Continental Tire the Americas is positioning itself as an innovative solution for new and lifecycle products with new business unit, ContiLifeCycle.

The company plans to expand its retreading business throughout North and South America by developing retreading facilities in Mexico, while expanding its dealer network in the U.S. and Canada.

Continental's vice president for Commercial Vehicle Tires, Paul Williams, said that the ContiLifeCycle business unit has taken a major step toward growth in the region by opening a pre-cure tread manufacturing plant in Morelia, Mexico.

"This plant is currently capable of producing roughly a half million flat treads per year. With its central location, the Morelia plant is going to help us better serve all our markets as we begin to develop additional products," he said, adding that the plant will be expanded to produce more than 1 million flat retreads annually by 2015.

Continental's sixth retread plant to open in Mexico, located in Cordoba, Veracruz, is now building pre-cure flat treads under the ContiTread label. Six more plants are planned to open throughout 2011, which will give Continental coverage throughout the country and represent an extremely positive result for Continental's mono dealers in Mexico, Williams said.

"Continental offers the piece that these dealers have been missing, which is to have the complete lifecycle solution for truck tires available from their locations," he explained.

North American Dealer Network to Set Grow

In the U.S., CTA will continue the promotion and sales of ContiTread products through its cooperation with Marangoni Tread North America. These retread tire products are available from select tire dealers throughout the U.S. and are manufactured with RingTread technologies.

Continental is also looking to engage partners as part of a ContiLifeCycle distribution network that will span coast to coast across North America, selling the treads produced at the Morelia facility.

The response to Continental's lifecycle solution in North America has been "staggering," said Williams.

"Even before we made any official announcement of our intent to offer the lifecycle concept in the US, we were fielding calls from all over the U.S. and Canada," he noted. "Our intent is to ensure that any fleet located across the U.S. and Canada can meet their tire needs with the ContiLifeCycle solution,"

Unlike other tire manufacturers, Continental will be the first to offer a completely clean distribution footprint where its dealers will not be competing geographically for ContiLifeCycle business.

"Dealers who are searching for an OEM partner who is going to help them grow, not attempt to take away their independence by swamping them with national account business, are more than welcome to contact us for more information about joining the new ContiLifeCycle dealer network in the U.S. and Canada," Williams said.

John Barnes to Head LifeCycle Activities

Williams also named John Barnes as head of LifeCycle Activities and implementing a full support organization in Mexico, Continental is well on the road to implementing its unique perspective toward retreading and the truck tire lifecycle, Williams explained.

"Naming John to this important position means that we have taken yet another crucial step to support the research and development, business activities, products and machinery for retreading in each market of the Americas," Williams said.

Barnes, the Commercial Vehicle Tire division's former business development manager, has been overseeing the sourcing, construction and management of Continental's new ContiTread retread plants in Mexico. He reports directly to Williams in this new role and is based from Continental's headquarters for the Americas in Fort Mill, S.C. The novelty of Continental's approach to the retread segment, Barnes said, was the greatest appeal to joining the ContiLifeCycle business unit.

"Our entire perspective is completely different than any other major tire manufacturer. Continental's portfolio of retreading is exclusively built around the technologies and tread designs of our new tires, and we will be the first major manufacturer to build from the ground up without having any unlinked products that are separated between the design of the new tire and that of the retread.

"Currently we have different products for each segment of the market, as well as each market we serve in the Americas - NAFTA, Central America and the Andean Region, and Latin America. You can count on Continental to continue adding more products that are customized for the retreading needs of each market, until we have a full portfolio that covers all of the segments and mirrors our complete lineup of new tire products," Barnes said.

With the retread organization growing throughout the Americas, Williams predicted that 2011 will represent a major milestone in offering complete solutions for trucking fleets that lower their overall driving costs.

"You will definitely see our footprint grow throughout the Americas as we continue to support and expand the ContiLifeCycle this year. Retreading represents the future of Continental and what we can offer our customers," Williams said.


More info: www.continental-truck.com.