Craig Baartman to Lead New Continental Tire Plant in Sumter, S.C.

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C., Aug. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Craig Baartman has been named plant manager of Continental Tire the Americas' (CTA) new manufacturing facility, which is under construction in Sumter, SC.

In his new role, Baartman will be responsible for overall leadership of the facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2013, according to Jochen Etzel, CTA's chief executive officer.

"We are excited to welcome Craig to his new role," said Etzel. "His business acumen and extensive project management experience here in Sumter are strong assets, and we are confident in his leadership for this exciting project for CTA."

A native of South Africa, Baartman has been with Continental for 12 years and has more than 18 years of experience in the global automotive, manufacturing and supplier industries. Prior to his promotion, Baartman was the director of manufacturing at CTA. He also worked as an industrial engineer, area manager and production manager at the company's plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. 

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Continental for the past 12 years and am excited to lead the Sumter team as we embark on this new journey," said Baartman.

Prior to joining Continental, Baartman held engineering and leadership positions with automotive suppliers in South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Baartman earned his MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and has a degree in industrial engineering from the former Port Elizabeth Technikon (now Nelson Mandela University).

The new Sumter plant, which recently began accepting job applications, is bringing an estimated 1,600 new jobs to the state once it begins operations. Current job postings can be viewed at readySC.org/Conti.

With sales of €30.5 billion in 2011, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 169,000 employees in 46 countries.

SOURCE Continental Tire