- Closer proximity to Asian automotive customers
- €8-million investment
- Development of vehicle engine mounts for the global platform of the Qoros 3, the Chinese compact sedan
It represents a strategic milestone. On March 6, ContiTech opened a new research and development Center in China. The Changshu center will develop innovative products for vehicle mounting and vibration control technology – in close collaboration with customers such as Geely, Great Wall Motor Company, General Motors, Shanghai Volkswagen and Qoros. ContiTech has invested about €8 million in the R&D center, which will employ 30 engineers by the end of this year.
An order from automotive manufacturer Qoros was the deciding factor for expansion of the company’s research and development competencies in Asia. In 2010, the ContiTech Vibration Control business unit won the bid to collaborate with its engine mounts in the development of the central platform for assembly of Qoros first production model. “We made a very clear decision to carry out development in the regions where the key global automakers are active: in Europe, North and South America, and now, of course, in Asia as well,” says Kai Uwe Frühauf, head of ContiTech’s Vibration Control business unit. He explains that this makes it possible not only to offer highly competent support to automakers in developing their global platforms but also to meet customers’ local needs quickly and precisely at all key locations. Comprehensive service and custom-made solutions are important criteria helping ContiTech Vibration Control continue to grow with its customers in China and elsewhere, Frühauf added.
The new research and development Center is located in Jiangsu Province, only 100 kilometers from Shanghai. The province is home to several automotive manufacturers. In addition to China, Asian markets in Korea, Japan, and India can also be ideally served from the Changshu location.
