Uniroyal (Continental AG)
Uniroyal is a tire brand of Belgian origin that has been integrated into the Continental Group since 1979 . The previously independent company has been a pioneer for products made from rubber products since it was founded in 1868.
history
In 1868 the company known today as "Uniroyal" was founded in Liège by Oscar Englebert. The rubber goods sold there were new for the era. In the course of the years the demand increased and the business with rubber articles under the name "Englebert" grew.
With the establishment of his own rubber factory in 1877, Englebert laid the foundation for the brand's first tire production. What began in 1895 under the direction of Oscar Englebert Junior with bicycle tires and inner tubes developed into one of the first car tire manufacturers in the Benelux countries . In 1892 250 people were employed. After a victory with Englebert tires at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1899, the brand became famous after the tires did not have to be changed during a race for the first time.
In the end, Englebert became known as one of the first car tire manufacturers in Europe. In 1904 the production of spike tires began. The brand's racing tires were also used in motorsport . During the First World War , the company was confiscated by the German occupation forces on August 7, 1914 and barracks were set up in the factory. Since Oscar Englebert was the Spanish honorary consul , the facilities were released and production could be resumed. The plant in Liège already had 3,500 employees in 1925. At the end of the 1920s, Englebert founded his own production facility in Germany, which employs hundreds of people in Aachen. In 1929 another plant was opened in Aachen, and in 1936 (in the meantime Georges Englebert was head of the company) another plant was opened in France. At that time the company name was Société du Pneu Englebert et Oscar Englebert .
As a result of the merger with the United States Rubber Company, it was renamed Uniroyal-Englebert in the 1950s, before finally renaming to “Uniroyal” in 1967. In 1969, the Rallye 180, the first rain tire from Uniroyal, was named the test winner by auto motor sport magazine .
In 1979 the Continental Group bought the company's European tire business for DM 120 million, thereby acquiring four tire plants, a plant for the manufacture of tire cord, four sales organizations and the right to use the Uniroyal brand name for business in Europe.
Types of tires
Car and light truck tires
Uniroyal mainly sells tires for cars and light trucks. The brand emphasizes the particularly good properties of its tires in the rain by positioning itself in the market as the “Der Regenreifen Uniroyal” brand.
Bus and truck tires
Uniroyal also produces bus and truck tires. Numerous transport companies around the world equip their transport and commercial vehicles with Uniroyal tires.
Technologies
Zig-zag profile
In 1912, Uniroyal was the first tire manufacturer to develop a special zigzag profile that was designed to prevent a tire from skidding. Directional V-profiles have been used for the tires since 1969.
Shark Skin Technology
The principle of bionics is used in the manufacture of Uniroyal tires, known as "rain tires" . The water-displacing properties of shark skin are transferred to the tires using a special technology: This should displace water more effectively than conventional car tires and offer less flow resistance when wet. This technology is intended to make driving in wet conditions particularly safe and is considered the brand's flagship.
literature
- Nicole Caulier-Mathy: Oscar Englebert; in: Ginette Kurgan, Serge Jaumain, Valérie Montens: Dictionnaire des patrons en Belgique, Bruxelles, 1996, pp. 273-274, online (French).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ NDR: Continental: In the beginning there was the carriage (page 2). Accessed March 31, 2020 .
- ↑ History of Uniroyal "Oponeo.de. Accessed March 31, 2020 .
- ↑ Terry Shea: Englebert Rubber. In: hemmings.com. November 1, 2016, accessed on July 13, 2020 .