At Industrial Supply, ContiTech sets the example for close cooperation with its value chain partners. Selected suppliers to the company are exhibiting at the ContiTech stand. “We contribute to smart technological solutions in field-tested partnerships with our suppliers. Our partners are a key component of this overall process. In this way we bring cutting-edge technologies to market quickly, which we can present to a broad industry audience at HANNOVER MESSE,” says Jens Fechner, Market Communication Manager at ContiTech.

Examples of such technologies are a high-performance belt for the lift drive in storage and retrieval vehicles, an engine mount made of natural rubber from dandelion roots, robust heavy-duty caterpillar tracks, and an ultra-lightweight floor covering for the aviation sector.

The innovative Flightfloor Eco floor covering is extremely long-lasting and very lightweight, scoring points in both economic and environmental terms. A weight savings of up to 50 percent per square meter compared to standard materials minimizes fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.

Flightfloor Eco is halogen-free and meets stringent aviation industry standards for fire performance, combustion fume concentration and toxicity. Floor coverings in airplanes are used in particular in high-traffic and visible areas such as entries, cockpits, galleys and washrooms.

Natural rubber from dandelion roots

Another example brought by ContiTech is an engine mount made of natural rubber from dandelion roots. And what works in automobile manufacturing could also be suitable for other industries down the line. ContiTech sees major advantages for the environment in the use of natural rubber, and greater independence from traditional raw materials with their sometimes wildly fluctuating commodity prices.

Natural rubber has traditionally been harvested exclusively from rubber tree farms in the world’s rain forest regions – known as the rubber belt. The transport paths are long, but there has been no real alternative to date. That would change if natural rubber with at least equal performance characteristics can be produced from dandelion roots.