The United Kingdom has always been the land of motorcycles, whether with its historic manufacturers or its tire manufacturers. Besides Dunlop, whose motorcycle tires are also manufactured in France (Montlucon), Avon Tires has continued to manufacture its motorcycle tires in British territory until now, but that adventure is coming to an end.
Cooper Tire and Rubber, the Goodyear Group’s brand owner and subsidiary from 2021, has announced the closure of its manufacturing site in Melksham, County Wiltshire, effectively ceasing operations. This historic site began operations at the beginning of the last century and with the rapid growth of the company in the 1950s and 1960s, annual production for motorcycles and cars reached one and a half million tires.
In recent years, the company has experienced a decline in profitability and in 2018 was forced to change several areas of its production, except for the production of motorcycle tires, which is still carried out at the site. According to MCN, profits generated by the Melksham unit increased from £4.3m in 1993 to £6,873 in 2020.
Certainly for this reason, in 2018 the Cooper Tire and Rubber Company promised that it does not plan to reallocate the production of motorcycle tires. Plans changed after the health crisis and Brexit effects. The historic tire factory is set to close in 2023, affecting around 350 employees.
As of now, it is not known where the motorcycle tire production will be sent.
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