2023-07-13 13:33:17
Continental It has been launched in the face of all the changes that are emerging in the automotive sector, especially those that have to do with reducing emissions and digitization. And it is that, they wanted to show that “they are not just tires”.
In order to publicize all the actions with which they are contributing their grain of sand in these areas, in addition to raising awareness of the importance of correct vehicle maintenance to guarantee safety on the road, the company organized a meeting with the press at his Madrid training center, the Conti Academy.
First of all, Jesús Castillo, director of the Aftermarket segment for Iberia at Continental, mentioned two digital solutions that the company offers to help the workshop to be “more efficient and productive in its tasks”: Autodiagnos Tire, for the management of tire sensors, tire pressure that can be used in cars, industrial vehicles, motorcycles and buses; and SINDRI, an application with which to digitize the reception of the car in the workshop. Castillo explained its simple operation: “When the car enters the workshop, the SINDRI is connected to the OBD2 plug so that it reads all the vehicle information and takes it to the application. Afterwards, the workshop can dump it into its database to have a history of the client”.
Bet on training and safety
During his turn to speak, Castillo stressed the importance of keeping the vehicle up to date to avoid accidents on the road. Recently, a Euromaster study highlighted that breakdowns due to lack of maintenance cause 28% of road accidents with fatalities, and that most of them are related to the safety triangle: tires, brakes and steering. However, many users do not maintain the car correctly, especially the older the vehicle is, something that is dangerous considering that the park in Spain has an average age of 14 years.
For this reason, Continental is developing the Conti Academy, its workshop-oriented training program to take its “Vision Zero Accidents” further and which they intend to implement in Portugal soon. It has three strategies, which Angélica Fernández, the company’s marketing director, spoke about: information sessions, in which part of the Continental team addresses the interested workshop to tell them about the portfolio of products and services offered by the company, as well as the importance of having the brakes in good condition and the good maintenance of the car, whatever its age.
The next axis of training, explained Fernández, is a series of face-to-face courses, more technical, at its center in Alcobendas, Madrid; and finally, a program of webinars on the future challenges of the workshop, which covered all the available places in its first call in June, and which professionals can value in their workshop with a diploma that is given to them if they attend all the sessions.
Likewise, around the concept of the importance of good vehicle maintenance, Fernández pointed out, Continental launched the network of ATE brake centers worldwide, “the only network of workshops specialized in brake workshops”, which already has more than 2,700 workshops. worldwide and more than 100 in Spain. “We offer them technical support, support from the group, support in marketing and profitability. The latter because we offer them an original quality product and a catalog of tools that allow them to save time in operations”, he affirmed.
“Green” brakes
Finally, Castillo took the turn to speak again to talk about the contributions that Continental is making in sustainability, “with emission-free products and applying the circular economy.”
Castillo mentioned that braking is responsible for up to 50% of the particle emissions produced in a vehicle -due to the friction that occurs between the pad and the disc-, so that if the brake system is not modified , Euro 7 could not be met.
In this sense, Continental is working on an innovative drum brake system -also for the front axle-, which reduces dust emissions and provides uneven torque -no friction between pad and disc occurs, and therefore So there are no emissions.
On the other hand, taking into account that electric cars weigh more, the company is working on the development of what they call the “green caliper”, smaller than usual, and which allows the discs to be thinner and larger with the in order to reduce the weight of the system as a whole, and therefore, emissions by 25%. Among other actions, Castillo revealed that the company is also immersed in the transition to the dry brake system, as well as remanufactured parts, for the benefit of the circular economy, to which its network of diesel injector workshops also contributes.
#Continental #tires