Growing Number of Women Involved in Tyre Development at Continental
At the beginning of March, eleven engineering and science graduates began the Explore Tyres Research & Development trainee program at Continental’s Tyres division.
The new trainees in tyre research and development come from six different countries and, this year women make up the majority – with six women and five men working across different areas of R&D, production and marketing as part of the program.
For years now, Continental has recorded a rising number of women among new recruits in research and development.
“Research and development, particularly in the motor industry, is often an exclusively man’s world. In reality, things are very different today at Continental. Over the business year just ended, more than one third of the new appointments in tyre development were women,” remarks Geert Roik, head of Research & Development Commercial Vehicle Tyres at Continental.
“We have also noticed a growing number of women joining our international training program in tyre research and development. In general, we do aim for a balanced ratio of male and female candidates for these programs. The course year that began on March 1 gives a clear sign with a more than fifty per cent share of women. This shows the high standard of specialist qualifications among female candidates.”
Continental’s Tyres division offers two different training programs in the areas of R&D and production. They are directed at graduates from the fields of mechanical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering and physics, with approximately fifty trainees recruited from around the world each year.
The Explore Tyre Research & Development program is based at the Technology Centre in Hanover Stocken and specifically targets international applicants. In addition to the projects in R&D in Hanover, each trainee also completes a project at one of the tyre factories abroad.
The Explore Tyres Manufacturing & Engineering program is staged at Continental’s tyre plants in Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America, with applicants from these regions spending the main part of the 24-month program at a tyre factory in their home country. As part of a 6-month stay in Hanover, they also complete one or more projects at the global Technology Centre and at the central manufacturing and engineering departments in Hanover Stocken.
Further information on the Continental Explore Tyres trainee programs is available at www.careers-continental.com
Continental Wins evo Magazine Tyre Test
Continental has been awarded top spot in evo’s annual tyre test, with its ContiSportContact 3 tyre.
The UK sports car magazine, measured performance indicators including wet and dry handling, aquaplaning and braking using 225/40R18 sized tyres on a range of high-end cars.
Evo described Conti’s tyre as giving “an impressively complete performance”.
The magazine praised the ContiSportContact3’s abilities in wet handling and braking, with it taking top spot in both categories. Evo wrote the tyre’s wet handling was “masterful”, even amongst “some great performances on the wet circuit” by competitors.
The tyre set “the fastest lap time, [recorded] the highest lateral G, and [scored] the highest subjective mark, too – it wasn’t bettered.”
Evo summed up the tyre’s all-round ability: “Especially impressive was its stability – it barely acknowledged puddles that were registered by its closest rivals, and its traction was superb. “Amazingly surefooted and grippy; the limit is your nerve.”
Jonathon Hayter, product manager at Continental, said: “This additional win for the ContiSportContact 3 is an excellent endorsement for our product range. The ultra-high performance tyre has proven its worth yet again next to competitor products and has displayed its prowess in a number of disciplines including wet handling and braking.”