Plastics News Europe - June 2019 - 31

automotive

sustainable and customisable interior materials. This is
mainly because the car interior will transform into a living
space, which, of course, has different requirements.
In your PIAE keynote address last month, you referred
to the car cockpit of the future and connectivity in cars.
Can you give us some examples of what ContiTech is
working on with regard to those future technologies
and the development of next-generation materials?
Cars will become living rooms, bedrooms, conference
rooms and entertainment centers.
The space-saving miracle in the vehicle interior will be
no less impressive. Innovative plastics and composite materials play an important role here.
We will see human-machine interfaces that are created
simply by the interplay of plastic surfaces and electronics.
Our morphing controls, for example, ensure that the vehicle interior doesn't end up looking like an airplane cockpit.
Illuminated buttons emerge on the surface of an instrument
panel as soon as the driver's hand nears the surface.
Three-dimensional buttons glow where just moments
ago smooth artificial leather created a clean, classic look. A
brief pulse will provide confirmation that the driver has
successfully pressed the desired button.
As soon as the driver's hand is removed, the buttons
will disappear behind the surface without a trace. The control room will again become a living room. The interior will
be more multifunctional and flexible than ever.
New surfaces will make a car look slimmer in the process and avoid a visual overload for those in the vehicle.

Continental is improving ride comfort through optimising in-car
vibration, noise levels

Gasoline fuel lines will, of course, still be part of our portfolio, but we also provide hoses that help extended lifetime
for hybrid or electric vehicles, support thermo management
solutions or that are suitable for fuel cell technology.
And what is more, the transformation in the automotive
industry is also impacting the aftermarket and replacement
parts business.
Workshops and garages have to be trained in new
technologies.
The trend toward autonomous or highly automated vehicles will also have significant impact on vehicle interiors.
Smart surfaces will open up options for more personalisation of vehicles. The consequence will be that the creativity and innovativeness of our designers, engineers and
stylists will be in greater demand in the future.

How do you think the slowdown in the automotive
industry will impact ContiTech in the short run?
For the 2019 fiscal year, we are expecting the production volume of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles to be on
a par with the previous year, so at around 94 million vehicles.
The declining market performance looks set to continue unabated in the first half of 2019.
In the second half of the year, we anticipate moderate
market growth compared to the low prior-year basis.
One of our major advantages is that we are active in
other industries, too. That helps balance differing market
cycles in different industries.

Will vehicle end of life play a role in materials
development, selection or design? If yes, can you
give us some examples or explain further?
Sure, one good example is the end of life of drive belts. In the
past, end of life was determined by replacement intervals.
Nowadays, a belt must last an engine for its entire service life.
But our material developers are also working on what
happens with our products after vehicle end of life. Together with universities, we are trying to find solutions to
reduce the amount of new raw materials in new products
and to re-use materials.

Continental Corp's CEO recently said that the car
industry is going through its deepest transformation.
How will that affect ContiTech's operations? Are you
considering changes to your product portfolio? If yes,
can you explain?
We generate approximately 50% of our global sales from
customers in the automotive industry. Any transformation
in the industry is a call for action to our organisation.
That's why we started to extend our portfolio a couple
of years ago where appropriate.
Specifically with regard to the automotive industry, we
saw that new drive systems require other, for example smaller, drive belts or hoses.

Will Brexit affect ContiTech in any shape or form?
Well, uncertainties are never fruitful for business. It's unclear what effects Brexit will have on the industry and on
Continental and when they will occur.
In terms of total sales, our stake in the UK is relatively
limited. But we have to think of the indirect effects, which
are very hard to assess. This also reflects a fundamental
issue in that many relevant markets have become much
harder to forecast.
Last but not least, where do you think the future of the
car industry will be? (e.g. Europe, China or Mexico?)
In my eyes, the future of every industry - not just the automotive industry - will be where market participants can
rapidly adapt to changing customer needs or changing
market requirements.
Any other comments?
Lightweighting is also relevant for industries beyond automotive - reducing weight increases efficiency in vehicles
for agriculture, mining, railroads and the material-handling industry as well.

Sensors, electronic, and electromechanical parts
make controls take shape

JUNE 2019

Plastics News Europe - June 2019

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