Continental has taken over the Czech machine tool manufacturer VUK. The acquisition of VUK strengthens Continental’s presence in the city of Otrokovice, Czech Republic, which is also the home to Continental’s largest tyre plant worldwide with 4,500 employees. Together with the new unit Continental says it will be driving forward the development and production of tyre assembly machines on the newest technological standards. Continental acquired 100% of the shares in VUK, a company that had been for many years an essential supplier of components for tyre assembly machines.
“With this acquisition of VUK, we are strengthening our production capabilities in terms of tyre assembly machines and are therefore supporting our growth strategy “Vision 2025″. Together we are not only expanding our portfolio, but also gaining new expertise in machine construction and strengthening Otrokovice as a technology site,” explained Bernhard Trilken, head of Manufacturing and Logistics Tyres.
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At the Otrokovice plant, we produce not only car, truck and industrial tyres but also tyre molds for the ‘Continental Molds and Machinery’ business unit (CMM), into which VUK will be integrated. CMM is Continental’s internal developer and producer of tyre assembly machines and tyre molds.
“We are looking forward to working with the around 90 new colleagues who will be supporting us from Otrokovice. For us at CMM and for the Otrokovice site, this merger is an important component in consolidating our competitiveness,” stressed Didier Fuchs, head of Continental Molds and Machinery. While the VUK employees primarily specialise in mechanical components and machine assembly, the CMM unit has a great deal of expertise in the area of mechanical, hardware and software engineering and managing large projects, and has a worldwide service network for the tyre plants.
Alongside car, truck and industrial tyres, the plant’s portfolio also includes tyres with ContiSeal and ContiSilent technology as well as high-performance tyres (so-called Ultra High Performance (UHP)). In addition, the site also accommodates a drive-test facility as well as tyre design workshops.
VUK was founded in 1993 and based in Otrokovice, Czech Republic. The privately run company produces machines for tyre assembly and organises the entire production process from development to assembly and quality assurance.
