Conti announces that women contribute to tyre development

ERJ staff report (DS)

Hannover, Germany - Continental seems somewhat surprised to note that more than half its tyre-related R&D trainees this year are women. The company said that just five of the eleven engineering and science graduates who on 1 March began its 2012 Explore Tires Research & Development trainee program, were men. Conti said this reflects a long-term trend in its engineering recruits.

The company is consciously backing the promotion and development of female talent with its personnel policy. One example is Franziska Neef who joined Continental's commercial vehicle tyre world in 2002 after completing her integrated degree program in mechanical engineering: "I learned the tyre trade from scratch and was able to take responsibility in several areas of commercial vehicle tyre development following my integrated degree program. At present, I am leading a team that develops new products and solutions for retreading commercial vehicle tyres,” she said.

The Explore Tires Manufacturing & Engineering program is staged at Continental's tyre plants in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. The applicants from these regions spend the main part of the 24-month program at a tyre factory in their home country. As part of a 6-month stay in Hanover, they also complete one or more projects at the global Technology Centre and at the central manufacturing and engineering departments in Hanover Stoecken.

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Press release from Continental