Continental is strategically sharpening its profile as a provider of service and complete conveying solutions and unifying its portfolio under the Continental brand. In the future, all products, technologies and services, know-how and expertise will be combined under the Continental brand.
“Decisive drivers are our customers. In this way, our customers and partners will benefit from a stronger and trusted global product portfolio from a single source. Thus, we will further be joining forces to continue our customer-centric business approach,” said Hannes Friederichsen, heading the business unit Conveying Solutions at Continental.
Starting in January 2021, all products from company-owned brands PHOENIX, IMAS, Kolubara, Matador and National Belt Service will be integrated into the broad Continental product and service portfolio. LEGG and BELTTRADE belt products will remain available to North American distributors. All LEGG agricultural products will be integrated into the Continental product portfolio and sold under the Continental brand.
Strategic focus on digital and service innovations for conveying solutions
The bundling of assets under one global brand goes along with optimization and extension of the portfolio in both belts and digital products. Continental is further extending its offer with an increasing number of value-add digital innovations and services.
“We see fast-changing requirements in our markets. A few years ago, our customers asked for high-quality, long-life belts. Now, construction, industry and mining companies are looking for safety, quality, efficiency and productivity gains. Our customers are requiring integrated solutions covering the entire value chain around a belt from commissioning, consulting and training to digital monitoring and on-site maintenance. Additionally, energy-optimized belts, new business models and sustainability aspects will play a crucial and competitive role in the future,” said Andreas Bakenhus, at Continental responsible for the newly created conveying solutions service segment. “We understand it is our job to offer service levels that allows our customers to fully concentrate on their core business.”
Beyond that, Continental will extend its support to their regional distributors with an extended offering of service-related products and digital tools. Continental continues to develop value added digital solutions and services, such as the new drone-based monitoring solution for conveyor systems that will be launched to the market in 2021.
Globally, Continental offers both an international network of 1,300 experienced service technicians and distributors as well as abroad scope of digital solutions. For example, its intelligent integrated condition monitoring system Conti MultiProtect that detects potential problems early on and minimizes downtime.
Customer-centricity is the main driver for unified branding
“We deliver world-class and innovative products and services that contribute to the business of our partners worldwide,” said Dr. Michael Hofmann, at Continental responsible for key account management and marketing for conveying solutions. “In the past, we had a line-up of different brands and product lines. We are now simplifying our world class portfolio to provide our global markets easier and faster access to our entire product line-up. This includes Continental’s outstanding know-how, technology, innovation and research and development resources, global production and service network.”
In 2019, Continental installed the world’s strongest conveyor belt, an ST 10 000, in the world’s largest copper mine in Chuquicamata, Chile. Europe’s longest conveyor belt for a cement factory was built by Continental and Techmi in Montalieu, France. The endless belt is about 8 miles long with twists and turns on the head and tail of the system to run parallel to the loaded belt on the return.
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