Continental builds new plant in India

15. January 2019

On December 10, 2018 the groundbreaking ceremony and an opening ceremony for the start of construction of a new Continental plant in Pune, India were held. It’s new factory on the four-hectare site will mainly produce surface materials and artificial leather. The construction costs for the 12,000-square-meter production facility are estimated at around 22 million euros, the capacity should initially be 5 million square meters of materials. As start of series production is planned in 2020 and employs 110 people. In addition to the production facilities, there are also buildings for product development and local purchasing.

Continental’s decision in favor of India to invest in a new plant is, according to Dr. Dirk Leiß, responsible for the Surface Materials Business Unit, that India is now regarded as the fifth largest automobile market in the world. He continued, “Every car has interior materials built in. By investing locally, we can provide our Indian customers with local and customized solutions that are designed and manufactured close to the market.”

Continental has had a sales office in India for six years and supplies the five largest car manufacturers in India as well as one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers from other plants. The new plant ensures fast response times and sustained growth in the Indian market. The factory was designed according to the latest technology and has a biogas plant for energy supply and an environmentally friendly paint shop. Continental chose the Pune site because of its proximity to numerous car manufacturers and suppliers. Continental currently operates eight plants in India and 8,000 employees at a total of 15 locations. In addition, the Continental Technical Center India (TCI) is one of 3 system and technology centers worldwide and employs over 3,000 engineers.

You can also benefit from the growth in India. The export of products to there, especially cars and car parts, requires often a compulsory India Certification according to the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS). We are glad to advise you regarding the AIS certification.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769150, US: +1 773 654-2673).