Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. forms joint venture in China

Automotive Industries, August, 2004

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company's operating group, Cooper-Standard Automotive, has formed a joint venture company with Saiyang Sealing Products Company of China for the manufacture and sales of automobile scaling systems under the name Cooper Saiyang Wuhu Automotive.

The joint venture facility is located in the Wuhu Economic Development Zone, southeast of Nanjing. The plant has complete rubber mixing capabilities as well as four extrusion lines to produce rubber, rubber/plastic or plastic scaling extrusions. The joint venture will manufacture sealing components for the C307 program for Changan Ford. Cooper Saiyang also has acquired new scaling business with SAIC Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., one of China's fastest growing automotive OEMs.

Cooper-Standard Automotive will provide advanced sealing technical and operational knowledge to the new joint venture as well as expertise in the manufacture of sealing systems. Cooper-Standard also will assist with sales and marketing of the joint venture company's products.