FINDLAY, Ohio (March 1, 2007) — Roy Armes, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s president and CEO since January, said he is confident the Findlay-based tire maker can deliver solid results.
Discussing Cooper's fourth quarter and 2006 financial results during a conference call, Mr. Armes said he has visited Cooper's North American facilities, various dealer customers and the firm's operations in China in his two months on the job since coming from Whirlpool Corp.
“In a nutshell I would say I am more optimistic about our opportunities today than when I started in this role,” he said.
Cooper's China operations—including the Chengshan plants acquired last year and the joint venture plant with Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd.—can offer even more opportunities for Cooper, he said. The Chengshan operations contributed to Cooper's sales gains in the fourth quarter and year.
“We need to find a way to ramp up production faster (at the Kenda JV plant), and we're developing plans to do just that,” he said.
Mr. Armes also said he was surprised by the loyalty of dealers he met, noting, “This is something we cannot take for granted."