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Continental Saves About?100 Million with Employee Ideas

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– Calculated saving up 18% compared to 2008
– Icheon, South Korea, and Rubí, Spain, provide the most profitable ideas in the worldwide category
– Most successful German location is Alzenau, Bavaria
Employees from 128 locations around the world of the international automotive supplier Continental helped boost efficiency and cost effectiveness with approximately 270,000 ideas that were implemented. These ideas achieved savings calculated at nearly ?100 million. Locations outside of Germany were responsible for a good 80% of this amount. “Participation remained at about the same level as the year before, but net savings rose worldwide by 18%,” said Heinz-Gerhard Wente, Executive Board member for human resources of Continental AG, adding: “Ideas that are successfully put into action pay off for everyone involved: For our employees in the form of premiums, recognition and appreciation, and for the company in the form of economically calculable improvements in business performance.”
Internal awards are presented each year in the framework of Continental-s Ideas Management (CIM), which has been actively promoted since 1930. The winner is the location with the highest number of points, consisting of the number of participants, the number of ideas implemented, and the calculated net savings. “CIM is a controlled process with which we actively promote our employees and their creativity,” explains Gerhard Schadt, team spokesman for CIM coordination. “We do not focus only on saving money, but also contribute to the optimization of processes and quality as well the improvement of environmental protection, occupational health and safety. Furthermore, we boost the motivation and development of our employees while at the same time enhancing their sense of identification with our company,” says Schadt, describing the goals of the Idea Management.
In the worldwide category, Icheon, South Korea, is again at the top of the list. Some 580 employees there submitted 19,358 ideas that were implemented successfully. This translates to 33 implemented ideas per employee at a participation rate of 100% and thus a net savings of ?24,386 per employee. Once again at second place, the plant in Rubí, Spain, with a participation rate of 98%, submitted and implemented 35 ideas per employee, achieving a net savings of ?20,920 per employee in 2009.
In Germany, savings achieved were calculated at some ?16 million in 2009. The plant in Alzenau, Bavaria, is the frontrunner, with a participation rate of 98%, 15.1 implemented ideas per employees, and a net savings of ?401 per employee. With a participation rate of 94%, 14.6 implemented ideas per employees, and a net savings of ?403 per employee, the automotive plant in Karben, Hesse, holds second place in Germany.

With sales of approximately ?20 billion in 2009 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 enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 138,000 in 46 countries.