Construction has been completed on a new plant of Continental Tire the Americas in Sumter, South Carolina.
The tires produced at the Sumter plant will help meet the increasing demand for Continental and General brand tires from both aftermarket business and automotive manufacturers, the company said in a statement.
The first phase of the plant will reach a production capacity of about5 million units per year in 2017. A second phase is expected to bring the plant’s full production capacity to about8 million units per year by 2021.
In total, the company will invest more than $500 million into the Sumter plant and create about 1,600 new jobs.
To date, about 390 employees have been hired in Sumter. It is expected that the plant will have a total employment level of 570 at the end of 2014. Total employment is expected to reach 1,600.
