HANOVER, Germany—Surface material products by Benecke-Kaliko A.G. and Hornschuch Group will be branded Continental, as the merger of the two companies gathers pace.
Based in Hanover, Benecke-Kaliko is a ContiTech unit that develops and manufactures technical and decorative surface materials made of plastics.
The company purchased Hornschuch, which manufactures films, foam laminates and artificial leather for the automotive industry.
"In the future, the strong corporate brand will be used to tap into new sales markets for surface materials and to expand awareness in existing markets," Conti said in a statement.
Rebranding the products made by Benecke-Kaliko and Hornschuch as Continental will enhance customer recognition, while at the same time "reinforcing the common identity of our employees without losing sight of our long-standing traditions," according to Conti.
"At the same time, we are consistently expanding the image of the Continental brand outside of the automotive industry," Dirk Leiss, head of the newly renamed Benecke-Hornschuch Surface Group business unit, said.
The integration of Hornschuch began March 1, after approvals were received from the antitrust authorities, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
According to Conti, visual elements are already being changed step by step "to comply with the corporate design of the Continental corp."
This means that, in the future, the image will be characterized by Continental yellow.
Well-known product brands, such as Acella, d-c-fix, laif and skai, will remain unchanged.