Cooper Tire Restarts Mexico Plant

The company's U.S. plants will remain closed for at least two more weeks.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company announced that it has resumed production at its El Salto facility in Mexico. The company's U.S. plants will remain closed for at least two more weeks.

Cooper said that it is taking all the measures to protect the health and safety of employees, including social distancing, additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities, as well as restricted visitor access were put in place as employees returned to work.

Cooper idled production at its U.S. and Mexican plants on March 21 for two to three weeks, and then extended the closures for two more weeks on April 3 because of the continuing impact of the COVID-19.

Cooper’s plant in Europe also continues to remain closed temporarily, while its plant in China continues to operate. Yokohama Corporation of North America (YCNA) has also announced that production will remain suspended at its U.S. plants until further notice.

The EL Salto plant is rated at 19,000 tires a day with roughly 1,100 employees. Cooper became the sole owner earlier this year of the Mexican subsidiary, Corporación de Occidente S.A. de C.V., after buying out the minority partner.

Cooper also said it will continue to monitor the situation regarding its U.S. plants and adjust timing as necessary. The company believes it has sufficient supply of products in inventory, and the company's distribution centers continue to operate and flow products to customers.

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