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Continental builds new US plant to make advanced driver assistance systems

Continental is to build a new plant to make advanced driver assistance systems.

The new plant will be located in New Braunfels in the US state of Texas.

The purpose of the new building is to expand its capacity for the production of radar sensors, says Continental.

Frank Jourdan, Continental board member responsible for the business area of autonomous mobility and safety, says ADAS is a “strategically important” segment for Continental.

Jourdan says: “Advanced driver assistance systems save lives. Continental is one of the world’s market leaders in this area. We are benefiting from steadily increasing fitment rates in new vehicles. And in the future, too, we are anticipating major growth opportunities.

“Over the next five years, we are planning further investments in the high triple-digit million Euro range in the areas of assisted and automated driving. The capacity expansion in New Braunfels is part of our growth strategy.

“Between 2015 and 2019, sales more than doubled and we can see good opportunities to expand our market position even further in the future.”

For the construction of the new plant in New Braunfels, Texas Continental plans to invest about €100 million over the next three years.

At the 20.000 square meter site advanced driver assistance systems will be manufactured. The groundbreaking ceremony is planned for mid-2020, before the scheduled production of radar sensors is planned to start in 2021.

This will add another 130 new jobs in the region in addition to the 450 jobs already existing in development and production of driver assistance systems.

These figures do not include further expansion stages of the new plant. To date, Continental produces radar sensors in Seguin, about 25 kilometers from New Braunfels.

Sensors, software and intelligent connectivity form the basis of advanced driver assistance systems. The technology company Continental already began its research on these systems over 20 years ago.

Over the past five years alone, the company has spent a high three-digit million euro amount on this worldwide.

Continental operates its own development centers and production sites in the major regions of Europe, America and Asia enabling it to offer customized solutions to its customers.

Karl Haupt, head of the advanced driver assistance systems business unit, says: “Customer proximity in the individual regions is of paramount importance to us.

“The new plant in New Braunfels will provide us with a state-of-the-art production facility for our high-tech products, enabling us to continue our growth strategy.”

Continental Builds New Plant for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in the USA
New plant for the production of radar sensors is being built in New Braunfels, Texas. Total investments amount to about €100 million.
Continental is one of the world’s market leaders in the area of advanced driver assistance systems.
Member of the Executive Board Frank Jourdan: “Advanced driver assistance systems are the strongest sales driver and we anticipate major growth opportunities in the future as well.”
Frankfurt am Main (Germany), New Braunfels, Texas (USA), February 6, 2020.

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