Cooper Tire Co. resumes production in Serbia

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has revealed that the former Trael Tire Factory acquired earlier this year has resumed production. The factory is located in Kruševac, Serbia.

A high-level person at the company stated that Cooper chose to invest in Serbia because of its important economic potential, high-quality employees and geographical advantages, and strong support from the Serbian government. Kruševac is located about 125 miles south of Belgrade.

Cooper has changed the name of the tire factory to Cooper Tire (Serbia) Co., Ltd., and promised to spend about US$67 million to upgrade it within three years, which will increase the tire's annual production capacity to 3 million pieces. Previously, Cooper stated that it expects "hundreds of workers" to restart production, and that employees will eventually increase to 600-700 people.