09/05/2011

• Industrial tire production in Korbach marks anniversary on July 29, 2011
• Production of Super-Elastic tires started in 1965

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Hanover, September 2011. The industrial tire production facility in Korbach, Hesse, has an exceptional anniversary to celebrate in 2011: On Friday, July 29, 46 years after production of Super-Elastic tires started, the eight millionth tire was made. "The late shift built the anniversary tire and the night shift vulcanized and trimmed it," reports Stephan Disselhoff, head of production at the industrial tire plant in Korbach. "It was a size 225/75-15 SC20 tire."

Korbach has been turning out tires since 1907. Back then, solid rubber tires were still the norm for trucks as well. Today, Korbach is the sole plant in Germany producing solid rubber tires, which are strictly used on industrial vehicles these days. 1966 was the first full year of Continental Super-Elastic (CSE) tire production. Back then, a mere 4,000 tires left the factory each year. Nowadays, it takes less than three days to make that many. Progress in production technology has continuously increased the daily output. 

Super-Elastic tires are solid rubber tires with an extremely tough and wear-resistant tread. This ensures long service life. The rubber compound within the tires also has to be completely vulcanized, so the curing time required to produce them is several times that of passenger car tires. Energy input is a considerable cost factor here. Steel wire beads are embedded in the tire base to ensure that the tire remains firmly seated on the rim. The SC 20 is more than suited to the grueling challenges posed by industrial use: With its sturdy sides and rugged, large tread blocks, this puncture-proof tire copes easily with extremely poor road conditions. Low rolling resistance, tread and regrooving depth, and strong tilt resistance make for higher economy and safety.