The Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has been a household name in tire manufacturing for over a century. Founded in 1914 and headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has cemented its reputation through tried-and-true manufacturing processes and a commitment to producing high-quality tires. But where exactly are Cooper tires made today?
The answer depends on the specific tire line and model, as Cooper operates multiple manufacturing plants in the United States and around the world. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Cooper Tire’s manufacturing facilities across the globe and the processes used to produce their most popular passenger, truck, and SUV tires. We’ll also highlight Cooper’s commitment to quality, safety, and sustainability across all of their operations. Whether you’re a longtime Cooper tire owner or considering them for the first time, read on to learn all about where your tires are built and how Cooper delivers dependable performance mile after mile.
Brief History of Cooper Tire
The Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has a rich history that dates back over 100 years. The company was founded in 1914 in Akron, Ohio by brothers-in-law John F. Schaefer and Claude E. Hart as the first company to specialize exclusively in tire production.
Prior to founding Cooper Tire, Schaefer and Hart gained experience working for other rubber companies in the Akron area, which was the epicenter of tire manufacturing at the time. They launched the Cooper Tire brand with an initial investment of $3,300 and just 12 employees working in a leased building.
Despite starting on a small scale, Cooper Tire found success relatively quickly. The company’s original focus was on producing replacement tires for cars and trucks. This allowed Cooper to grow steadily as the automobile industry expanded in the 1920s.
Within its first decade, Cooper had over 350 employees and moved to a larger manufacturing facility. The company continued expanding through the 20th century to become one of the leading tire brands worldwide today. Cooper Tire is still headquartered in its founding city of Akron, where it maintains a strong manufacturing presence.
Cooper’s U.S. Manufacturing Plants
Cooper Tire has three manufacturing plants located across the United States:
- Texarkana, Arkansas – Cooper’s largest tire plant in the U.S. manufactures light vehicle tires. The plant opened in 1976 and employs over 1,400 people.
- Tupelo, Mississippi – The Tupelo plant produces light vehicle tires and was opened in 1984. It employs around 1,300 workers.
- Findlay, Ohio – The Findlay plant opened in 1913 and produces medium truck tires. It is Cooper’s global headquarters and houses their main research and development center. The Findlay plant employs approximately 1,400 people.
All three plants utilize the latest tire manufacturing technology and equipment. Cooper has invested over $560 million in the past decade to upgrade and expand the facilities. Each plant has ISO 9001 quality management certification. The Findlay plant also holds ISO 14001 environmental certification.
Cooper’s International Plants
Cooper Tire has manufacturing facilities located internationally to serve regional markets. This allows Cooper to efficiently produce and distribute tires tailored to the needs of local consumers.
Some of Cooper’s overseas plants include:
- China – Cooper has a joint venture plant located in Shenyang, China which manufactures tires for sale in China. This plant has the capacity to produce up to 120,000 tires per day.
- Europe – Cooper operates a plant in Melksham, England. This plant produces light vehicle and motorcycle tires for sale throughout Europe. The facility has the capacity to make about 16,500 tires per day.
- Mexico – Cooper owns a manufacturing facility in El Salto, Mexico. This plant makes passenger car and light truck tires which are sold in Mexico, the U.S, and export markets in Central and South America. The plant can produce up to 18,000 tires per day.
- Serbia – Cooper’s facility in Kruševac, Serbia manufactures light vehicle tires for distribution in Serbia and other Eastern European countries. It has a daily production capacity of up to 20,000 tires.
Having regional plants allows Cooper to efficiently meet tire demand in key markets around the world. This proximity to customers also helps Cooper better understand and respond to local needs.
Manufacturing Process
The process of manufacturing Cooper tires is complex, involving multiple steps and strict quality control. Here is a simplified overview of how tires are made at Cooper’s plants:
- Mixing – The process starts by mixing together various raw materials like rubber, chemicals, carbon black, steel, and polyester in large industrial mixers. Precise formulas are used to achieve the desired properties in the finished tire.
- Component Preparation – Individual components like the beads, belts, liners, sidewalls, tread strips, and innerliner are prepared. Machines extrude the rubber compound into desired shapes and textured rollers imprint patterns onto components.
- Tire Building – The components are systematically layered onto metal drums to form the basic structure of the tire.
- Curing – The green tires are placed inside mold cavities, inflated with steam, and heated under pressure in vulcanization machines. This cures the rubber compounds, bonding the components into a strong, cohesive tire.
- Inspection – The cured tires undergo extensive inspection and testing at multiple stages to check for any manufacturing defects before final release.
- Finishing – Tires that pass inspection go through final finishing steps like adding branding, buffing, etc. before storage and shipping.
This multi-step process requires advanced equipment, skilled technicians, and stringent protocols to produce high-quality tires that meet Cooper’s brand standards.
Quality Control
Cooper Tire has rigorous quality control standards and testing procedures in place at all of its tire manufacturing facilities. Once the tires are produced, they go through several inspection processes to ensure they meet Cooper’s high standards for performance, durability, and safety.
Tires are visually inspected at multiple stages during the manufacturing process to check for any defects or flaws in the materials, tread pattern, or sidewalls. Dimensional specifications like tread depth, tire width, and overall diameter are measured to guarantee they are within tolerance levels. Tires also undergo X-ray and high-frequency testing which can detect any hidden internal defects.
Every tire is uniformity tested to ensure a smooth and quiet ride by minimizing vibration. Tires are then force variation tested where they are run at high speeds while sensors analyze variances in the rotational force. This confirms that the tire construction is balanced and stable. Tires are also weighed and spin balanced to guarantee proper tire/wheel assembly.
Finally, all tires must pass an air leak test where they are inflated to max pressure and monitored for any loss of air over time. Cooper validates its tires using test drivers on both indoor test wheels and real vehicles on closed courses. This confirms that tires meet expectations for ride comfort, handling, traction, and wear performance.
By conducting over 30 different quality tests, Cooper ensures every tire it produces meets the highest standards for safety, reliability, and longevity. This focus on quality control has built trust with customers and helped make Cooper tires known for their consistent performance.
Environmental Sustainability
Cooper Tire takes its environmental impact seriously and has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce its ecological footprint. The company has set clear targets for reducing energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and waste generation in its manufacturing facilities.
Some of Cooper’s key sustainability programs include:
- Operating an Environmental Management System (EMS) at every plant to monitor and manage environmental impacts. Plants undergo regular audits to maintain ISO 14001 certification.
- Setting a goal to reduce energy use per tire produced by 17% by 2020 compared to a 2010 baseline. Energy reduction projects include upgrading lighting, insulation, and HVAC systems.
- Installing solar panels at several plants to generate renewable electricity. The Texarkana, Arkansas plant already gets 20% of its electricity from on-site solar.
- Implementing programs to reduce water usage, recycle water, and treat wastewater at facilities.
- Launching initiatives to cut greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing by 17% per tire by 2020.
- Diverting over 175 million pounds of waste from landfills annually through reduction, reuse, and recycling programs.
- Phasing out use of high global warming potential hydrofluorocarbon compounds.
- Using green building principles for new construction and renovations to facilities.
Cooper continues to explore new ways to minimize its environmental footprint while producing quality tires. The company’s sustainability efforts demonstrate its commitment to responsible manufacturing.
Popular Cooper Tire Models
Cooper Tire offers a wide range of tire models for passenger vehicles, SUVs, light trucks, and commercial trucks. Some of their most popular passenger vehicle tire lines include:
Cooper CS5
- The Cooper CS5 is a grand touring all-season tire. It delivers a smooth, quiet ride along with strong handling and traction for wet and dry roads. One of Cooper’s better selling tires.
Cooper Evolution Tour
- As an ultra high performance all-season tire, the Evolution Tour emphasizes sporty handling, steering response, and excellent traction. It’s a popular choice for performance sedans and coupes.
- The Evolution Winter features Cooper’s extreme winter weather compound to handle ice, snow, and cold temperatures. It provides excellent winter driving stability and control.
- Geared for SUVs and crossovers, the Discoverer SRX is a rugged all-season tire designed for year-round traction. It has solid ratings for long tread life and off-road capability.
Cooper Zeon RS3-G1
- This ultra-high performance summer tire utilizes Cooper’s new RS3 rubber compound for dry grip and handling. Tests found it provided quick response times along with high speed stability.
- Built for pickup trucks, SUVs, and full-size crossovers needing all-terrain performance, the Discoverer AT3 excels on muddy trails and rocks while quiet on the highway.
These represent just a sample of Cooper’s extensive tire lineup catering to a wide range of vehicle types and driver needs. Quality, safety, and reliability are consistent themes across all their tire models.
Customer Satisfaction
Cooper Tire has strong reviews and ratings among customers for their tires. On Discount Tire, one of the largest independent tire retailers, Cooper tires have an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on over 5,000 customer reviews. The Discoverer H/T tire line has over 1,000 reviews with a 4.8/5 rating. Customers praise the tread life, handling, and overall value of Cooper tires.
On TireRack.com, another major tire retailer, Cooper tires have over 850 reviews averaging 4.5/5 stars. The Evolution Tour tire line has a 4.7/5 rating over 275 reviews. Customers mention the responsive handling and smooth quiet ride of these tires. Across popular tire retailers and review sites, Cooper Tire reviews emphasize the durability, performance, and affordability that customers appreciate. From all-terrain to passenger tires, Cooper offers reliable options that exceed many customer expectations. Their commitment to thoughtful design, safety, and customer service contributes to the positive response from drivers. While no tire brand is perfect, the overwhelmingly positive reviews for Cooper indicate tires that deliver on their promises.
Conclusion
Cooper Tire is an American company that has been manufacturing tires for over a century. They operate multiple tire production plants in the United States, Mexico, Serbia, and China. Each plant utilizes advanced manufacturing processes and technology to produce a range of passenger, performance, light truck, and commercial tires.
Cooper has built a reputation for making high-quality and durable tires through their research, development, and rigorous testing. They focus on safety, performance, and sustainability in their tire designs. Popular Cooper models include the Discoverer, Evolution, Zeon, and CS5 lines of tires tailored for different vehicles and driving needs.
Overall, Cooper Tire has established itself as a leader in the tire industry through its American roots, global production footprint, commitment to quality, and focus on customer satisfaction. With multiple modern plants worldwide, Coopers has the capacity and expertise to deliver tires to suit the needs of drivers across North America and internationally. Their 100+ years of experience continues to drive innovation and manufacturing excellence for the Cooper brand.
