Conti to open first fully owned U.S. tire warehouse

FORT MILL, S.C. — Continental Tire the Americas plans to build a $69 million facility in southern Fort Worth, Texas, which the company said is its first fully owned tire distribution center in the U.S.

Aimed to improve "both service levels and customer support," from the Dallas-Fort-Worth-metroplex, the facility will have a capacity to store more than 800,000 tires.

The distribution center will be 753,000-sq.-feet with an additional 7,500-sq.-foot office space on Old Burleson Road in Fort Worth, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, filed in early September. In a response to initial reporting by Tire Business, the company said on Sept. 18 the facility will have "the potential to expand to 1,255,000 square feet."

Conti said the facility was designed with future expansion in mind. The company said the distribution center will feature modern technologies and align with long-term sustainability goals.

Continental indicated that the project, which began this month, will be completed by 2026 at a cost of $69 million.

The location was selected based on a comprehensive network study by Continental that identified the Dallas-Fort-Worth area as a key distribution hub. Continental currently serves the U.S. market through seven distribution centers.

"This facility marks our first owned tire distribution center in the U.S., reflecting our commitment to enhancing service levels and better attending to our customers," said Bill Caldwell, senior vice president, Continental Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires in the U.S.

"Designed for future expansion, the new distribution center will include advanced automation technology and sustainability features, such as solar panels. We see the facility as a blueprint initiative for future building designs in respect of automation and renewable energy supply."

Continental said it consistently invests in the digitalization and automation of its global manufacturing operations at its 20 tire plants — in 16 countries.

The company has a long history in Texas. In 2022, Conti opened its Autonomous Mobility Business Area, an automotive plant in New Braunfels, Texas, that produces Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies.

In 2019, the company added a $10 million advanced Indoor Evaluation Center for tire testing located at the company's proving grounds in Uvalde, Texas.

In 2017, Continental expanded its North Texas distribution hub in Grand Prairie.