Continental Engineering Services (CES) is opening three new sites in the UK, Germany and Italy, which the company says will significantly expand its capacities. The new site in in England, located at Burgess Hill near London, is of “major strategic significance” for CES, with a focus on the development and adaptation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), a technology playing an increasingly important role in modern vehicles.
Around 100 engineers will work at the UK site, developing solutions for ADAS, with expertise including software and image recognition, as well as the development and adaptation of technologies for parking and turning manoeuvres. “The development teams in Burgess Hill strengthen our expertise in key disciplines,” stated Dr Christoph Falk-Gierlinger, general manager of CES. “The development of assistance systems, and their integration into increasingly digital vehicle architectures, are rapidly becoming increasingly important. We offer intelligent solutions that meet the requirements of specific vehicle architecture and international legal requirements.”
The Burgess Hill branch strengthens the company’s market position in the UK, where CES already has a site in Lichfield, England. In addition, CES will in the future be using free production capacity at its production site in Ebbw Vale, Wales for the production of components such as electric drives and the Ac2ated Sound speaker-free sound system.
Stuttgart specialises in connectivity, electric drive and acoustics issues
CES is also pursuing an expansion strategy in Germany, opening a new branch in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart to provide greater support to customers at the Continental automotive site in Baden-Wuerttemberg.
“We have moved closer to our customers in the greater Stuttgart area,” explained Lars Holger Seibert, director of sales & marketing. “As a systems development partner, we can now support our customers even more efficiently in the development and implementation of customised solutions for the mobility of the future. Our focus is on disciplines such as electric mobility, vehicle acoustics, traffic safety, information and connectivity.”
The engineers at the Sindelfingen site specialise in areas including the integration of brake and ADAS systems, as well as interior electronics systems and the development of smart connectivity solutions and efficient technologies for electric drives. CES is also investing in a new acoustics centre nearby in Marktgroeningen in order to be able to work physically closer to customers in implementing complex projects in overall vehicle acoustics and thermal management.
Parent company Continental is also represented at the site in Sindelfingen. CES is keen to emphasise its competitive advantage of being backed by the complete Continental automotive portfolio, which helps it develop new solutions quickly and cost-efficiently. Components that have already been tested in large-scale production, such as sensors, actuators or control units as well as system development work, can be individually adapted and further developed to fit CES customers’ needs. A new site manager has been appointed: Uwe Hillburger, who has held positions at Porsche and development service providers such as MBtech and AVL, among others.
Turin focuses on southern Europe
CES is also seeking to drive growth in southern Europe, opening a new subsidiary in Turin, Italy. This branch serves in particular Italian manufacturers of limited production series, such as supercars, as well as niche, two-wheeled, and special vehicles. The site will be managed by Nicole Haring-Aue, head of CES Italy.
