Cooper Appoints New Operations VP, Plant Manager

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. appointed John Bodart as vice president of its North American tyre manufacturing operations and Alex Perry as plant manager at the Texarkana, Arkansas, manufacturing facility. Bodart will oversee North American tyre plant managers, operations excellence, reliability engineering and lean engineering. A 20-year Cooper employee with experience in plant management, quality assurance, mold operations, tyre testing and product development, he most recently worked as plant manager in Texarkana, Cooper said.

Perry will relocate from Cooper’s manufacturing facility in Melksham, England. Perry previously served in manufacturing operations, assembly operations and production roles in Melksham and Texarkana. Before joining Cooper in 2001, he spent several years in the British Army as a bomb disposal officer, reaching the rank of captain prior to his retirement. He also has prior experience with two other companies in management roles. Perry is the first Cooper employee to become certified as a black belt under the Cooper Tire Lean Six Sigma program, the company said. (Tire Review/Akron)