140 Years Continental 1871– 2011 The rampant horse is adopted as trademark. Production of automobile pneumatic tires without tread pattern starts in Hanover-Vahrenwald. 1871 1882 1892 1898 1900 Continental-Caoutchouc- und Gutta-Percha Com- pagnie is founded in Hanover on October 8 as a joint stock company. Manufacturing at the main Continental is the first factory in Vahrenwalder German company to Street includes soft rubber manufacture pneumatic products, rubberized tires for bicycles. fabrics, solid tires for carriages and bicycles. The first German airship LZ 1 uses Continental balloon material to seal the gas bags. The first edition ofContinental’s Road Atlas for motorists and motorcyclists is published. Continental presents the world’s firstautomobile tire with a patterned tread. 1901 1904 1905 1907 1908 The first Daimler- Continental produces produced car to be riveted anti-skid called Mercedes tires, a forerunner of achieves a sensational steel-studded tires. victory on Continental pneumatics in the Nice-Salon-Nice car race. Continental invents the detachable rim for sedans – a remarkable innovation to help save time and effort when changing a tire. Louis Blériot, the pioneer aviator, writes history with the first flight across the English Channel.Continental Aeroplan material covers the fuselage and wings of his plane. Specimens of synthetic rubber developed at the Bayer laboratories are successfully vulcanized at Continental and processed to make the first test tires. 1909 1912 1914 Triple victory for Daimlers fitted with Continental tires at the Construction of an French Grand Prix. administration building designed by architect Peter Behrens begins in Vahren- walder Street. In 1986, this building is bought by the Hanover City Council to house a technology center. Carbon black is used as a rein- forcing filler to give the tire more resistance to wear and ageing, as well as its characteristic color. Merger with major companies of the German rubber industry to form Continental Gummi- Werke AG. Takeover of plants in Hanover-Limmer and Korbach/Hesse. 1921 1926 1928/29 1932 The company’s 50th anniversary sees Continental as the first German company to bring the cord tire onto the market. The stiff linen square-woven fabric is thus replaced by the more pliable cord Continental markets a fiber fabric. The first rubber-metal bonding giant pneumatic tires under the registered trade are made by Continental name of Continental and replace the solid Schwingmetall. It is used tires used until that time to isolate vibrations and on commercial vehicles. noise when supporting motors. Unbroken run of racing success with Continen- tal racing tires fitted to Mercedes and Auto-Union cars. Four consecutive wins in the German Grand Prix, four successes in- the North African Tripoli race, three in Italy and numerous speed records help racing drivers like Carraciola, Rosemeyer and Stuck to achieve international fame. Foundation stone is laid for the tire plant in Stöcken, Hanover. 1935-40 1936 1938 1943 1945 Patent application filed for tubeless tires. Synthetic rubber is intro- duced into the tire manufactur- ing process. Heavy bomb damage to the plants in Hanover- Vahrenwald and Korbach. The British military government grants permission as early as June 14 for the Hanover factories to resume production. At the beginning of the year Continental is the first German Production of company to start steel cable manufacturing tube- conveyor belts less tires. starts. Continental is also the first company to develop air springs Continental adds for trucks and buses. M+S tires for winter driving to its range of con- ventional tires. 1951 1952 1951-55 1955 1960 In close collaboration with Daimler-Benz and Porsche, Continental repeats its pre- war successes on the track. Mass production of Racing in cars fitted with Con- radial tires begins. tinental tires, drivers like Karl Kling, Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio win the 1952 Carrera Panamericana and the French, British, Dutch and Italian Grand Prixs. Europe’s largest hose manufacturing facilities are set up at the Korbach plant. The entire hose production is transferred from Hanover to Korbach. Construction of a tire plant in Sarreguemines, France. A factory for industrial products is built in Northeim, Germany. 1961 1964 1967 1971 1972 Completion of the plant in Dannenberg (Elbe). Initial production com- prises plastic components for the automotive industry. Continental launches the studless ContiContact winter tire. Opening of the Contidrom tire testing facility on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath. In 1994/95 the facility is more than doubled in size to enable the construction of new tracks, including a 3.8 kilometer handling course for high-performance cars. In 2001 a 3.7 kilometer track for noise assessment is opened. In Northeim, one of Europe’s largest conveyor belt production lines comes on stream. Purchase of Techno-Chemie, Frankfurt, one of Germany’s leading hose couplers. 1974 1976 1978 1979 Continental is the first manufacturer to supply the European automotive industry with extrusion-blow-molded polyurethane gaiters. Takeover of the European tire operations of Uniroyal, Inc., USA, gives Continental a wider base in Europe (photo: Aachen plant). A joint venture is set up together with the Portuguese company Mabor for the production of tires in Lousado. 1993 sees complete takeover of the tire activities and of a factory producing textile cord. Takeover of the tire operations of the Austrian company Semperit. 18711983 18821985 18921987 18981989/90 19001991 Continental hydromounts The industrial products – special bearing elements operations are reorganized used in engines for damp- under the ContiTech ing vibrations and noise umbrella brand. – are mass-produced for the automotive industry. With its ContiEcoContact tire, Continental is the first manufacturer to launch an environment-friendly passenger tire. Acquisition of the North American tire manufacturer General Tire, Inc. The company has been operating under the name of Continental Tire North America, Inc. since 2001. Benecke-Kaliko AG is integrated into the ContiTech division. Key products are leatherette and foils. The Automotive Systems division is established to intensify the systems business with the automotive industry. 1993 1994 1995 The majority holding in the Czech company Barum comprises a passenger and commercial vehicle tire plant in Otrokovice as well as a dealer organization with about 50 outlets. Continental currently has more than 2,200 tire retailers and franchises in 13 European countries, including various retail organizations such as Vergölst. Continental reinforces its position as global tire manufacturer by adding sites Acquisition of the in Argentina, Mexico, South Automotive Brake and Africa and Slovakia. Chassis unit of a globally active U.S. Further steps on the way company, the core of towards internationalizing which is Alfred Teves ContiTech’s operations are GmbH in Frankfurt/ taken in Brazil, Chile, Mexico Main. (photo) and Hungary. 1997 1998 1998-99 2000 A new plant for the manufacture of passenger tires is opened in Timisoara, Romania. Continental and Nisshinbo set up a joint venture (Continental Teves Corporation) in the field ofbrake and chassis systems for the Japanese and Korean markets. Continental presents ISAD (Integrated Starter Alterna- tor Damper) for which it receives the German Industry Innovation Award. ISAD combines the vehicle’s starter and generator in one single unit. This key technology is a necessary precondition for hybrid propulsion systems that help to substantially reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Continental reinforces its activities within the growing automotive electronics market by acquiring Temic, an inter- national electronics specialist (photo: Nuremberg plant). Majority holdings are purchased in two Japanese companies manufacturing brake actuation components and disk brakes. ContiTech acquires a 51% stake in a Chinese hose line manufacturer. 2001 2002 2003 Inauguration of ContiTech’s new plant for the production of power transmission systems in Romania and of a factory in Turkey providing the division with extra manufacturing ca- pacity for air spring systems. Unveiling of ContiSport- To intensify tire activities Contact 2 Vmax, the with Japanese carmakers, world’s first road tire Continental and Yokohama approved for speeds up establish a 50/50 joint venture. to 360 km/h. ContiTech sets up a joint venture for the production of air spring bellows in Korea. Inauguration of a new plant Continental expands its production in Mexico for the production base in Romania by opening up a of brake components. plant making assemblies for automo- tive electronics – with an on-site R&D Takeover of Phoenix AG. center – in Sibiu, as well as a manufac- With the merger of turing facility for air-conditioning lines ContiTech and Phoenix, the in Timisoara. world’s largest specialist for rubber and plastics techno- Continental acquires the wheel sensors logy evolves (photo: plant business of a Japanese company with in Hungary). manufacturing operations in China. 2003 2004 2005 Cooperation with ZF Friedrichshafen for the joint development and marketing of hybrid vehicle technology. Continental strengthens its position as a tire manufacturer in the ASEAN region and Australia by establishing the Malaysian Continental Sime Tyre joint venture. Production of brake calipers commences at the new plant in Zvolen, Slovakia, and of passenger, light truck and commercial vehicle tires in Camaçari,