Rubber and plastics technology specialist ContiTech (Hanover / Germany; www.contitech.de) is now producing hose lines for automobile air conditioning and power steering systems at its newly-opened EUR 17m plant in Kaluga / Russia, 200 km southwest of Moscow.

The facility has a 4,800 m² production hall and an administrative building and has been producing lines for Lada, Renault, and Nissan vehicles for a number of weeks. It is expected to produce 1m units in 2014, with the number anticipated to double to over 2m units annually in the medium term. The workforce is set to increase from 90 employees presently to 160 by 2015.

Heinz-Gerhard Wente, member of the executive board and head of the company’s ContiTech division, said: “Kaluga is part of our strategy to continue positioning ContiTech internationally and be close to our customers. The Kaluga location is an investment in the future given that the Russian automotive market is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Its importance for Europe continues to grow. We want to help shape this future and participate in this growth.”