KALUGA, Russia — Continental A.G.'s passenger and light truck tire plant in Kaluga recently cured its 10 millionth tire, reaching that milestone less than five years after the start of production in October 2013. The plant is designed to deliver a wide range of tires both to original equipment and replacement customers in Russia, Eastern Europe and Asia/Pacific countries.
The plant only recently expanded its capacity to include 21-inch rim diameter tires, Conti said, bringing its production portfolio to more than 300 specifications of tires, covering rim diameters from 13 to 21 inches in three of company's brands — Continental, Gislaved and Matador.
In his remarks at a ceremony April 11 to mark the occasion, Nikolai Setzer, head of the Conti's Tire Division, called Kaluga a "mature plant and a success story" and said it is an "important part of our Vision 2025 strategy,…which focuses on growth, value creation and excellence."
Mr. Setzer praised the plant's management and workers, saying, "Together, we have managed to maintain the growth pace of this plant in a complex and dynamic environment and we have kept our promise to our customers, by constantly delivering excellent products."
Mr. Setzer also revealed that the plant has received the German Processes Quality Standart VDA 6.3 and received an "A" quality rating from Volkswagen A.G. All the items produced at the plant meet quality standards ISO/TS 16949.
The plant won Conti's internal Quality Award last year, Conti said, and works diligently to maintain ecologically friendly processes. Approximately 95 percent of the production wastes are suitable for processing and go through recycling.
The Russian company, 000 Continental Kaluga, is a co-founder of "EcoTireUnion," which is working on a system of collecting and utilizing scrap car tires in Russia.
Conti invested $320 million to build the plant in Kaluga, a city of more than 300,000 in Russia's Kaluga Region, roughly 100 miles southwest of Moscow.