‘go to’ supplier in your area of expertise?
Continental Specialty Tyres have been at the forefront of innovation for over 40 years introducing the first Solid tyre for conventional pneumatic tyre rims in 1965, to the first Solid Retread tyre in 2012 and the unique SC20 Energy+ & Mileage+ in 2014. Continental sets the future in motion and is the ultimate solution provider for all tyre needs, with tyres developed around applications & vehicles and decades of experience in the market. Coupled with the Conti Industrial Network we can also offer fleets excellent service quality levels, standardised pricing, centralised ordering and billing – making us the go to supplier for industrial tyres and services.
WLN – Have you launched any new products and services in the past year? How are they performing?
The last 12 months have been exciting in terms of product developments; we recently introduced the new SC20 Mileage+ & SC20 Energy+ which build upon the successes of our SC20 solid tyre for Forklift Trucks.
The SC20 Mileage+ is a perfect fit for internal combustion powered vehicles used in demanding applications with rough abrasive surfaces. The tyre focuses on abrasion resistance providing up to 20% high mileage at the same wear volume. The SC20 Energy+ on the other hand is a perfect fit for electric powered vehicles used indoors and on even surfaces. The tyre provides the lowest rolling resistance which reduces energy consumption and costs. With various vehicle sizes, characteristics and applications out there, the new range of SC20 tyres look to fulfil the requirements of the application and vehicle to provide the best performance for the end user.
WLN – Which industry sectors are your customers in?
Offering such a wide range of industrial tyres we have customers in various sectors such as the traditional warehouse applications, pharmaceutical, automotive, food and manufacturing, airport and harbour industries.
We also have a full range of tyres for commercial truck vehicles that operate in haulage, freight and logistics sectors to mention a few.
WLN – Can you tell us about your latest major projects, and what they involve?
We are currently looking to improve the service provision offered within the industry and have ensured that all our Conti Industrial Network members are IMI trained and undertake refresher courses to maintain the highest levels of service. These courses make sure our network is not only able to maintain high service standards but also raise the level of safety awareness, which is vital in such an industry.
Other projects include raising awareness of two great innovations, the CSEasy and Conti LifeCycle. The CSEasy is a unique forklift truck tyre that can be change onsite in minutes, without the need for a tyre press – all that is required is a torque wrench. In addition to reducing vehicle downtime, it also offers significantly more mileage, reduced Co2 emissions and improved fuel economy. With large fleets beginning to see the benefit of the CSEasy we hope to further raise awareness in 2015.
With companies constantly looking to improve their environmental credentials, Continental developed the Conti LifeCycle; the first retreaded solid tyre. The LifeCycle tyre uses premium Continental casings and reuses 65% of the original tyre material. This therefore enables us to use the highest quality compounds in the new tread meaning the LifeCycle tyre performs significantly better than other tyres in this segment. The Continental LifeCycle tyre is the perfect solution for operators with light forklift usage looking for quality at an affordable price.
Longer term the company is exploring alternative rubber sources derived from Russian Dandelions. Potentially being used for all tyre applications, this solution would significantly reduce the pressure on conventional rubber supplies.
WLN – Have you made any big moves recently in terms of investment in the business, recruitment and so on?
Over the last 18 months the Commercial Tyre division has invested significantly in its manufacturing base. In 2013 we opened a truck tyre retreading plant in Hannover, Germany. The plant, which is a world’s first, integrates a cutting-edge facility for retreading bus and truck tyres with a proprietary industry-scale rubber recycling unit. There are also plans to significantly expand truck and bus tyre production facilities in Otrokovice (Czech Republic) and Puchov (Solvakia) with a total investment of €265 million in the upcoming years.
WLN – What was one of your company’s biggest achievement in the last year?
In 2014 one of the biggest achievements was establishing the Conti Industrial Network and winning contracts for the complete tyre and service provision for the fleets. In achieving this, the Network has shown its ability to compete with other providers offering a high quality and reputable service provision.
WLN – What are your plans for 2015? Are you planning to bring out any more products or services, move into new markets or enter new countries?
Continental are always looking for new innovations and following the success of 2014 we hope 2015 will see further product and service enhancements. The main focus will be based around four key factors; The Environment, helping companies reduce their carbon footprint with the use of our tyres; Safety, developing tyres that keep the end user and those around them safe; Efficiency helping companies understand the concept of Whole Life Cost and the savings that can be made with a premium Continental tyre; and Information, developing systems to offer fleets real time information on tyre performance and efficiency such as the ContiPressureCheck tyre pressure monitoring system.
WLN – Are you exhibiting at any major trade shows this year?
This year in the UK we exhibited at the TOC 2014 showcasing our harbour tyre range and unique V.ply technology. The exhibition gave us a chance to speak to a lot of end users from the UK and aboard and introduce them to our range. Next year we are a sponsor of the SHD Awards Environmental and Sustainability category, something at Continental we believe in and support those that have similar ambitions. We will also be present at the CV Show 2015 exhibiting our full commercial tyre range.
WLN – What are your predictions for the industry in 2015?
In 2015 we believe the industry’s focus will be around three key factors; The Environment, Safety and Efficiency. These are trends that have been gaining momentum and Continental are at the forefront of these developments and ready to offer sustainable solutions and guidance to the industry.
WLN – What other headline news from your company can our readers look forward to reading about in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2015?
2015 will see the introduction of new products and services including a new solid tyre (CS20) and extending the OTR range. Our ContiPressureCheck – tyre pressure monitoring system, will also be available for industrial vehicles. This device enables real time pressure monitoring of pneumatic tyres and alerts drivers of any loss in pressure. In particular environments where punctures and tyre damage are common occurrences, this enables early action to be taken – often saving the tyre, reducing vehicle downtime and the associated costs.
Phone: 0845 6000 803
Email: Specialty@conti.de
Web: www.continental-tyres.co.uk/specialty
YouTube: ContiSpecialtyTires
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