Cooper has earned the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Energy Star” designation, distinguishing it as the sole tire manufacturer to merit such an honor and as an industry leader in completing “green” activities.

The company embarked on its green path in October 2007, with the rollout of a prototype energy management system in Tupelo. Plant managers launched a similar system in Texarkana in June 2008 and in Findlay in August 2008.

The system allows Cooper to use energy more efficiently by utilizing key metrics to examine daily performance; analyze trends that highlight opportunities for improvement; and at the same time increase safety, product quality and customer satisfaction, said Frank Schrum, Energy Manager for North American Operations.

For assistance with designing a comprehensive energy management system, Cooper turned to help from Modular Process Control, which has been in the energy management consulting business for more than 27 years. MPC develops and installs energy management systems that reduce energy consumption without the use of capital. The firm has worked in many energy-intensive industries, such as oil refineries, steel mills, and tire manufacturing.

MPC impressed Cooper representatives with its systematic approach to energy management, which is very similar to the Six Sigma methodologies that are being deployed at Cooper: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control.

Before launching their own energy management projects, Cooper engineers along with MPC consultants asked a series of questions: - What are the true energy requirements necessary to produce Cooper products? - How does that compare to actual consumption? - What is causing the variance? - If Cooper used 10 percent more energy than necessary, how would we know? - How much energy is wasted every day? - What impact does waste have on Cooper’s bottom line?

From there, a development was done of an energy log to track processes and improvements, and formed cross-functional energy teams to identify opportunities and implement suggestions in each plant.

In total, 23 project opportunities were identified and implemented. The projects represented a measurable improvement. The Texarkana and Findlay plants project similar cost savings once their energy management systems take full effect, Frank said.

The new Energy Star designation ties directly to Cooper’s strategic plan, and the initiative to create a sustainable, competitive cost position. Among the tactics listed under this objective are quality improvements; process efficiency improvements; automation projects; and reducing input costs.