Smart Step for Production Continuity from Continental: Tire Production Optimization with Autonomous Robots

Autonomous mobile robots, which have been in operation at Continental’s ContiLifeCycle facility in Hannover-Stöcken since March 2025, contribute to a safe, efficient and ergonomic production environment by undertaking in-plant tire transportation, while the Industry 4.0 transformation is supported in Continental’s tire factories around the world with smart automation solutions.

At ContiLifeCycle, Continental’s retreading plant for truck and bus tires in Hannover-Stöcken, seven autonomous mobile robots have been involved in production processes since March 2025. These robots are responsible for transporting green tires within the facility, allowing employees to focus on more qualified tasks such as machine adjustments and quality control. With the successful introduction of smart automation, Continental makes manual production processes more ergonomic and increases efficiency in tire production. This step is an important milestone in the Industry 4.0 journey.

“For six months, driverless robots have been supporting our production flow,” says ContiLifeCycle Factory Manager Felix Hantelmann, adding: “These robots take on simple and repetitive tasks, such as moving a tire from one point to another. Because they are directly connected to our digital ordering system, they know exactly where to go and how to coordinate with each other. They create significant added value for our daily operations, while also contributing to a safe, efficient and ergonomic production environment.”

Leaner production, more time for quality with autonomous robots…

Robots; It moves independently and safely in the production area thanks to advanced sensors, 360-degree camera systems and artificial intelligence-based control technologies. Robots, which can move at a brisk walking speed, use tires during the coating process; It carries from the tire preparation machine to the cooking presses and from there to the quality control stage.

The new hot coating process proceeds as follows:

The transport robot transfers the sanded tire carcass to the tire preparation machine. Here, depending on the tire size, up to 18 kilograms of new rubber, heated to approximately 100°C, is applied to the tread and sidewalls.

After the tread and sidewalls are added, the tire is placed on a transport cart. The autonomous mobile robot connected to the digital ordering system takes this cart either to the cooking press or to the intermediate storage area, depending on capacity.

The tire, which weighs approximately 75 kilograms, is vulcanized in a baking press at 160°C to gain its final form and tread pattern. It is then transferred to the quality control line by conveyor belt.
“The benefits of this system are clear: Our employees no longer have to carry tires throughout the production area. Thus, their physical load is reduced and they can focus on more complex and high value-added jobs,” said Hantelmann, emphasizing that before robots, manual transportation with cranes and trolleys weighing up to 250 kilograms when two tires were loaded was both laborious and multi-stage.

Technology with team spirit: Managing change together

Continental supported the introduction of robots with a comprehensive training program, ensuring acceptance among employees. Employees also actively participated in determining robot names such as Cargo Knight, Rubber Ranger and LifeCycle Commander. After six months, the robots became a natural part of the team.

The use of autonomous mobile robots is a strong example of Continental’s approach to making tire production more efficient and sustainable through digitalization and automation. Following this success, similar solutions were implemented at Continental’s facilities in Mount Vernon and Clinton in North America, Púchov and Otrokovice in Europe, and Hefei and Rayong in Asia.

More than one million tires retreaded at the Hannover ContiLifeCycle facility

The CLC facility has been retreading worn truck and bus tires since 2013. Used tires first undergo detailed inspection and their old treads are removed; The new tread is then applied, vulcanized and reshaped, and finally passed through quality and safety tests. In this process, up to 70 percent of the tire can be reused. The resulting product is equivalent to a new tire in terms of safety and performance, while consuming much less resources.

Since the opening of the Hannover plant, Continental has retreaded more than a million tires there. Together with its other facilities around the world, the company has reused approximately eight million truck and bus tires in total.

continental is a leading tire manufacturer and industry expert. Founded in 1871, the company achieved sales of 39.7 billion Euros in 2024 and today employs approximately 95,000 people in 54 countries and markets.

Tire Group’s solutions make mobility safer, smarter and more sustainable. Its premium portfolio includes automobile, truck, truck, bus, bicycle, motorcycle tires and specialty tires, as well as smart solutions and services for fleets and tire retailers. Delivering innovative superior performance for over 150 years, Continental is one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers. In fiscal year 2024, the Tire Group achieved sales of 13.9 billion euros. Continental’s tire division employs more than 57,000 people in 19 production and 16 development facilities worldwide.