Cooper Tire to boost capacity

By William Schertz, ERJ staff (TB)

Findlay, Ohio -- Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. plans to boost its manufacturing volume by 10-15 percent over the next two years, according to Roy Armes, the tyre maker's chairman, CEO and president.

Mr. Armes told investors during a conference call May 5 that the Findlay-based company has already taken steps to add capacity at its existing plants without a significant investment in “bricks and mortar.”

“We think we can get another 10 to 15 percent out of our current footprint,” he said. “It's not without no investment, but it's without brick and mortar. We would have to invest in some equipment, tooling and that sort of thing, but we feel like we have the floor space or capacity to be able to do that.”

Mr. Armes said the increase would be achieved by “adding days back to production that were curtailed in 2009, modifying work schedules for additional days and adding incremental capacity through efficiency improvements.

He added that the company is continuing to increase the amount of tyres produced at its joint ventures in Mexico and China.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)