International automotive supplier and tyre manufacturer Continental
has opened a new extension building to expand its R&D capabilities in
Singapore. With a total capital investment of S$29.7 million (EUR 18.3
million), the extension aims to meet the demand of growing engineering requirements
in view of Continental’s worldwide business expansion and the growth of the
automobile industry in Asia, said a press release issued by Continental.
The new extension building accommodates around 450 employees
and provides a total floor space of 5,000 square meters.
Continental is currently one of the best positioned
automotive suppliers and industry partners in the world. In Asia the company
operates 29 R&D centres. Already in operation as a Continental subsidiary
since 2007, Continental Automotive Singapore Pte Ltd is one of the company’s
three largest Asian R&D centres.
“We want to grow stronger in Asia and have increased our
sales in Asia to approximately €6.4 billion in 2013. The Interior division is
constantly striving to increase sales in Asia. The opening of our new,
large-scale development site in Singapore is a clear sign of our commitment to
local development and production in Asia. The extension of our R&D centre
in Singapore strongly supports Continental’s growth strategy in Asia,” said Eelco
Spoelder, Head of Business Unit Instrumentation & Driver HMI and Chairman
of the Board of Continental Automotive Singapore Pte Ltd.
“Continental’s expansion is testament to Singapore’s
talented engineering workforce and conducive business environment. We are
pleased that Singapore continues to be an ideal location for Continental to
develop new products and systems for Asia and beyond. ” said Lim Kok Kiang,
Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
The number of Continental’s employees in Singapore has grown
from about 650 in July 2012 to more than 900 today. Great progress has been
evident with the significant increase in workforce just over a span of two
years. With this aggressive extension plan, we commit to use local knowledge,
in collaboration with our international teams, to serve customers globally and
aim to offer innovative, intelligent and sustainable solutions. We will
continue to grow in manpower and technical competence to more than 1300
employees within the next few years” said Mr. Lo Kien Foh, Managing Director of
Continental Singapore Pte Ltd.
Continental Automotive Singapore’s new extension building
will house R&D and administrative offices from four Business Units of the
Interior Division, namely Instrumentation & Driver HMI, Infotainment and
Connectivity, Body and Security and Commercial Vehicles and Aftermarket, as
well as ContiTech and the Tyres Division.
In 2013, Continental generated sales of approximately €33.3
billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain,
Tires (Tyes), and ContiTech. Continental currently employs around 189,000
people in 49 countries.
Information management and Intelligent Transportation
Systems are at the very heart of the Interior division, which provides a broad
range of products for very different vehicles. The product portfolio includes
instrument clusters, multifunctional displays and head-up displays, control
units, electronic car-entry and tire-information systems, radios, infotainment
systems, input devices and control panels, climate control units, telematics
solutions and services, software as well as cockpits. Interior employs
worldwide more than 34.300 people and generated sales of approximately €6.6
billion in 2013.