Tyre 350,000,000 produced at Cooper’s Texarkana plant

It’s taken almost 49 years, but on 14 March Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Texarkana factory in the US state of Arkansas produced its 350 millionth tyre. The tyre maker says 7 million tyres are produced in Texarkana every year these days, giving the plant an annual output that’s a far cry from the early years; the first tyre was produced at the factory on 16 April 1964, and it took 24 years before the millionth tyre was manufactured.

“That is quite an achievement. This is the most tyres produced by a Cooper Tire facility,” plant manager Scott Coles was quoted by local media source KSLA-TV during a ceremony to mark the milestone. “350 million tyres. It is kind of exciting for me. We would not be here today without all the support of the local state and all the dedicated employees we have here at the plant.”