Cooper Standard Opens Shanghai Testing, Prototype Centers

Cooper Standard Automotive Inc. has opened its new Asia-Pacific Sealing Test and Sealing Prototype Centers in Shanghai.

The facilities, along with the recent establishment of the company's Asia-Pacific Technology Center, also located in Shanghai, are a part of Cooper Standard's continued investment in the region. The investment demonstrates a commitment to create a full range of technical and manufacturing capabilities to serve local customers, according to a company statement.

"As a leading supplier to the automotive industry, Cooper Standard places great emphasis on the needs of our regional customers," Chairman and CEO Jeffrey S. Edwards said in a statement. "The opening of our Asia-Pacific Sealing Test and Prototype Centers enables Cooper Standard to accelerate the localization of our latest innovative products to this region."

The Asia-Pacific Sealing Test Center is 12,000 square feet and is the company's largest, most diverse and capable sealing laboratory in the Asia-Pacific region. The center houses an automotive sealing finish products and materials laboratory and a functional test laboratory for sealing systems.

Cooper Standard said it is the first sealing laboratory of its kind to be accredited ISO/IEC17025 in China.

The sealing prototype center is equipped with a complete production line that can significantly shorten the lead time needed for extrusion process development to support automotive growth in the region. The center also features a training center dedicated to cultivating local engineering capabilities.