Continental has taken over Czech machine tool manufacturer VÚK. The acquisition is said to strengthen the tire maker’s presence in Otrokovice, Czech Republic, which is also the home to Continental’s largest tire plant worldwide with 4,500 employees. Together with the new unit Conti will be driving forward the development and production of tire assembly machines to the latest standards.
“With this acquisition of VÚK, we are strengthening our production capabilities in terms of tire assembly machines and are therefore supporting our growth strategy Vision 2025. Together we are not only expanding our portfolio, but also gaining new expertise in machine construction and strengthening Otrokovice as a technology site,” explained Bernhard Trilken, head of manufacturing and logistics – tires, Continental.
At the Otrokovice plant, Conti produces not only car, truck and industrial tires but also tire molds for the Continental molds and machinery business unit (CMM), into which VÚK will be integrated. CMM is Continental’s internal developer and producer of tire assembly machines and tire molds.
“We are looking forward to working with the around 90 new colleagues who will be supporting us from Otrokovice. For us at CMM and for the Otrokovice site, this merger is an important component in consolidating our competitiveness,” stressed Didier Fuchs, head of Continental molds and machinery.
While the VÚK employees primarily specialize in mechanical components and machine assembly, the CMM unit has a great deal of expertise in the area of mechanical, hardware and software engineering and managing large projects, and has a worldwide service network for the tire plants.
Alongside car, truck and industrial tires, the plant’s portfolio also includes tires with ContiSeal and ContiSilent technology as well as high-performance tires. In addition, the site incorporates a testing facility as well as tire design workshops.
