Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has opened a technical center near Shanghai, China. The center "will position the appropriate tools, technology and intellectual resources" closer to Cooper's Asian plants, say company officials.
"In addition, having a local technical center will enhance Cooper's ability to support the North American and global markets, and will strengthen its position as an emerging global competitor."
The new center contains test wheels, a tire forensics laboratory, tire and rim storage, a vehicle lift, support workshops, materials laboratory and other facilities.
"It will be used for developing new products, tire constructions and tire designs. It will also have the capability to optimize existing products for performance, quality and manufacturability.
"For tire applications, this technology center can institute test programs for optimizing customer value, product improvements, alternative tire constructions and alternative materials evaluations.
"In addition, it will be used to maintain tire engineering specifications, conduct competitor benchmarks, and will lend support to plant operations, (plus) marketing and sales activities," say Cooper officials.
