Cooper Tire to lay off 80 employees 

Findlay, Ohio – Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has confirmed it will lay off 80 people in North America.

The firm said in an emailed statement that it had reorganised certain departments, resulting in the elimination of 60 salaried positions at its headquarters site in Findlay  Most of the eliminated positions are corporate roles.

A facility in Texarkana, Arkansas, will see a majority of the remaining 20 layoffs, but cuts also will be made at Cooper's facility in Tupelo, Mississippi.

A company spokeswoman said Cooper Tire would not comment beyond its statement.

Cooper did say the cuts were a necessary response to changes in the tire industry and would better position it for long-term, profitable growth.

"While a decision to eliminate positions is very difficult, the reorganisation will help our business operate more effectively and efficiently and will align our people to deliver the transformation necessary to execute our strategic plans and drive growth," the firm said.

The move comes on the heels of Cooper Tire reporting a decrease in sales for the third quarter of 2017, by 2.3% to $734 million (€630 million).

Sales dropped by 7% in its Americas tire operations to $625 million, but experienced a 44.8% increase to $163 million in its international tire operations.

For the nine months ending 30 Sept, Cooper's sales were down 2% overall to about $2.1 billion.

North America sales were down 7.1% to $1.78 billion, but internationally the firm experienced a sales increase of 34.4% to $457 million.