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Press Release
ContiTech
Air Spring Systems
15 Million Air Springs in 15 Years:
Anniversary for ContiTech Lastik
 Celebrations attended by Heinz-Gerhard Wente, member of the Continental Executive
Board, and Hannes Friederichsen, head of the business unit
 Customers include leading carmakers
 Employees secure further growth
Bursa/Hanover, September 13, 2014. The ContiTech location Nilüfer/Bursa has been doing
successful business for 15 years – since ContiTech Lastik was founded in 1999, employees have
produced no less than 15 million air springs for the automotive industry. Reason enough for an
anniversary celebration that even saw Heinz-Gerhard Wente, member of the Executive Board of
automotive supplier and tire manufacturer Continental, and Hannes Friederichsen, head of the
ContiTech Air Spring Systems business unit, traveling from Germany to attend. "Many people have
contributed to our success story, and we want to thank them with this celebration," said Sirzat
Karayel, General Manager of ContiTech Lastik San. ve. Tic. A.S., at the opening of the ceremony
at the Almira Hotel. "This success is a combination of the work of our employees in Bursa and our
colleagues in Germany as well as our suppliers and service providers. The result is maximum
customer satisfaction."
ContiTech Lastik, which arose from a joint venture with a Turkish company, was originally intended
to primarily manufacture products for the replacement market. Today, its list of customers includes
a growing number of leading commercial vehicle and axle manufacturers such as DAF, Mercedes,
and BPW, who use the high-quality products from Bursa for their vehicles. "We are now a valued
original equipment manufacturer on both a national and international scale," emphasizes Karayel,
and points out further reasons for success: "We know that a chain is only as strong as its weakest
link. This is why we regard our suppliers and service providers as business partners on an equal
footing. Our employees identify with the company, and their flexibility and quality consciousness
ensure strong customer loyalty."
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Your contact:
Mario Töpfer, +49 511 938-1304
-2There was praise from the German guests, too: "Continental has developed very positively in the
past few years. Today we have almost 190,000 employees worldwide who generate sales of
€ 33.3 billion. The Bursa plant has been contributing to this success for the past 15 years," said
Heinz-Gerhard Wente. "I would like to thank all the employees who have made this success story
possible." Customers also benefit from the Turkish location: "Our plant in Bursa is a good example
of successful cooperation between the nine production sites within the Air Spring Systems
business unit," said Hannes Friederichsen. "Through this international interaction, we can offer our
customers an added value which many other suppliers cannot."
Almost 1.4 million air bellows are to be produced in the plant this year – in 1999, this figure was
just over 100,000. At the same time, the share of complex air spring systems produced, which
comprise a rubber bellows and various metal components, is growing. They already account for
more than 60% of parts delivered. The course for growth in Bursa is supported by regular
investments in the location, while certifications to ISO TS 16949 (quality management) and ISO
14001 (environmental management) ensure a high production standard as well. A new dispatch
hall was constructed in 2005. This allows more trucks to be loaded in less time: more than five a
day can now be loaded, whereas this figure was only three prior to restructuring. The new Hall D
went into operation in 2007, enabling capacities to be expanded and workflows to be optimized.
For example, the paths for the employees have become shorter.
The site is home to a young, motivated team. The average age of the approximately 250
employees is just 34 and more than 90 percent of them speak at least one foreign language. They
go on outings together, play on a company team, and hike together. "The team spirit makes the
plant successful and will secure our course for growth in the future too," says Karayel, who is
confident in his prediction on the occasion of the 15th anniversary that "It won't be another 15 years
before we produce our 30 millionth air spring. We want to accelerate our growth."
Caption
Success with air springs: production employees presented the 15 millionth product to HeinzGerhard Wente, member of the Continental Executive Board, and Hannes Friederichsen,
Chairman of the ContiTech Lastik Supervisory Board.
Photo: ContiTech
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Your contact:
Mario Töpfer, +49 511 938-1304
-3With sales of around €33.3 billion in 2013, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide.
As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation,
infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to
enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked
automobile communication. Continental currently employs around 186,000 people in 49 countries.
The ContiTech division numbers among the leading suppliers of a host of technical rubber products and is a
specialist for plastics technology. The division develops and produces functional parts, components and
systems for the automotive industry and other important industries. ContiTech currently has a workforce of
approximately 31,400 employees. In 2013 it recorded sales of about €3.9 billion.
Contact for journalists
Mario Töpfer
Head of Technical Media Relations
ContiTech AG
Vahrenwalder Strasse 9
30165 Hanover, Germany
Phone: +49 511 938-1304
Fax: +49 511 938-1305
E-mail: [email protected]
www.contitech.de
This press release is available in the following languages: German, English
Links
Press releases and photos are available for download at www.contitech.de/press
Your contact:
Mario Töpfer, +49 511 938-1304