Cooper Tire dedicates relocated Asia Technical Center

The formal dedication for Cooper Tire Asia’s new technical centre facility took place on 12 June, the company reports. The Asia Technical Center (ATC) in Kunshan, China is located near the Cooper Kunshan Tire (CKT) plant some 30 miles/50 kilometres from Shanghai. The new, purpose-built facility replaces the ATC operation in Shanghai and will house 65 material scientists and tyre engineers. The ATC is one of four Cooper Tire & Rubber technical centres around the world, and focuses primarily on the design and development of passenger car and truck tyres for the Asian and Chinese markets.

The dedication ceremony for the new, 54,000-square-foot (5,020 square metre) facility included remarks by Allen Tsaur, vice-president and general manager of Cooper Asia; Chuck Yurkovich, vice-president, Global Research and Development; and Gavin Edwards, general manager of the ATC.

“The new Asia Technical Center is a key investment to support our growth in China and throughout Asia,” Tsaur said. “Our two strategic focus areas for Asia are passenger/truck tyre growth and continued expansion of our successful work within the original equipment market. Working with OEs such as Great Wall and BAIC, ultimately translates to consumer demand for replacement tyres, and it is the best way to continue to grow our brand as we simultaneously expand distribution points to serve consumers throughout Asia.”

Yurkovich added that “since 2007, Cooper has continued to improve our technical capabilities, placing a strong emphasis on speed to market and the launch of exceptional products,” he said. “We develop ‘ready-to-use’ advanced technology that we call upon when needed to introduce new products around the world, and we also pursue select innovative technology to achieve a competitive advantage through developing new and enhanced tyre and materials technology. Cooper leverages this technology globally, and designs, builds and tests tyres at technical centres in Asia, Europe and North America to enable us to provide superior customer value by tailoring products to meet the needs of customers region by region.”

“Locating the new ATC on the grounds of the CKT manufacturing plant offers many advantages including speed,” Edwards said. “With a plant nearby, we have the opportunity to test and interact with the people and equipment that actually produces our tyres. It allows us to respond quickly to all of our customers, particularly OE vehicle manufacturers, which have high levels of technical demands, as we evolve to create and manufacture the best tyres for drivers in China and throughout Asia.”