- Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
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Cooper Tire & Rubber Company 
Type Public (NYSE: CTB) Industry Manufacturing Founded 1926 Headquarters Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
Melksham, Wiltshire, UKProducts Tires Website CooperTire.com Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) is a United States based company that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of replacement[1]automobiles and truck tires, and subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. With headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has 60 manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within its family of companies located around the world.
Cooper also owns the UK Avon Tyres brand, which also produces tires for motorcycles, road cars, and for motor racing.
Its slogan is "The tire with two names....the company and the man who built it."
Contents
History
The earliest corporate lineage for Cooper Tire was the M and M Company, which was formed by two brothers-in-law in Akron, Ohio in 1914, a company that made tire repair materials.[2] That company later acquired the Giant Tire and Rubber Company and moved to Findlay, Ohio at a site at the intersection of Lima and Western Avenue still occupied by Cooper Tire and adjacent to The Cooper Corporation facilities. The Cooper name originates from 1919 with the establishment of The Cooper Corporation in 1919 located in Findlay, Ohio when Cincinnati auto parts dealer I.J. Cooper formed the company to manufacture new tires. The Cooper Corporation, the M and M Company, and The Falls Rubber company merged in 1930 to form the Master Tire and Rubber Company. The company name was changed to Cooper Tire and Rubber Company in 1946.[3]
In 1941, the first year the Cooper oval trademark with the Cooper Knight head gear was registered and used. In those early years of the brand's identification, the logo also included a banner proclaiming the tires' "armored-cord" construction. The company's red, white, and blue logo would become one of the most easily recognized emblems in the tire industry.
During World War II the company manufactured pontoons, landing boats, waterproof bags and camouflage items, inflatable barges, life jackets and tank decoys, and, of course, tires, to benefit the Allied effort. The company's contribution to the war effort was acknowledged in 1945 by the armed forces in a special ceremony bestowing the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award (for excellence). Soon after the war the company name was officially changed to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, in recognition of Cooper's contribution to Master Tire & Rubber
Cooper Tire began a 51% owned joined venture with Shandong Chengshan Tire Co in 2006 to produce truck and passenger car tires for mainland Chinese and export markets.[4] Two of the businesses of the joint venture are Cooper Chengshan Passenger Tire and Cooper Chengshan Tire.[5] In 2007, Cooper Tire set up a manufacturing venture in eastern China with Kenda Rubber Industrial Company, a company based in the Republic of China on Taiwan. Cooper Tire generates 25% of its global sales in the People's Republic of China.[4] That year, Cooper sold its Oliver Rubber Company subsidiary, a company that produced tread rubber and retreading equipment to Michelin for $69 million.[6][7]
Cooper Tires is the second largest United States based tire company, after Goodyear.[8]
Tire brands
Cooper Tires
Cooper Tires produces Cooper branded tires for passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles and commercial trucks.[9]
Avon Rubber PLC
In 1997, the tire business of Avon Rubber PLC of Melksham, Wiltshire, in the United Kingdom was sold to Cooper Tire. This left Avon able to concentrate on its core businesses of automotive components, technical products, and protective equipment. The Cooper Tire site remains a major employer in central Melksham.
Avon Tyres Logo
Other brands
In addition to Avon, Cooper Tire manufactures tires under the associated brand names Dean, Mastercraft and Starfire.[10]
Motorsports and sponsorships
Cooper Tire became the official tire of the A1 Grand Prix, dubbed the World Cup of Motorsports, for the series' initial 2005-2006 season. Cooper was under contract to produce slick tires and treaded rain tires for the series championship until 2008. Cooper Tire became the official tire of the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in 2007. Cooper Tire became the official tire of USF2000 National Championship and the IMSA Prototype Lites series (formerly IMSA Lites) in 2010.[11] On April 17, 2010 Cooper/Avon Tyres presented a written proposal to Formula One Team Association (FOTA) to be the official tire supplier for the 2011 Formula One season.
Drifting involvement
Cooper is heavily involved in the sport of drifting by supplying tires to several drifters in both the Need for Speed Formula D Drift series and Canadian Drift series.
Management and company personnel
Cooper employs 13,311 employees. Roy V. Armes is Chairman, President, and CEO.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Profile for Cooper Tire Rubber". Yahoo. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=CTB. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ Holzinger, Albert G. (April 1993). "A successful competitor - Cooper Tire and Rubber - Company Profile". Nation's Business. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1154/is_n4_v81/ai_13619506/. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
- ^ "History of Cooper Tyres". Cooper Tires (Australia). http://www.coopertires.com.au/index.php?page=history. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ^ a b "Cooper Tire seeks 30% global sales". Reuters. December 17, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTOE5BG08Q20091218?type=marketsNews. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ^ "Cooper Tire & Rubber, Findlay, OH, received government approval to acquire 51% of Shandong Chengshan Tire". Rubber World. January 2006. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6620/is_4_233/ai_n29248338/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ^ "Michelin North America to acquire Oliver Rubber Company" (Press release). Michelin. July 31, 2007. http://www.michelin.com/corporate/actualites/en/actu_affich.jsp?id=20374&lang=EN&codeRubrique=57&actu=true. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
- ^ "Michelin North America completes acquisition of Oliver Rubber Company" (Press release). Michelin. October 8, 2007. http://www.michelin.com/corporate/actualites/en/actu_affich.jsp?id=20750&lang=EN&codeRubrique=57&actu=true. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
- ^ Rosenkrantz, Holly (October 29, 2009). "Labor Gains Obama Policies Cooper Tire-to-Walmart Companies Rue". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aZ0E8Blqc82Y. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ "Tires". Cooper Tires. http://www.coopertire.com/html/products/tires.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ^ "Cooper Tires - Associate Brands". http://www.coopertire.com/html/products/associatedbrands.aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "IMSA, Cooper Tire align for partnership in Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship" (pdf) (Press release). International Motor Sports Association. November 16, 2009. http://www.imsaracing.net/2009/news/lites/IMSA%20Lites%20Cooper%20Tires%20Announcement.pdf.
External links
Categories:- Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
- Companies based in Ohio
- Companies established in 1926
- Tire manufacturers
- Automotive companies of the United States
- Automotive companies of the United Kingdom
- Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom
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