Continental has announced a major strategic shift in its Commercial Specialty Tires business. The company will discontinue its agricultural tyre segment by the end of 2025 and will instead concentrate its efforts on material handling, earthmoving, and port operations tyres.
The decision follows a detailed business review and reflects what Continental describes as increasing commoditisation in the agricultural tyre market. The brand noted that ongoing market disruptions have made it difficult to maintain its long-term ambitions in the sector.
Affected staff are primarily based at Continental’s tyre plant in Lousado, Portugal. The company says it is committed to supporting these employees during the transition, with the intention of offering most alternative roles within the wider Continental organisation.
Paul Williams, Head of Continental Commercial Specialty Tires, commented:
“We are proud of the contributions we as a team have made to the agricultural industry and the trustful relationships we have built with our customers and partners. Sharpening the focus of our Commercial Specialty Tires business will further leverage our resources towards our strengths in Material Handling, Earthmoving and Port Operations Tires.”
Continental confirmed it will continue to honour all contractual delivery obligations through to the end of 2025. This includes supply of its existing agri lines: TractorMaster, Tractor70, Tractor85, CombineMaster, and CompactMaster.
Meanwhile, its Multi-Purpose Tyres lines will remain part of the Commercial Specialty Tires portfolio and are unaffected by this decision.
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