SUMTER, S.C. – Continental Tire the Americas LLC (CTA) has celebrated the grand opening of its all-new plant in Sumter, S.C. The ceremony marked the completion of the construction process and the beginning of tire manufacturing. The tires produced at the Sumter plant will help meet increasing demand for Continental and General brand tires from both aftermarket customers and automotive manufacturers.
The first phase of the plant will reach a production capacity of approximately 5 million units per year in 2017. A second phase is expected to bring the plant’s full production capacity to approximately 8 million units per year by 2021. Altogether, CTA will invest more than $500 million into the Sumter plant and create about 1,600 new jobs.
"Today’s celebration is recognition of the successful collaboration between business and government," said Jochen Etzel, CEO of Continental Tire the Americas. "I would like to personally thank Governor Haley, the state of South Carolina, the Port Authority, Sumter County and the city of Sumter. Their strong support made this project a reality."
To date, approximately 390 employees have been hired in Sumter. It is expected that the plant will have a total employment level of 570 at the end of 2014. Total employment is expected to reach 1,600.
With the Sumter investment, CTA will have invested more than $1.85 billion in manufacturing, technology, facilities and product development in the U.S., Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil since 2005. Aside from the U.S., Continental is currently expanding production capacity also in Russia, China and Europe to better serve global demand on a long-term basis.
