Continental Tire the Americas LLC is expanding its Sumter, S.C., tire plant so the company can begin making ContiSeal and ContiSilent tires in the U.S. for the first time.
The company broke ground on the new building at its Sumter campus in March 2019, and plans to begin installing equipment by September 2019. Tire production is expected by May 2020.
Continental says producing these tires in the U.S. will increase the supply of tires on hand and reduce turnaround time from order to delivery for customers.
“Currently only two Continental plants in Europe produce ContiSeal and ContiSilent tires,” says Ahmed Boualam, manager of the Sumter plant. “This announcement celebrates Continental’s trust in the Sumter facility to continue delivering quality products to our customers. I am very excited to add these lines to our production portfolio in Sumter and look forward to ramp-up early next year.”
“With the ability to produce ContiSeal and ContiSilent tires in the U.S., we are able to expand our portfolio in the Americas to support the demand for new mobility solutions,” says Juan Botero, vice president of key account management for original equipment passenger and light truck tires for Continental. “We have listened to the needs of our customers and are excited to offer products and solutions designed to ensure a quieter and more comfortable ride, which undoubtedly will become increasingly important as we see more electrification and autonomous vehicles in the market.”
The ContiSeal and ContiSilent production lines will be inside a new building next to Continental's 2 million square-foot manufacturing facility in Sumter. The company will add 50 jobs by 2020 for the new production.
