TUPELO, Miss. (Dec. 16) — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is investing $7.5 million in its Tupelo passenger tire plant to boost capacity for larger-diameter performance tires.
The investment will allow Cooper to add capacity starting early next year for 17- and 18-inch high-performance Zeon tires. Eventually the plant will add equipment to increase capacity for sizes up to 22 inches in rim diameter, Cooper said.
The plant upgrade includes new tire building equipment as well as the transfer of equipment from other Cooper plants, according to John T. Ebert, plant manager, who called the project a "continued retooling of the plant for new-growth product lines." All told, the investment will add capacity for 50 new sizes and will create 35 new jobs at the 1,500-employee plant.