ContiTech Sleeve Type Air Spring Production Line Startup
in China Changshu Plant

Shanghai, May 2011German quality produced in China · Market leader in
China · New pro-duction line for sleeve type air springs · Reliable service partner in developing Chinese bus and truck market

ContiTech Air Spring Systems has followed up with the start-up of a production line for sleeve type air springs which are used for the suspension of truck cabins and driver seats. The startup ceremony took place on May 27th 2011 in Changshu plant. ContiTech Air Spring Sys-tems further strengthened its market activities in China last year with the opening of a new local production in Changshu, Jiangsu Province. Today the world’s number one in air spring systems is also the leading supplier in the Chinese commercial vehicle OEM market. In the new production loca-tion in Changshu the company produces over 95 per cent of the axle air springs for the Chinese market.

High-quality products for a developing market
The Chinese commercial vehicle market provides a lot of development po-tential. In 2011, more than 1,5 million trucks and 450,000 busses are scheduled for production in China. For ContiTech busses present the largest market segment so far. Manufacturers are using air springs at an increasing rate and currently about 30 per cent of all new busses are equipped with air spring suspension. In the truck market, air springs are mainly used for the suspension of driver cabins and for driver seat suspension. Air spring axle suspensions, which are a standard in European and US markets, are currently mostly used for prototypes, small-series productions, and vehicles made for export. “But in the future the truck market is expected to present by far the largest market potential. Now is the time to support the OEMs in developing their air suspended prototypes”, says Thomas Johannsen, head of ContiTech Air Spring Systems.

ContiTech Air Spring Systems also provides original quality to the replace-ment market. The air spring specialist has made a further step in China’s aftermarket with the principle of supplying high-quality products from a local production. The company therefore has committed itself to provide its cus-tomers with the same high quality products from its Changshu production as it has done previously from its European plants. In order to fulfill this quality obligation, the company is applying the same production processes and is using the same raw materials and production equipment as in Europe. The result of this high-quality strategy is that ContiTech Air Springs has not received any product quality claims for the products produced in Changshu within its first year in operation.

Long partnership with Chinese OEMs
ContiTech has been active in China for more than 30 years, first in the rail-way market and from the late 1990s in the commercial vehicle market. It possesses long-term partnerships with Chinese OEMs which are leading in the country’s bus and truck market.