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Akron-based Goodyear will acquire Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper Tire in a deal valued at $2.5 billion, a move the companies say combines their strengths in the highly profitable light truck and SUV product segments.
The boards of both companies have approved the deal.
Akron will remain the headquarters for the combined company, but a presence in Findlay will be maintained. The entity's global footprint includes 56 factories around the world with more than 70,000 employees.
Cooper Tire, founded in 1914, employs an estimated 10,000 people in 15 countries. It has 10 manufacturing plants where it makes tire brands including Cooper, Mastercraft, Roadmaster and Mickey Thompson. Its revenues rank it fifth among North American tire manufacturers.
“The addition of Cooper’s complementary tire product portfolio and highly capable manufacturing assets, coupled with Goodyear’s technology and industry leading distribution, provides the combined company with opportunities for improved cost efficiency and a broader offering for both companies’ retailer networks," Goodyear CEO Richard J. Kramer said in a statement.
The Akron Beacon Journal reported a conference call indicates the company expects to realize $165 million in savings over a two-year period by reducing duplicative corporate and research and development functions. There are no plans at this point to close factories or reduce manufacturing jobs.
Cooper Tire CEO Brad Hughes said the company is entering the deal “from a position of strength.”
In the statement, Hughes also said Cooper has increased demand for its products with a consumer-driven focus, and the deal begins a new chapter for the company: “We believe that it represents an attractive opportunity to maximize value for our shareholders, who will receive a meaningful premium as well as the opportunity to participate in the upside of the combined company.”
Terms of the deal call for Cooper shareholders to receive cash and stock totaling $54.36 per share, with $41.75 per share in cash. Under the terms, Goodyear shareholders will own about 84 percent of the combined company with Cooper shareholders owning about 16 percent.
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