Cooper Tire & Rubber Company and Michelin North America late last week announced temporary shutdowns of their manufacturing facilities in North America because of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Cooper says it will temporarily shut down its tire manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico to protect the health and safety of employees and respond to market demand that has been impacted by coronavirus.
The process of phasing down production at the plants began March 21 and proceed on a rolling schedule over the coming week, with facilities expected to be closed for two to three weeks. Cooper will continue to closely monitor the situation and adjust timelines as necessary, the company says.
Cooper says it is closely monitoring supply chain and product inventory levels as the company focuses on continuing to serve customers. Cooper believes it currently has sufficient supply of product and will continue to operate distribution centers until further notice to meet customer needs.
As the coronavirus has continued to spread across the globe, Cooper has put in place measures to protect employees and meet the needs of all stakeholders including travel restrictions, remote working, social distancing, additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities, limited visitor access and other necessary steps, which all remain in effect.
The company is currently assessing plans for its Europe operations. Cooper’s plants in China, which reopened several weeks ago, and have continued to ramp up production, remain in operation.
Michelin will begin a temporary, phased shutdown of some of its tire production facilities in the United States and Canada.
This phased suspension of some manufacturing will begin immediately and, based on the current outlook, will last for at least two weeks. The affected production currently excludes vital and critical tires for the country’s economic continuity, the company says.
Distribution and logistics activities will continue to support customers through existing inventories. The company says it is monitoring conditions closely and has established appropriate contingency plans, prepared to adjust as the situation evolves.
Michelin remains focused on the health and well-being of its employees and communities, and it is developing plans and revising policies to mitigate the financial impacts of this temporary shutdown on its employees.
Goodyear announced last week it has temporarily suspended its manufacturing and production operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Goodyear says it will be shuttered until at least April 3.
