In Toulouse, Continental wants to diversify into aeronautics and rail
What if the future of aircraft piloting assistance was imagined by Continental? The German holding company has gained international fame with its car tire manufacturing business. In France, nearly 10 million tires for utility trucks, motorcycles and bicycles come out of its factory in Sarreguemines (Grand-Est) every year.
What is less known is that the German holding company has in Toulouse of its only French factory capable of manufacturing electronic equipment for the automobile. The Occitan site produces large series of badges for car keys, tire pressure systems and electronic control units to control the various electronic accessories in the body of a vehicle.
Small series for niche markets
2019, Continental also acquired a production line for small series, from 2,000 to 50,000 pieces per year, which employs 25 employees. The main innovation of this line is to be able to mass-produce innovations imagined on site by more than 200 Continental engineers from Toulouse for automotive manufacturers, but not only. The group now displays the ambition of vast diversification.
” Our strength is to reuse Continental’s know-how to imagine specific products for niche markets. This primarily concerns the automotive segment in small volumes and with specific needs. But it is also diversification in other areas such as rail, aeronautics or even industry. »explains Michel Cheny, Business Development Sales Manager at Continental Engineering Services.
On its new line, the equipment manufacturer, for example, manufactures key badges for the Italian luxury car manufacturer Maserati (20,000 produced per year).« The number of cars sold each year by this manufacturer is limited, which is why our line may be of interest to them. explains Marc Lumia, industrial engineering manager at Continental. The production tool also appeals to car manufacturers with the gradual rise in sales of electric cars. Continental is an equipment already provided for Renault’s electric Zoé. The group also produces additional charging modules for Renault utility vehicles and is responsible for developing this type of box for the French manufacturer’s future 100% electric utility vehicle, which is due to enter service from 2026, the Renault Flex E Van.
In the aeronautical field, Continental has already seen a prototype of aircraft crew monitoring flown. The system is made up of a camera and algorithms capable of analyzing the pilot’s vision. ” This allows airlines to better understand the behavior of the pilots, their level of attention to improve the ergonomics of the cockpit a little, but also to prevent falling asleep and send alerts if necessary so that the co-pilot takes over “, deciphers Michel Cheny. The prototype has already been tested on a Toulouse-Bangkok flight before Covid.
Continental is also in discussions with railway equipment in Europe to find out about a head-up display system coupled with an anti-collision warning device. The innovation could also be applied to the driving of city trams to detect pedestrians crossing the track. In terms of soft mobility, Continental has finally designed with the Parisian startup Urban Circus a jacket for cyclists automatically detectable by car cameras and lidars.