Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

(Redirected from Avon Tyres)

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSECTB) is a United States based company. They design, manufacture, marketing and sales replacement[1] automobile and truck tires. With their subsidiaries they produce medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Their headquarters is in Findlay, Ohio. Cooper Tire has 60 facilities located around the world.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Public (NYSECTB)
IndustryManufacturing
Founded1926
HeadquartersFindlay, Ohio, U.S.
Melksham, Wiltshire, UK
ProductsTires
WebsiteCooperTire.com

Cooper also owns the UK Avon Tyres brand, which also produces tires for motorcycles, road cars, and for motor racing.

History

 
The company campus in Findlay, Ohio

The beginning for Cooper Tire was the M and M Company. M and M was formed by two brothers-in-law in Akron, Ohio in 1914. M and M made tire repair materials.[2] M and M was bought by the Giant Tire and Rubber Company and moved to Findlay, Ohio. The site is still occupied by Cooper Tire and is next to The Cooper Corporation facilities. The Cooper name came from Ira J. Cooper in 1919. He formed a 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.[3]

During World War II the Master Tire and Rubber built military equipment, such as pontoons, waterproof bags, life jackets, and, tires. The company received the Army-Navy 'E' Award for excellence. The name was changed to Cooper Tire and Rubber Company in 1946.[3]

Cooper Tire began a 51% owned joined venture with Shandong Chengshan Tire Co in 2006. They will produce truck and passenger car tires for Chinese and export markets.[4] Cooper Tires is the second largest United States based tire company, after Goodyear.[5]

Tire brands

Cooper Tires

Cooper Tires produces Cooper branded tires for passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles and commercial trucks.[6]

Avon Rubber PLC

In 1997, the tyre business of Avon Rubber PLC of Melksham, Wiltshire, in the United Kingdom was sold to Cooper Tire. The Cooper Tire site remains a major employer in central Melksham.

Other brands

In addition to Avon, Cooper Tire manufactures tires under the brand names Dean, Mastercraft and Starfire.[7]

Motorsports and sponsorships

Cooper Tire became the official tire of the A1 Grand Prix for the series' initial 2005-06 season. Cooper was under contract to produce tires for the series championship until 2007-08. 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.[8]

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]

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Profile for Cooper Tire Rubber". Yahoo. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  2. Holzinger, Albert G. (April 1993). "A successful competitor - Cooper Tire and Rubber - Company Profile". Nation's Business. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "History of Cooper Tyres". Cooper Tires (Australia). Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  4. "Cooper Tire seeks 30% global sales". Reuters. 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  5. Rosenkrantz, Holly (2009-10-29). "Labor Gains Obama Policies Cooper Tire-to-Walmart Companies Rue". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  6. "Tires". Cooper Tires. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  7. "Cooper Tires - Associate Brands". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  8. "IMSA, Cooper Tire align for partnership in Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association. November 16, 2009. Archived from the original (pdf) on June 30, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2010.

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