The implementation of the Phase III expansion project will further enhance Acella’s surface material production capacity

The Phase III expansion project fully implements the material-driven concept and adheres to sustainable and intelligent production

April 12, 2023, Changzhou. Technology company Continental announced that the second joint venture company jointly invested with Jiangsu Changshun Group in China, Changzhou Factory, officially launched the Phase III expansion project.

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

In terms of equipment, the Phase III expansion project will purchase coating machines, printing machines, slurry mixing equipment, embossing machines and various auxiliary equipment and environmental protection equipment, which is expected to add an annual production capacity of 13 million square meters of high-performance composite materials to the Changzhou plant and reach an annual production capacity of 35 million square meters of surface materials.

Dr. Dirk Leiss, head of Continental’s Surface Solutions Business Group, said: “As the world’s largest automobile consumer, the Chinese automobile market has broad development space. Among them, we see that more and more Chinese car owners have begun to pursue higher standards in terms of materials, design and green environmental protection for vehicle interiors. The Phase III expansion project of Continental’s Changzhou plant can not only better meet the diversified needs of Chinese car owners in vehicle interiors by further improving the production capacity of high-quality surface materials, but also create favorable conditions for the company to better establish itself in the Chinese surface material application market. We will also continue to expand technology research and development and production operations in the Chinese market, and provide more intelligent and sustainable surface solutions to drive the growth of the local automobile industry.”

Acella surface material production capacity has been fully improved again

Continental’s Acella surface material is a high-performance eco-friendly decorative material. The product uses water-based paint with extremely low volatile matter content and plasticizers without reproductive toxicity. It does not contain contact allergens, heavy metal stabilizers and antimony trioxide, and has passed the strict environmental protection standard certification of Oeko-Tex Standard 100 of the International Environmental Textile Association. At present, Acella has a history of 125 years and has become a well-known surface material brand of Continental Group. It is widely used by major automobile manufacturers in automotive interior parts such as seats and door trims.

Since the production of the Changzhou plant, the demand for Acella surface materials in the Chinese market has been increasing. As of 2022, the plant has produced a total of 100 million square meters of Acella surface materials. This phase III expansion project is a comprehensive improvement of the Changzhou plant’s production capacity after the second expansion in 2018, and it is also a reinforcement of Acella’s competitiveness in China. In addition, the patented development and production of a variety of environmentally friendly, low-odor, and low-temperature resistant PVC artificial leathers will also be a highlight of the Changzhou plant’s phase III expansion project.

The Phase III factory implements the concept of sustainable and intelligent production and manufacturing

Keywords such as “sustainable”, “emission reduction” and “ecological and environmental protection” are not only the development trend of the automotive interior industry, but also an important part of Continental’s green factory construction goals. In the Phase III expansion project, the Changzhou factory will implement the concepts of LEED and China’s green industrial buildings in design and construction, which is reflected in the following aspects: the roof of the factory is fully paved with solar photovoltaic panels; a new equipment heating method is adopted and an energy supervision system, wastewater treatment and recycling system, and rainwater recycling system are installed; the indoor lighting of the factory uses a combination of natural lighting and LED lamps, and the outdoor lighting is achieved through solar street lights, and building materials that reduce the heat island effect are used.

Intelligent production will also be a major feature of the Phase III expansion project of the Changzhou factory. By introducing automated equipment into production links such as automatic defect detection and identification systems, AGVs, and sample delivery robots, the Changzhou factory has a highly stable production process and product quality, which has greatly improved the factory’s operating efficiency and product qualification rate.

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