Cooper Tire expands Kruševac, Serbia factory by a third

Cooper Tire has invested in increasing production capacity at its Kruševac, Serbia tyre manufacturing plant. – Cooper Tire Serbia, a subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, is managing the US$55 million equipment upgrade and facility upgrade project. As a result of the investment, Cooper’s Kruševac facility will expand to more than 882,000 square feet, adding 118 new jobs.

The project is being supported by roughly $8 million of Serbian government incentives will increase production capacity by a third and will “establish a footprint which could further double capacity with additional equipment and people”. It will also result in the production of the kind of larger diameter tyres demanded in Europe and other global markets. The Cooper Serbia expansion project is expected to be completed “later this year”.

“Cooper Tire Serbia is substantially increasing tyre production capacity at our Kruševac site, which is a key
facility within Cooper’s global manufacturing network, supplying high-quality tyres to Europe and other
global markets,” said Brad Hughes, Cooper president, adding: “This project will enable the facility to manufacture light truck tyres, including 4×4 tyres, and large diameter tyres up to 22 inches in addition to the passenger car and sport utility vehicle (SUV) tyres it currently produces.”

“This expansion demonstrates Cooper’s commitment to the Europe market and will position us to better meet customer needs throughout the region and beyond with high-quality tyres that are in step with what consumers want in today’s tyres,” said Jaap van Wessum, Cooper general manager – Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We appreciate the support of the Serbian government and the city of Kruševac in the continued development of this site, and look forward to completing the project.”

Cooper acquired the assets of the Kruševac plant in 2012 and has invested in upgrades and expansion projects at the site several times since then.