Cooper Tire to restart US, Serbia factories

Findlay, Ohio – Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is planning to restart production starting 27 April at its idled plants in the US and Serbia, while at the same time idling its plant in Mexico a second time due to a Mexican government ruling.

The US and Serbian plants have been idled for the past five weeks due to the coronavirus and its impacts.

The US locations to reopen are in Clarksdale and Tupelo, Mississippi, and Texarkana, Arkansas, as well as the company's headquarters in Findlay. 

Cooper is also resuming production at its plant Kruševac, Serbia while keeping its factory in Melksham, UK, closed for now.

The company said it had put in place a comprehensive set of return to work procedures that include required employee disclosures, increased cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, social distancing and physical barriers.

Similar procedures have been effective at Cooper's two plants in China, which reopened in mid-February and have been ramping up production since.

In Mexico, the federal government in Mexico has determined that Cooper's plant there is a "non-essential" business, forcing Cooper to close the plant temporarily beginning 28 April.

Cooper had reopened that plant, in El Salto, on 13 April after it had been idled for four weeks due to coronavirus and its impacts. The company will continue to monitor the situation and prepare to reopen as soon as appropriate.

Cooper said its distribution centres around the globe continue to operate and deliver product to customers.