1906-2006: Continental AG division driving successfully into the future for
a hundred years
FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The slogan "100 Years.
Forward Thinking", coined to mark this year's centenary, serves as a
reminder of Continental Automotive Systems' origins as a supplier to the
automotive industry and of the founding of the company in Frankfurt am Main
in 1906 by Alfred Teves, the automotive engineering pioneer. Over the
following decades, this small firm grew into a global supplier,
accelerating progress in the automotive industry with its innovative
products. In 1967 Alfred Teves GmbH became part of the ITT Group which was
in turn acquired of the Continental AG in 1998. Together with Temic, the
specialist automotive electronics firm, which was acquired in 2001, and the
recently purchased automotive electronics branch of Motorola, the company
now forms the Automotive Systems Division within Continental AG.
Today, as a developer and producer of a comprehensive range of safety
systems, of networked automotive electronics and of resource-efficient
hybrid drives, Continental Automotive Systems is one of the world's most
important suppliers to the automotive industry. In 2005, the company's
24,000 staff employed at 41 sites throughout the world achieved sales of
roughly euro 5.2 billion from their daily production totals of, for
example, 57,000 electronic braking systems, 232,000 wheelspeed sensors,
43,000 airbag sensors and control units, 151,000 brake calipers, 53,000
brake boosters, 147,000 brake hoses, 79,000 body electronic modules and
18,000 radiator fans.
Predicting the future of the automobile
"The secret of our success is that, with our enthusiasm for the
automobile throughout our history from Alfred Teves right up to the
present, we have always managed to achieve technical progress and at the
same time have constantly rediscovered the element of pleasure in driving.
A spirit of creative discovery, sound commercial sense, all-round customer
orientation, quality-consciousness and openness are all basic traits of our
corporate character," according to Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Chairman of the
Continental Automotive Systems board and member of the Continental AG Board
of Management.
A few milestones in the company's history illustrate how innovation
shapes our corporate thinking. In 1926 Teves brought the four-wheel
hydraulic braking system to continental Europe; and in the Fifties, through
the acquisition of the relevant licenses, it became one of the largest
producers of vacuum brake boosters and one of the first to recognize the
technological superiority of the disk brake. As a result, Teves and the ATE
brand became a synonym for innovative, high-quality, yet inexpensive
braking systems and components -- a profile which gained even greater
definition as electronics were incorporated into vehicle design.
In 1984, for example, Teves introduced the microprocessor-controlled
ABS into series production, the first supplier to put its faith in this
still untried but inexpensive technology. Today it is the global standard.
Subsequent pioneering work brought ESP and driver assistance systems as
well as electronically-controlled air suspension chassis and hybrid drive
systems. Acquired in 1967 by ITT, the company expanded both technologically
and geographically in giant strides. In 1998 it was acquired by Continental
AG and integrated into its Automotive Systems Division. In 2001 it was
joined by Temic, which had been acquired from DaimlerChrysler, and in 2006
by Motorola's automotive electronics business.
In its 2006 centenary year, the Division is now a global supplier to
the automotive industry of highly-integrated key technologies in the areas
of braking and safety systems, drive systems and chassis, bodywork, driver
authorization and intelligent mobility. "Comprehensive driving safety,
sustainability, driving pleasure and intelligent traffic management will
characterize the automobile of the future. Continental Automotive Systems
has established itself in the best possible position; the future lies in
the intelligent interlinking of technologically challenging safety and
chassis systems and the ability of vehicles to communicate both with each
other and with their surroundings. We are ready for the next leap in
technology," said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann.
The Continental group is a leading supplier of braking systems, chassis
components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers to the
automotive industry. In 2005, the company achieved sales of euro 13.8
billion and currently employs a workforce of roughly 85,000 throughout the
world.
As a leading global technology and systems engineering partner to the
automotive industry, the Automotive Systems Division of Continental AG
combines comprehensive know-how and uncompromising quality in the areas of
active and passive driving safety, telematics, hands-free communication
systems, drive systems and comfort. In 2005, this Division generated sales
of roughly euro 5.2 billion with a workforce of more than 24,000.
Continental Automotive Systems develops and produces electronic and
hydraulic brake, stability and suspension control systems, electronic
pneumatic suspension systems, sensors, engine management and transmission
control systems, hybrid drives, radiator fan modules and electronic devices
for comfort and safety applications and is a leading global producer of
telematics and communications solutions for the automotive sector.
SOURCE Continental Automotive Systems
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Related links:
http://www.conti-online.com
http://www.contitevesna.com
http://www.contiautomotive.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/437525.html/
CONTACT:
Katja Mattl, External Communications,
+49-911-9526-2591, Fax: +49-911-9526-2537,
katja.mattl@contiautomotive.com, Dagmar Weiner, Head of
Communications, +49-69-7603-6000, Fax: +49-69-7603-3945,
dagmar.weiner@contiautomotive.com, both of Continental,
Automotive Systems Division, or Jim Gill, Director, Public
Relations of Continental Automotive Systems Division, North
America, +1-248-393-5210, Cell: 248-882-6309,
jim.gill@us.contiautomotive.com
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