Continental to build new production plant in Shanghai

Published: 03 Aug 2009 21:23:46 PST

Shanghai, China, August 3, 2009 The international automotive supplier Continental is to build a new production plant for its three Automotive Divisions Chassis&Safety, Powertrain and Interior in Jiading Industrial Zone, Shanghai. The new plant mainly produces electronic control units&hydraulic electronic control units out of the Chassis&Safety Division, body electronic modules and instrumentation components out of the Interior Division as well as thick film substrates out of the Powertrain Division. The facility will further enhance the company's production capacity in addition to its existing plants in China. Even in the midst of the ongoing crisis in the automotive sector, Continental continues its investment which demonstrates the firm commitment and resolution to the Chinese market and expands the strong footprint in China and Asia.

Continental invests together with its partner Jiading Industrial Zone (JDIZ) RMB160 million in this new plant, which is situated on a land space of 74000 square meters and will be put into production in the middle of 2010. As planned, its production capacity will ramp up to 7.5 million units of hydraulic and electronic control units, 3 million units of printed circuit boards for clusters, 5 million units of door control modules and gateways, and 2 million units of thick film substrates by 2015 with a workforce of up to 1500 employees. The products are destined for all vehicle segments and will mainly be supplied to OEMs in China, Japan, Korea and Europe.

Continental is striving to offer "best in class", modular and scalable safety technologies and solutions for all the vehicles to ensure the safety for everyone and further improve traffic safety standards in China. Electronic Brake Systems (EBS) from Continental feature outstanding capacity for integration of functions and system components. They lie at the heart of our development and production of systems for safe driving and braking. EBS by Continental include Anti-lock Brake Systems (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), including countless additional functions and means of integration. EBS are an essential active safety system, which can safely reduce brake and stopping distance, enhance vehicle stability and driving pleasure and is the indispensable basis for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

The Interior Division from Continental concentrates particularly on information management to make vehicles smarter and more comfortable. Its Business Unit Body & Security focuses on development and production of body electronics, access control, tire information systems, light controllers, seat systems and battery and energy management solutions which all ensure the availability of security and comfort features within the vehicle. For instance, door control units (DCUs) which will also be produced in the new Jiading plant are the basis for the electronics that operate exterior mirrors and power window lifter with anti-pinch protection. The Powertrain Division from Continental integrates innovative and efficient system solutions for vehicle powertrains with the aim to increase performance and driving comfort while at the same time lowering consumption and emissions. Continental is not only specialized in advanced electronically controlled injection systems for gasoline and diesel engines and their associated electronics but also develops and produces electronics for controlling the latest automatic transmissions.

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