Quarterlytics / Consumer Cyclical / Industrial Materials / Cooper Tire & Rubber

Cooper Tire & Rubber

ctb · NYSE Consumer Cyclical
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Ticker ctb
Exchange NYSE
Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Industrial Materials
Employees 10,000+
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FY2006 Annual Report · Cooper Tire & Rubber
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COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY

APPLYING THE POWER OF INGENUITY:

it’s one of the greatest assets a company can have.  

It’s the spark behind fresh ideas and inspired products. 

And at Cooper, ideas are everything.  
It focuses us on a singular  GOAL:

TO STRIVE TO MAKE OUR TIRES THE BEST IN THE MARKET. 

We provide a lineup of top-quality tires and other exciting offerings that are the result of 
creative thinking on the part of all Cooper employees. We thrive on the exciting and the 
new. And, thanks to constant innovation, and passionate, dedicated employees, Cooper will 
continue to focus on all the inspired ways that make Cooper ... well, Cooper – a value leader in 
the replacement tire market and 

A COMPANY COMMITTED TO BEING THE EASIEST 
TIRE COMPANY TO DO BUSINESS WITH.

The Cooper name has a proud and storied heritage that goes back nearly a century to 1914.  But we 

didn’t stop there.  From the beginning, ideas were geared towards advancing the design, quality 

and manufacturing of tires. And today, more than ever, we still maintain our tradition of innovation, 

enthusiasm and commitment.  Cooper will continue to build on this wealth of experience.  

WE WILL CONTINUE TO STAND FOR 
INNOVATIVE AND SUPERIOR PRODUCTS.

The standards of quality and performance of our products are as high as ever.  And that’s a position 

Cooper tire owners are happy to support.  

At Cooper, we are growing consumer awareness around the world. We are 

growing our brand in new markets. We have full-line capabilities to serve 

all of our customers’ needs and demands. And, we have a strong heritage 

of customer service and consumer satisfaction. In short, we know today 

that Cooper is more than we have ever been.

AND WE WANT THE WORLD TO SEE US 
AND KNOW US FOR ALL THAT WE ARE TODAY.

2006 Annual Report

To our shareholders:

2006 was a year of tremendous challenge and change for Cooper 
Tire  &  Rubber  Company.    Challenges  from  general  industry 
conditions as well as some challenges of our own making led 
to less than acceptable financial results, particularly in the first 
three  quarters  of  the  year.    However,  the  changes  we  put  in 
place, in response to these market challenges and through the 
implementation of our strategic plans, are already beginning to 
generate positive results.  In addition, while raw material prices 
remain near all-time highs, we began to see some improvement 
in  the  trends  for  raw  material  prices  late  in  the  year.   These 
positive changes of direction are starting to be reflected in many 
of the measures we use to manage our business as well as in the 
price of Cooper stock, which we believe is an indication that we 
have begun to turn the company around and we are headed in 
the right direction.

Throughout the year we faced some of the most difficult market 
conditions that we have ever encountered.  Raw material prices 
continued  escalating  relentlessly  as  natural  rubber  and  many 
petroleum based products hit all-time record high price levels.  
Replacement tire demand in North America was far weaker than 
anticipated,  with  shipments  from  manufacturers  down  more 
than  7  percent  in  the  first  6  months  and  over  5  percent  for 
the full year.  This was the single greatest year-over-year decline 
in  demand  in  the  past  quarter  century,  surpassing  even  the 
weak demand that occurred in the recessionary period of 2001 
following the 9/11 tragedy.  

In the first half of the year, these conditions, along with some 
of our own optimistic sales forecasts, drove higher production 
costs, rapidly expanding finished goods inventory, a higher than 
expected rate of cash consumption, and the need to significantly 
curtail  production  in  our  plants.    Disappointing  financial 
performance  was  the  inevitable  result  requiring  immediate 
action and change to improve our future financial results.

In the second half of the year our management team developed 
a plan to dramatically cut costs, reduce complexity and improve 
efficiency within our operations.  The goals were established to 
deliver a combined $170 million in cost reductions and profit 
improvements through a wide range of projects touching every 
aspect of our business.  The entire Cooper team stepped up to 
the challenge, providing enthusiastic support for the plan, and 
implementation began almost immediately.  The combined cost 
cutting  and  profit  improvement  initiatives  quickly  began  to 
show early results.  With that initial success, the demeanor and 
attitude of our people changed and once again began to reflect 
that positive, can-do winning spirit that has been a hallmark of 
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in the past. 

Changes that drive results

Though it is still early, the implementation of some our initiatives 
have already driven improvements in various measures and in 
our results overall.

In our North American Tire Operations, sales increased steadily 
throughout  the  year  and  sales  per  employee  improved  by  
27 percent from the first quarter to the fourth driven by our 
cost reduction and profit improvement initiatives.  Production 
per employee was also up by nearly 7 percent and our operating 
margins improved from negative 1 percent in the first quarter 
to 6 percent in the fourth.

For the entire company, we were successful in reducing SG&A 
expenses  as  a  percent  of  sales  from  8.0  percent  in  the  first 
quarter to 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter.  Operating profit 
for the Company increased to $28 million in the fourth quarter 
following operating losses in two of the first three quarters of 
the  year.    Our  initiative  to  reduce  and  control  inventory  was 
implemented beginning in August and resulted in a reduction 
of  2.5  million  tires  in  inventory  in  the  second  half  of  the 
year.   This  contributed  to  the  dramatic  improvement  in  cash 
generation in the second half of the year, which culminated in 
the fourth quarter with $177 million in cash generated by our 
operations.

 Finally, as we defined our turn around plans in early September 
and gained the confidence of the investment community that 
we could execute these plans, we saw a dramatic turn around in 
our stock price.  We thank you for that support and confidence.

Long-term strategy

Through  the  difficult  transition  of  2006,  Cooper  has  not  lost 
sight of the strategic plans and initiatives that we believe will 
be critical for our long-term growth and success.  We continued 
the  implementation  of  our  plans  in Asia  with  the  acquisition 
of 51 percent interest in Cooper Chengshan Tire Company and 
Cooper Chengshan Passenger Tire Company.  Cooper Chengshan 
has operated successfully throughout the year and their results 
have been in line with our pre-acquisition expectations.  We also 
completed the construction of our Cooper Kenda joint venture 

(over)

production  facility  in  Kunshan,  China.    Limited  production 
began  in  this  plant  in  early  2007.   Together,  we  expect  these 
operations to provide 15 to 20 percent of our total sales in 2007 
and the low-cost output will improve our competitive position 
in the rapidly expanding Chinese market, as well as in North 
America and Europe.  

Key new products

In 2006, Cooper gained market share in virtually every product 
category  with  the  exception  of  winter  tires.    Although  total 
market demand for broadline tires has been declining for the 
past  several  years,  it  remains  the  largest  single  replacement 
tire  category  in  the  U.S.  market  and  for  Cooper.    Our  new 
product  introductions  over  the  past  few  years  have  focused 
on  the  rapidly  growing  categories  of  high  performance  and 
ultra-high  performance  tires,  which  has  been  a  critical  step 
in  meeting  our  customer  requirements  and  maximizing  sales 
growth opportunities.  Having accomplished that, in 2007 we 
will introduce the Cooper CS4 line of premium broadline and 
touring tires.  The CS4, with its technological advancements, will 
be perfectly suited for the largest segment of the replacement 
tire market.  With this new product, we are confident that the 
broadline category of tires will again become a profitable area 
of growth and competitive advantage for Cooper. 

Looking ahead to 2007

As we put the challenges of 2006 behind us, but keep the lessons 
learned  from  the  year  in  our  arsenal  of  management  tools, 
here  is  what  you  should  expect  from  Cooper  in  the  coming 
years.  We will continue to focus on improving our competitive 
cost structure.  We recognize that the cost cutting measures in 
progress today will not be sufficient for the future, so we will 
aggressively  pursue  our  lean  initiatives,  six  sigma  efforts  and 
growth strategies in lower cost countries with renewed fervor.  
We  will  continue  to  reduce  working  capital  requirements  by 
increasing  inventory  turns.   You  can  expect  tighter  control  of 
capital  spending.    Our  current  plans  are  to  keep  CAPEX  at  or 
below  depreciation  in  our  mature  markets  while  allowing 

for  some  additional  investments  to  take  advantage  of  growth 
opportunities  by  expanding  our  Chinese  operations.   You  can 
expect  us  to  emphasize  customer  driven  marketing  that  will 
also focus on more controlled, more profitable sales growth and 
more profitable product and customer mix.  You can expect us 
to work diligently to reduce complexity in our manufacturing 
operations  that  hampers  efficiency.   Along  with  this,  you  can 
expect  continuous  improvement  in  our  North  American 
production  facilities.    Beyond  North America,  you  can  expect 
continuing improvements in our European operations and solid 
execution of our Asian expansion plans.  Our strategy is sound 
and  will  provide  us  with  tremendous  opportunities  when 
executed effectively.

Finally, you can expect continuation and improvement in our 
traditional focus on our customers.  Our customer relationships 
have always been one of the keys to our success and they are 
becoming even more important as competition from low-cost 
tire importers intensifies.  We can reassure our customers that 
Cooper is committed to their success and we will do what it 
takes  to  provide  them  with  the  greatest  combined  value  in 
replacement tire products and service.

The  Board  of  Directors  and  I  are  confident  that  we  have 
implemented  initiatives  that  will,  when  executed  properly, 
dramatically improve our results in the near future.  We believe 
we  have  the  teams  in  place  and  the  appropriate  alignment 
throughout the organization to effectively execute our plans. We 
are optimistic and excited about our opportunities in 2007.  

Thank you for your continued support.

Roy V. Armes
President and Chief Executive Officer

Changes that drive results

North American Segment Results

In the second half of 2006, Cooper implemented a series of strategic 
and operational plans and initiatives to improve performance.  

THE POSITIVE RESULTS OF THESE CHANGES WERE EVIDENT,

particularly in the fourth quarter of the year.

Changes that drive results

Total Company Results

Our Customer Relationships. Our Products.

We take great pride in everything we build. 

Cooper  customer  service  is  considered  the  gold  standard  in  the 
tire  industry,  and  we’re  constantly  re-setting  the  bar  to  higher 
levels. We  care  about  what  we  do.  Period.  Our  commitment  to 
exceeding customer expectations has enabled us to build lasting 
relationships with some of the best distributors and dealers in the 
business.  And that is what sets Cooper Tire apart from all others.   

Cooper  tires  cover  a  wide  range  of  the  tire  market,  from  ultra-
high performance sports cars to SUVs and 4X4s, vans and trucks 
to motorcycles; and we make winter tires and tires specifi cally for 
use on the race track. Beyond Cooper, we have a suite of associate 
brands – Mastercraft, Avon, Starfi re and Dean, along with Mickey 
Thompson and Dick Cepek tires and Oliver tread rubber products.  
All  are  designed  specifi cally  for  a  purpose,  and  all  are  made  to 
exceptionally high quality standards. For those who know us, our 
products speak for themselves.  

The new Cooper CS4 premium passenger tire will be a signifi cant 
addition  to  our  product  line-up  in  2007.    It  will  be  a  perfect 
complement to our existing products and will bring dramatically 

improved performance, handling, ride comfort and grip to sedans 
and  sports  cars  alike.    Loaded  with  technology  and  features 
developed  for  the  demands  of  racing,  the  Cooper  CS4  brings 
performance and value together to exceed the expectations of the 
most demanding drivers.

The world has opened up. It brings challenge and change, but that 
gives Cooper an opportunity to focus on a business and industry 
that  is  at  the  heart  and  soul  of  its  organization. Today,  with  the 
changes  in  the  tire  marketplace,  changes  in  the  consumer,  and 
changes  around  the  world,  we  will  be  right  there  at  the  top 
because of our technology, products, skilled workforce, dedication 
and experience. 

So  whether  you  measure  Cooper  by  our  customer  service,  by 
our  technology  or  by  our  products,  we  are  a  leader  in  the  tire 
industry. Since the beginning, our focus has never wavered:  to 
be the easiest tire company to do business with and provide the 
greatest  replacement  tire  value.  We  continue  to  stand  by  that 
principle today. 

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Shareholder Information

Executive Offices

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
701 Lima Avenue
Findlay, OH  45840
(419) 423-1321

For Information
Tire products  
Investor Relations 
Web site      

Annual Meeting

(800) 854-6288
(419) 427-4768
www.coopertire.com

The 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Cooper 
Tire & Rubber Company will be held at the Alumni 
Memorial Union, North Multi-Purpose Room at the 
University of Findlay, 1000 North Main Street, Findlay, 
Ohio, 45840, on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. 
Eastern Daylight Time. All stockholders are cordially 
invited to attend. Proxy material is sent to stockholders 
together with this report.

Transfer Agent & Registrar

Computershare Investor Services LLC
250 Royall Street, Mail Stop 1A
Canton, MA 02021

(888) 294-8217 (toll free)
24 hours automated or Mon. - Fri.  
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (central time)

www.computershare.com

web.queries@computershare.com

Stockholders requiring a change of name, address 
or ownership of stock as well as information about 
stockholder records, lost or stolen certificates, 
dividend checks, dividend direct deposit and dividend 
reinvestment should contact our transfer agent by mail, 
by telephone or through its web site. 

Filing Certifications

The Company has filed the certification required by 
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as an 
exhibit to its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending 
December 31, 2006, filed with the Securities and 
Exchange Commission.  On May 4, 2006, the Company 
filed with the New York Stock Exchange its Annual CEO 
Certification. 

Direct Investment Plan

Computershare Investor Services serves as Administrator 
for a direct investment plan for the purchase, sale 
and/or dividend reinvestment of Cooper Tire & 
Rubber Company common stock. For information, call 
Computershare Investor Services at (888) 294-8217.

Board of Directors

Executive Officers

Roy V. Armes 
President and Chief Executive Officer  

James H. Geers
Vice President

James E. Kline
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Harold C. Miller
Vice President

Philip G. Weaver
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Other Corporate Officers

Patricia J. Brown
Vice President

Donald P. Ingols
Vice President

Jack J. McCracken
Assistant Secretary

Gregory E. Meyers
Assistant General Counsel

Charles F. Nagy
Assistant Treasurer

Linda L. Rennels
Vice President

Stephen O. Schroeder
Vice President and Treasurer

Rick E. Williams
Vice President

Roy V. Armes 
President and Chief Executive Officer,  
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

Arthur H. Aronson 1, 2
Former Executive Vice President,  
Allegheny Teledyne Incorporated

Laurie J. Breininger 2
Former President, Americas Bath and Kitchen,  
American Standard Companies Inc.

Steven M. Chapman1, 2
Group VP, Emerging Markets & Businesses,  
Cummins, Inc.

John J. Holland 1, 2, 3
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,  
Butler Manufacturing Company

John F. Meier 1, 3
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,  
Libbey Inc.

Byron O. Pond 3
Former Chairman of the Board, President  
and Chief Executive Officer, Amcast  
Industrial Corporation 

Former Interim Chief Executive Officer,  
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

John H. Shuey 1, 2
Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive 
Officer, Amcast Industrial Corporation

Richard L. Wambold 3
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, 
Pactiv Corporation

1   Member of the Nominating and Governance 

Committee

2    Member of the Audit Committee
3    Member of the Compensation Committee

Europe

	 France
  Compiegne, France, sales office
  Compiegne, France, distribution center

Italy

  Milan, Italy, sales office
  Milan, Italy, distribution center

	 Germany
  Groß-Umstadt, Germany, sales office
  Groß-Umstadt, Germany, distribution center

	 Spain
  Madrid, Spain, sales office
  Madrid, Spain, distribution center

	 Switzerland
  Ormalingen, Switzerland, sales office 
  Ormalingen, Switzerland, distribution center

	 United	Kingdom
  Melksham, U.K., European headquarters
  Melksham, U.K., tires
  Melksham, U.K., technical center
  Melksham, U.K., distribution center

Facilities

North America

	 United	States
  Albany, Georgia, tires
  Albany, Georgia, distribution center
  Asheboro, North Carolina, tread rubber
  Asheboro, North Carolina, sales office
  Asheboro, North Carolina, distribution center
  Cedar Rapids, Iowa, distribution center
  Clarksdale, Mississippi, bladders/mixing
  Corona, California, sales office
  Corona, California, distribution center
  Dayton, New Jersey, distribution center
  Findlay, Ohio, tires
  Findlay, Ohio (2), technical centers
  Findlay, Ohio, headquarters
  Findlay, Ohio, distribution center
  Grand Prairie, Texas, distribution center
  Moraine, Ohio, distribution center
  Pearsall, Texas, test track
  Rancho Cucamonga, California, distribution center

Salisbury, North Carolina, tread rubber
Stow, Ohio, sales office
Stow, Ohio, distribution center 
Sumner, Washington, distribution center

  Texarkana, Arkansas, tires
  Texarkana, Arkansas, distribution center
  Tupelo, Mississippi, tires
  Tupelo, Mississippi, distribution center 

Asia

	 China
  Baotou, China, distribution center
  Changchun, China, distribution center
  Guiyang, China, distribution center
  Kunming, China, distribution center
  Kunshan, China, tires
  Lanzhou, China, distribution center
  Liuzhou, China, distribution center
  Nanchang, China, distribution center
  Rongchen City, China, tires
  Rongchen City, China, administrative office

Shanghai, China, sales office
Shanghai, China, administrative office
Shanghai, China, distribution center
Shijiazhuang, China, distribution center

  Wuhan, China, distribution center
  Wulu Muqi, China, distribution center
  Xiamen, China, distribution center
  Zhang Jiagang, China, distribution center

	 Singapore

Singapore, purchasing office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
	
701 LIMA AVENUE • FINDLAY, OHIO 45840
www.coopertire.com