The landing of the Phase 3 expansion project will further increase Acella’s surface material production capacity
The third phase of the expansion project fully implements the material-driven concept and adheres to sustainable and intelligent production

Changzhou. Technology company Continental Group announced the official launch of the Phase III expansion project of its second joint venture in China with Jiangsu Changshun Group – Changzhou Plant.

During the entire project construction process, the Changzhou plant will use part of the existing land and an additional 9.2 acres (about 6,000 square meters) of land to build about 12,000 square meters of workshop, about 3,250 square meters of raw material warehouse and about 1,500 square meters of supporting public and auxiliary facilities, and transform an area of about 1,000 square meters in the existing workshop. The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2024.

In terms of equipment, the Phase III expansion project will purchase coater, printing press, pulp mixing equipment, embossers and various types of public and auxiliary equipment and environmental protection equipment, which is expected to add 13 million square meters of high-performance composite materials to the Changzhou plant and reach 35 million square meters of surface materials.

Dr. Dirk Leiss, Head of Continental’s Surface Solutions Business Group, said: “As the world’s largest consumer of automobiles, the Chinese automotive market has a lot of room for development. Among them, we see more and more Chinese car owners begin to have a higher pursuit of materials, design and green environmental protection in the interior of vehicles. The Phase III expansion project of Continental’s Changzhou plant will not only better meet the diversified needs of Chinese car owners in vehicle interiors through the further improvement of high-quality surface materials production capacity, but also create favorable conditions for the company to better establish itself in the Chinese surface materials application market. We will also

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continue to expand our technology research and development and production operations in the Chinese market to provide more intelligent and sustainable surface solutions to drive the growth of the local automotive industry.”

Acella’s surface material production capacity has been fully increased again

Continental Acella surface material is a high-performance, eco-friendly decorative material. The product uses water-based paint with very low volatile substance content and non-reproductive toxicity plasticizer, does not contain contact allergens, heavy metal stabilizers and antimony trioxide, and has passed the International environmental Textile Association Oeko-Tex Standard 100 strict environmental standards certification. Currently, Acella has 125 years of history and has become a well-known surface material brand of Continental Group, which is widely used by major automobile manufacturers in automotive interior parts such as seats and door trim.

Since the Changzhou plant came into operation, the demand for Acella surface materials has been increasing in the Chinese market. By 2022, the plant has cumulatively produced 100 million square meters of Acella surface materials. This Phase III expansion project is the comprehensive improvement of the factory capacity after the second expansion of the Changzhou plant in 2018, and it is also the reinforcement of Acella’s domestic competitiveness. In addition, the patent development and production of a number of environmentally friendly, low-odor, low-temperature PVC artificial leather will also be a highlight of the Changzhou plant Phase III expansion project.

The third phase of the plant implements the concept of sustainable and intelligent production and manufacturing

Keywords such as “sustainable”, “emission reduction” and “ecological protection” are not only the trend of the automotive interior industry, but also an important part of Continental’s green factory construction goals. In the third phase of the expansion project, the Changzhou plant will implement the concept of LEED and China Green Industrial building in the design and construction, which is reflected in the following aspects: the roof of the plant is fully paved with solar photovoltaic panels; New equipment heating methods and installation of energy monitoring systems, wastewater treatment and recycling systems, rainwater recovery systems; The indoor lighting uses a combination of natural lighting and LED fixtures, while the outdoor lighting is achieved by solar street lights and building materials that reduce the heat island effect.

Intelligent production will also be a major feature of the Changzhou plant Phase III expansion project. By introducing automation equipment into automatic defect detection and identification system, AGV, sample delivery robot and other production links, Changzhou factory has been able to have a highly stable production process and product quality, which has greatly improved the factory operation efficiency and product qualification rate.

At present, Continental Group and Jiangsu Changshun Group have completed the signing of the investment agreement for the Phase III expansion project of the Changzhou plant. The specific land planning scheme and project construction scheme for the third phase of the plant have also been approved.