General Tire was responsible for the development and widespread introduction of several important new technologies. The company solved a 40-year problem with the discovery of the carbon-black formulation in 1943, which set the tone for the tyre industry for decades to come. From a South African perspective, 1949 was a significant year. On 20 April, the General Tire and Rubber Company started production of its first tyres, tubes and repair materials at a new plant built in Port Elizabeth. This was exactly one year after ground was broken for the new facility following the registration of the company in January 1947 as a venture between General Tire International and the Williams Hunt Group. In 1978, General Tyre South Africa concluded a technical services agreement with Continental AG, which gave the company access to the technology required to build high-performance steelbelt radial ply tyres in SA. Seven years later the association was further consolidated when the German company approved the production of Continental-branded products at the Port Elizabeth factory. Continental tyres were launched locally in 1986 and quickly achieved success in both the original equipment (OE) and replacement markets. Internationally, the 1987 acquisition of General Tire in the US by Continental AG further reinforced the association between the two brands locally, and resulted in the release of a wide range of new products and supporting technologies. In 1998, Continental AG acquired a majority 60 percent shareholding of General Tyre in SA, or Gentyre Industries as it was then known. The company was subsequently renamed Continental Tyre SA (Pty) Ltd. The Port Elizabeth plant was awarded ISO 9000 quality management certification in 2000, and was the first SA manufacturer to begin production of tyres with advanced silica-based tread compounds that provided improved levels of handling and braking performance, as well as fuel efficiency. The relaunch of General Tyre in South Africa marks its positioning as Continental Tyre South Africa’s contender in the value segment, with a strong focus on the replacement tyre market. It retains the brand’s core principles of performance, reliability, proven American heritage and value for money, while building on the high level of brand recognition and support achieved over 65 years of local production. This is reinforced with an expanded and highly competitive product line-up featuring a wide range of tyres that covers the passenger car, 4x4 and SUV, agricultural, mining, construction and specialist tyre categories.
