FINDLAY, Ohio (Feb. 17, 2009)—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and American Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd. are ending their marketing and distribution arrangement with the Kenda brand in the U.S. and Canada.
As of May 1, Kenda will resume responsibility for sales and marketing, distribution and customer service for the brand. The division is a unit of Taiwanese tire manufacturer Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd.
Cooper has had exclusive rights to market, sell and distribute Kenda's radial passenger and radial light truck tires in Canada and the U.S. since the pact was signed in November 2004.
The decision to the relationship was a mutual decision, according to Phil Caris, vice president of sales and marketing for Cooper. He and Jimmy Yang, president of Kenda's U.S branch, said the agreement has been beneficial for both firms.