Continental Tire begins expansion at Sumter plant

Continental Tire began work on the second phase of its Sumter plant this week, which the company said will double the plant’s production capacity over the next six years and more than double its employment.

The phase two construction will add 720,000 square feet to the Sumter plant, including a new production hall and expanded warehouses for raw materials and finished goods, the company said.

The expansion will increase production at the facility from 4 million tires a year to 8 million by 2021, Continental said, raising employment from the current 700 jobs to more than 1,600. Continental’s total projected investment in the plant is increasing to more than $500 million.

That would bring the existing 1-million-square-foot plant to the full production capacity projected by Continental when it announced the plant in 2011. Construction on the plant began in 2012 and tire production at the Sumter plant began in 2013. Continental said it expects to increase employment at the plant this year to 800.

South Carolina recently became the largest tire producer in the United States, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. Major tire manufacturers such as Bridgestone, Michelin and Continental all have production facilities in the Palmetto State. Giti Tire is building a plant in Chester County.

The phase two construction project is expected to take nine months to complete, Continental said.

Continental and General brand tires are in demand, the company said in a news release, and tires produced at the Sumter plant will help meet increasing demand from both the aftermarket business and automotive manufacturers.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 7:09 PM.