the tupelo, mississippi, tire manufacturing plant

PEOPLE
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PEOPLE
AS A COMPANY, WE TREAT OUR EMPLOYEES
AND OUR ENVIRONMENT EQUALLY – WITH
RESPECT.
Cooper offers a vibrant and collaborative culture where our employees make a difference every
day – at work, and in the surrounding communities in which we operate. We support our
employees by promoting their health, well-being and safety and by providing them opportunities
to learn and achieve. We are also deeply committed to being a good corporate citizen in our
communities. To Cooper this means:
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Being a fair employer that cares about employees
Following the laws and respecting the cultural norms of the communities where we operate
Giving back by donating time (through volunteerism) and funds to non-profits
Showing our commitment to protecting the environment
HEALTHY AND SAFE EMPLOYEES
Health, Wellness and Financial Benefits
We want our employees to come to work knowing they have a great support structure behind
them. That’s why Cooper has developed a competitive total rewards program for employees
that promotes personal health, assists employees in maintaining a healthy balance between
work and life, and meets the diverse personal and professional needs of Cooper employees
and their families.
U.S. Operations
U.S. employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical and
prescription drug coverage, wellness programs, optional dental and vision coverage, a health
savings account, optional disability and life insurance programs, a retirement plan, and
paid vacations and holidays.
Asian Operations
Cooper makes a monthly social insurance contribution for our China employees that includes
pension, housing, medical, maternity, injury and unemployment benefits.
European Operations
Cooper provides a personal pension plan and life insurance and also makes available optional
discounted private health insurance and discounted disability insurance. An onsite occupational
health service offers employees physical therapy and counseling when appropriate.
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Safe Workplace
A workplace where employees carry out their responsibilities without injury while producing
quality products and providing outstanding service is vital to Cooper’s long-term success.
That is why our company has long made workplace safety a top priority. At Cooper, the scope
of safety includes:
- Safety management systems
- Global risk assessments and hazard control procedures
- Use of technology to reduce or eliminate hazards
- Sharing best practices for hazard elimination
- Enforcement of safety absolutes
These efforts have allowed us to make great improvements in our safety performance over the
years, yet our work is by no means complete. Cooper will continue to raise our level of awareness
and commitment to injury prevention as a top priority by building a zero-injury culture at every
level of the business and across the total enterprise.
To achieve this objective, we have introduced the Cooper Tire Safety Excellence System (SES)
as the centerpiece of a recently launched “Drive to Zero” campaign. Drive to Zero illustrates an
unwavering commitment to an environment of continuous improvement toward becoming an
injury-free workplace. The SES is a comprehensive, measurable and goal-oriented system that
will engage employees to eliminate hazards and avoid risk throughout the organization.
Our vision for safety excellence starts with a strong commitment to injury prevention by our
senior leadership as well as leaders of our operations and support teams. Leaders of each
group are responsible for fostering high levels of employee engagement, which in turn will
result in fewer injuries.
The following eight elements of SES guide show how safety is managed throughout Cooper:
1.Management commitment and leadership
2. Roles, responsibilities and accountability
3.Employee participation
4. Communication
5.Hazard recognition and control
6.Training and education
7. Accident investigation and analysis
8. Performance evaluation and measurement
SES Implementation Schedule
- Tire manufacturing facilities – Implementation of the SES is underway in our North America
tire manufacturing facilities, starting with a baseline safety assessment and management training. This allows Cooper to see what practices are in place and may already meet the expectations of the SES eight key elements. From the baseline, Cooper will work immediately
to close any gaps. International facilities will be addressed in the future.
- Support facilities, such as mold and bladder plants, testing facilities, distribution and service centers, offices and the Mickey Thompson subsidiary, are expected to conclude an SES gap
assessment by end of summer 2013. From there, Cooper will work immediately to close
any gaps.
- Ongoing audits – The health and safety team will conduct audits in the first quarter of 2014 to ensure the company stays on track toward safety goals.
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PEOPLE
THE TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI, TIRE MANUFACTURING
PLANT WORKED TWO MILLION HOURS – ONE ENTIRE
CALENDAR YEAR – WITHOUT A LOST-TIME INJURY.
THIS MILESTONE IS A COOPER FIRST.
Career Development and Recognition
In addition to offering a comprehensive benefits package and continually working to ensure a
safe workplace, Cooper provides employees opportunities to learn and grow. We believe people
respond to recognition and trust, the freedom to participate, the opportunity to learn, and the
chance to develop personally and professionally. A variety of learning opportunities are provided
through our in-house learning center, outside education and training opportunities, on-the-job
training, and job rotation.
Our talent management programs ensure that Cooper has a steady stream of leaders to drive
us confidently into the future. Our performance management program is designed to ensure
Cooper people focus their energies on areas that are directly aligned with the company’s strategic
initiatives and to enable them to develop necessary skills and expertise to advance into leadership
positions if desired.
To ensure leadership excellence, Talent Summits are held to help identify current and future
leaders, key positions, and potential successors to those positions. Our leaders and future
leaders are provided appropriate development opportunities for increasingly demanding leadership
roles, and their progress is actively supported and monitored by Cooper’s executive team and
Board of Directors.
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
In most communities in which we operate, Cooper is among the top 10 employers in the number
of jobs we provide. At the same time as we offer jobs and bring revenues to the community,
we are committed to being a good corporate citizen.
We want everyone within the Cooper family of companies to be a proud employee of an
organization that clearly understands our responsibilities to the communities where we live
and work. As we head into Cooper’s 100th anniversary in 2014, we have a strong heritage of
giving and are committed to being a contributing member of the communities where we operate.
Part of being a socially responsible company is making a commitment to enhance the quality
of life in the communities where we operate around the world. Often, this includes employees
supporting non-profit organizations financially and through volunteerism, including service on
the boards that guide these groups. In addition, it also includes Cooper’s financial support to
assist the organizations that help make our communities better places to live and work.
Honoring Our Heritage and Hometown
In honor of our upcoming 100-year anniversary, Cooper partnered with Findlay City Schools
to develop a multi-purpose track and field complex while also establishing a monument to
the company’s legacy in Findlay. A ribbon-cutting ceremony held Nov. 9 marked the facility’s
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official opening to students and the community. The new complex includes a state-of-the-art,
nine-lane track made of sustainable recycled rubber, as well as a multi-use competitive field
that will support other sports and general physical education while also providing a venue for
additional student and community events.
Giving in Findlay, Ohio, Our Headquarters Hometown
The organizations we assist are responsible for solving problems that impact thousands within
our communities. An example is Cooper’s support of flood mitigation efforts in our headquarters
hometown of Findlay. Since 2008, we have provided significant financial support to help
resolve this important issue. Additionally, in Findlay we are also a key supporter of The Alliance
(Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development, Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau),
which serves to keep our headquarters hometown an attractive place to do business as well as
to enjoy a high quality of life.
In addition to these efforts, we actively support a host of groups throughout the local area,
including the Boy Scouts, Hancock County Agency on Aging, the Hancock County Historical
Museum, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, the
Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and many others. Cooper people volunteer their time for
these and countless other organizations. In addition, each Friday, employees at the corporate
headquarters have the opportunity to wear jeans to work in exchange for making a donation to
a different charity every week. In 2012, more than $30,000 was raised through these “Jeans
Day” events alone.
Giving in the United States
Throughout the United States, we are also active in supporting the United Way. In fact, a
significant percentage of our total corporate giving budget is directed toward United Way in
Findlay, Texarkana and Tupelo. The United Way’s stated mission “envisions a world where all
individuals and families achieve their human potential through education, income stability and
healthy lives.” The United Way improves lives by “mobilizing the caring power of communities
around the world to advance the common good.”
Matching Gift Program
Cooper administers a Matching Gift Program in the U.S. that enables employees to increase
the impact of their individual contributions to eligible educational and cultural organizations.
Cooper matches dollar-for-dollar employee charitable contributions, up to $5,000 per year per
employee. During the past five years, Cooper has matched charitable donations of more than
$430,000, with more than 150 organizations benefitting from the program.
Giving Around the World
Facilities within the Cooper family of companies around the globe are busy supporting their
communities as well. Cooper is actively committed to public welfare and social responsibility
in Asia. In recent years, Cooper has worked through the platform of the China Youth Development
Foundation to initiate a number of public service activities. For example, Cooper helped build
Cooper-Siyuan Primary School in Duosong Township, Henan County, Qinghai Province, China.
Additionally, the Kunshan plant recently donated 20 computers for the students of Kunshan in
primary school to be used as an added resource tool for teaching and learning.
Among numerous community involvement programs, Cooper Tire Europe supports the Midland
Freewheelers, a voluntary organization that delivers urgent medical documents, as well as
desperately needed blood supplies via motorcycle, to hospitals in England. In Melksham, support
is also provided to benefit Comic Relief, which aids victims of famine. Employees not only
donate funds, they also wear red noses and other clown attire to bring awareness and attention
to the cause.
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