Cooper Tire and Rubber has opened a 93,000 sq.m distribution centre in Byhalia, Mississippi. Built by Panattoni Development Company, it is the tyremaker’s largest such centre. According to the Mississippi Development Authority, Cooper is investing $10m in it, in an overall project worth $50.5m.

The facility, which is situated in the Gateway Global Logistics Centre, enables Cooper to consolidate and distribute products from its three production facilities directly to customers and regional distribution centres. Cooper Tire’s manufacturing facilities are in Tupelo, Mississippi, Findley, Ohio, and Texarkana, Arkansas.

The company said the warehouse could potentially be expanded by a further 37,000 sq.m if required.

“We are excited to have now opened this new facility, which serves to enhance our logistics infrastructure, supporting our efforts to offer exceptional service to our customers as we get tires to them when and where they want them,” said Bob Sager, Cooper’s director of supply chain. “This facility is a complement to our existing US distribution network that includes six regional distribution centres, three plant manufacturing warehouses and a mixing warehouse, making Cooper even more flexible and responsive to customer needs.”

Cooper is using a third-party contract logistics provider to manage the facility but would not say which company this was.

Third quarter net sales for Cooper Tire stood at $738m, an increase of 0.5% compared with $734m in the third quarter of 2017. Operating profit was $81m compared with $111m for the same period last year.

Marcus Williams

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