Continental AG, which employs around 180 people at Semperit Ireland and Advance Tyres, has reported a 62 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to 336 million deutschmarks in the first six months of 1998. The company said a significant improvement in profits is expected in the second half of the year.

Sales of car tyres rose by 8 per cent with sales of truck tyres increasing by 18 per cent. No separate figures were available for Semperit Ireland which markets the Semperit, Uniroyal and Continental tyre brands in Ireland.