Alexandru Plocon, Continental Tires Romania: “We are aware that in order to remain competitive in the market, the only option is to invest in our employees”

“Before the spin-off with Aumovio, Continental was one of the largest employers in Romania. After this spin-off, Continental Tires Romania still has approximately 3,000 employees—a number that carries great significance for the workforce in Timișoara and Timiș County.

During this period, when the original equipment market has shown a downward trend, we have managed in Timișoara—thanks to the experience of our employees—to adapt and compensate for the market decline through the production of tires for the replacement market. Of course, this resilience is the result of our employees’ experience and motivation, which we are very proud of,” said Alexandru Plocon, Financial Manager of Continental Tires Romania, during the Automotive Forum 2025 organized by Automotive Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.

Key statements:

• We always try to recruit people from the market who are eager to learn, who want to progress, and who are highly willing to work as part of a team. For us, teamwork means results and high performance. We collaborate in Timișoara with universities and schools.
• We are working together with these institutions to implement programs for the new generations, aiming to make the industry more attractive for them. We are pioneers in our collaboration with the Politehnica University of Timișoara through our partnership for the dual university system. Through this partnership, approximately 50% of the students’ study time is spent in our factory.
• From their first year, students become familiar with modern technology, the modern industrial environment, and teamwork. We also have a very interesting partnership with a secondary school in Timișoara, through which we offer optional courses in management, leadership, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy for 5th to 8th grade students.
• We were very surprised and impressed that children at such a young age were genuinely interested in participating, showing curiosity and asking thoughtful questions during these events. We are aware that to remain competitive in the market, the only option is to invest in our employees. We offer training to all our employees, both in hard skills and soft skills.
• We have implemented several programs for our employees to prepare staff in certain critical positions who manage our production processes. It has become clear that to remain sustainable and competitive, especially given that competitiveness today means not only competing with external companies but increasingly with other entities within our own group—we need employees who are eager to learn, motivated, and capable of adding real value to our business.