Continental AG expects to produce 6.3 million commercial tires in 2004. "We are now at maximum capacity and are turning out every tire we can," says Dr. Hans-Joachim Nikolin, Continental board member.
Production of that amount, which will be a record for Continental, will be made possible through capacity increases at plants in Slovakia and Malaysia.
"The United States is a strong growth market for truck tires at present," he says. "But in Europe, too, the market has picked up speed again."
Continental´s original equipment truck tire business in Europe was up 30% during the first half of the year.
Nikolin says the company will begin supplying the U.S. market with tires built in Malaysia as early as 2005, "with Bahia in Brazil providing another source in 2006."
