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Three MNA Plats to See Sharp Reductions

Michelin North America will significantly cut production at four of its U.S. plants as the company reacts to downturns in the replacement and OE markets. The reductions will impact MNA’s passenger and light truck/SUV tire plants in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Ft. Wayne, Ind., and Opeilka, Ala. Some 40 per cent of the workforce at those plants will be on temporary layoff, MNA said, an estimated 1,500 people. The cutback will last up to eight weeks, MNA said.

The company said eligible employees will receive state unemployment benefits during the slowdown period, and supplemental income per the company’s contract with the USW. At press time, the reductions will not affect MNA’s other U.S. or Canada plants, though there have been reports of some production slowdowns at other facilities.

As demand slows, other tyre makers have take action to reduce production. Bridgestone Americas and Goodyear both have reduced output. Cooper announced last week that it was examining its U.S. production with an eye toward closing at least one plant. Kumho has delayed construction of its planned U.S. plant in Macon, Ga. (Tire Review/Akron)

28th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper to Conduct US Capacity Study

On October 21 Cooper Tire & Rubber announced plans to conduct a capacity study of its United States manufacturing facilities over the following ninety days. The study will determine how to optimise manufacturing capacity in relation to developing market and customer needs, and the company says it will likely result in restructuring, including capacity consolidation or geographical shifts to production.

22nd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

‘Buy Now’ Option Added to Thompson Web Site

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has added a “Buy Now” feature to its Mickey Thompson website. The move will allow consumers “access to easy, one-click shopping, instant price and shipping cost comparisons, and a simple shopping-cart style check out that makes purchasing tyres and wheels quick, easy and fun,” Cooper said. According to Cooper, “when the “Buy Now” button is selected, a revolutionary search engine technology searches the top Internet sales locations for pricing, and links the user to the shopping cart for that unique part number.”

“The benefits to the consumer include eliminating the cumbersome and time-consuming process that is associated with shopping for a product online by utilising a system that identifies the product by its unique part number,” Cooper said. “The benefits to the internet retailer include premium positioning, measurable/trackable results, and premium level support, including advertising support through consumer print ads, web and banner ads, Google AdWords marketing, and cable television ads in select markets.” (Tire Review/Akron)

20th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Makes Marketing Promotions

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has promoted David Craig to director of channel marketing. In his new role, Craig will be responsible for developing marketing programs to support Cooper brands in various distribution channels. Most recently, Craig was in charge of Cooper’s North American advertising.

Concurrently, Cooper promoted Steve Sawyer to director of brand/product management, with responsibility for aligning products and brand strategy. (Tire Review/Akron)

16th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Presents New US Sport Truck Tyre

Cooper has announced the release of its newest hybrid sport truck tyre, the Cooper Zeon LTZ. The company says that the tyre’s hybrid technology represents its attempt to combine the performance required for today’s SUVs and CUVs, with the aggressiveness of a go-anywhere, all-terrain product.

“This tyre follows the successful launch of the high performance sport truck tyre, the Cooper Zeon XSTA, earlier this year,” said Hal Gardner, Cooper’s vice president of marketing. “With the LTZ, Cooper set its sights on the off-road market, combining sport-truck market thinking and innovative technology. Rather than just develop an all-terrain tyre for the traditional 15- and 16-inch applications, Cooper engineers designed the LTZ for larger diameter applications, currently as big as 24 inches.”

15th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres Name Bows out of British Formula 3

Avon Tyres ended a 27-year association with the British Formula 3 International Series at Donington Park on Sunday October 12, where Spain’s Jaime Alguersuari followed names such as Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen by winning the UK’s top single-seater racing category. Next year the championship’s tyres will be branded under the name of Avon’s parent company, Cooper Tires.

Avon Tyres have been the sole tyre supplier to British F3 every year since 1982.

14th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper to Supply British Formula 3

Tyre supply and title sponsorship for the British Formula 3 International Series, the domain of Avon Tyres since 1982, will be handed over to parent company Cooper Tire as of next year.

“Through our many years in British F3 with the Avon brand, we know that it is a genuine stepping stone of great drivers on the way to F1, and therefore requires the very best components in every area,” said Cooper Europe managing director Julian Baldwin. “Avon Tyres is very well established in British and European motor racing and, as Cooper Tire grows as a brand in Europe, we want it to stand for the same standard of quality. Cooper’s racing tyres deserve to be allied with a high-profile championship in Europe and you don’t get much bigger than British F3.”

13th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Taking Over British Formula 3 Tyre Supply

Tyre supply and title sponsorship for the British Formula 3 International Series, the domain of Avon Tyres since 1982, will be handed over to parent company Cooper Tire as of next year, event organiser SRO has confirmed.

“Through our many years in British F3 with the Avon brand, we know that it is a genuine stepping stone of great drivers on the way to F1, and therefore requires the very best components in every area,” said Cooper Europe managing director Julian Baldwin. “Avon Tyres is very well established in British and European motor racing and, as Cooper Tire grows as a brand in Europe, we want it to stand for the same standard of quality. Cooper’s racing tyres deserve to be allied with a high-profile championship in Europe and you don’t get much bigger than British F3.”

10th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres Extends British GT Title Sponsorship

Avon Tyres has formalised a deal with British GT Championship organisers SRO to continue its title sponsorship of the UK sportscar series for an additional three years, until the end of 2011. The brand completes its existing three-year tenure as supplier and title sponsor of the championship at Donington Park on the weekend of October 11 and 12.

Tyre supply for the British GT has been in Avon Tyres’ hands since 2006, and in that time thousands of GT tyres have been raced for more than 120,000 miles. “We have enjoyed the first three years of working with the British GT Championship,” said Cooper Europe managing director, Julian Baldwin. “The mix of cars and their very different handling characteristics really tests our expertise, but so far our crew has risen to the challenge, and they will relish another three seasons of doing so with a field of such high-powered machinery.”

10th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Reopens Ike Affected Factory

Cooper Tire’s Albany factory is back in production and its 1,000 employees working again, the supply of raw materials having resumed several weeks after Hurricane Ike created havoc amongst the region’s industry. “This is a situation that a lot of companies are going through,” commented Cooper Tire vice president of Branding and Communications Pat Brown. “We are trying to make the impact as minimal as possible.”

8th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Launches Rebate Promotion

With its U.S. plants back on-stream, Cooper launched a national rebate promotion. The “Take the Money and Ride” promotion, which runs through Dec. 31, gives consumers a $50 rebate with the purchase of four qualifying Cooper tyres at participating dealers nationwide. “We are confident in the quality and performance of our tyres,” said Hal Gardner, Cooper vice president of marketing. “A large-scale event like the national tyre sale gives us the opportunity to share that quality and performance with consumers at a price that is affordable even in a tight economy.”

The promotion features a mail-in rebate of $50 for consumers buying a set of four Cooper CS4 Touring, Cooper Lifeliner GLS or Discoverer ATR and H/T tyres. Cooper said the national effort will be promoted on commercials airing on a number of TV channels, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Versus, Raycom Sports and Fox Sports Regional, as well as with in-store POS materials. (Tire Review/Akron)

7th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Mickey Thompson Adds SideBiter Wheel

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has introduced the Mickey Thompson SideBiter wheel.

The SideBiter features centre spokes that resemble the popular side-biter feature found on Mickey Thompson Baja tires. The new wheel features a high-gloss black finish and embossed center cap with the Mickey Thompson logo, and it comes with a limited lifetime warranty against structural defects and the finish.

The wheel is now available in 15-, 16-, and 17-inch diameters. (Tire Review/Akron)

6th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Oh How Cute…Tyre Maintenance

Nothing says tyre safety like a ‘kawaii’ cartoon…especially when it involves a cuddly, well-meaning animal. Therefore Cooper Asia marketers recently commissioned a well-known Chinese blog cartoonist to publish tyre safety cartoons for the tyremaker.

Updated on a weekly basis, the cartoons feature as their hero a rotund rabbit named Zhouzhou, whom Cooper Asia describes as an “environmental protection pioneer in the cyber world.” Cooper says it presents the weekly cartoon series online to educate consumers on basic tyre knowledge, company news and the environment in a fun way. Zhouzhou also appears in materials promoting Cooper Tire Safety Week in China.

3rd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper/Kenda Facility Reaches Milestone Ahead of Schedule

Cooper Tire has reported the most successful ramp-up programme ever achieved by the company. In August, Cooper Kenda Tire reached the milestone of building and curing more than 10,000 tyres a day – a significant accomplishment, considering the CKT factory in Kunshan, west of Shanghai, has only been in production for 17 months. According to Hal Miller, president of Cooper International Tire Division, the team at CKT reached a monthly schedule that has never been seen before at the company’s other plants, a feat he attributes to the dedicated Cooper Kenda staff, and the leadership of CKT general manager John Ebert. Significant support from Cooper North American and European operations also contributed, added Miller.

3rd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Announces Strategies to Counter Raw Materials Shortage

Raw material shortages and ‘soft demand’ in the North American market are the factors behind Cooper Tire & Rubber’s October 1 announcement that it would ‘adjust’ production facilities at its US facilities. The company says hurricanes in the Gulf Coast areas have affected its suppliers’ ability to provide sufficient raw materials to maintain full production at all US facilities, and thus materials will be directed to those plants currently producing items demanded by customers.

2nd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors