CTB Cooper Tire and Rubber Co

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 8-K

Current Report

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 13, 2021

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (330) 796-2121

Not Applicable

Former name or former address, if changed since last report

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Financial and Other Information Related to the Cooper Transaction

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (“Goodyear”) is filing this Current Report on Form 8-K to provide certain financial information with respect to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (“Cooper” or “Cooper Tire”) and Goodyear’s proposed acquisition of Cooper. As previously disclosed in its Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 25, 2021, Goodyear and Vulcan Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Goodyear (“Merger Sub”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Cooper on February 22, 2021. The Merger Agreement provides, among other things, that on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into Cooper, with Cooper surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Goodyear. On April 30, 2021, Cooper’s stockholders approved the Merger Agreement. On May 10, 2021, the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 expired. The acquisition remains subject to certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Included in this Current Report on Form 8-K are:

(a) the audited consolidated balance sheets of Cooper as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, the related notes, and the related report of Ernst & Young LLP, Cooper’s independent registered public accounting firm, which are included as Exhibit 99.1;

(b) the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets of Cooper as of March 31, 2021, the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss) and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2020, and the related notes, which are included as Exhibit 99.2; and

(c) the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements of Goodyear giving effect to the acquisition of Cooper (the “pro forma financial information”), which includes the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of March 31, 2021, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the three months ended March 31, 2021, and the notes related thereto, which is included as Exhibit 99.3.

Also included in this Current Report on Form 8-K is the consent of Ernst & Young LLP consenting to the incorporation by reference in certain of Goodyear’s Registration Statements of its report forming part of Exhibit 99.1, which is included as Exhibit 23.1.

The pro forma financial information included in this Current Report on Form 8-K has been presented for informational purposes only. It does not purport to represent the actual results of operations that Goodyear and Cooper would have achieved had the companies been combined during the periods presented in the pro forma financial information and is not intended to project the future results of operations that the combined company may achieve after Goodyear’s pending acquisition of Cooper is consummated.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by Goodyear through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Goodyear will be available free of charge on Goodyear’s website at corporate.goodyear.com/en-US/investors.html.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable law.

Cautionary Notes on Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally include statements regarding the potential transaction between Goodyear and Cooper, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the potential transaction, the ability to complete the potential transaction, the expected benefits of the potential transaction (including anticipated annual run-rate operating and other cost synergies and anticipated accretion to return on capital employed, free cash flow, and earnings per share), projected financial information, future opportunities, and any other statements regarding Goodyear’s and Cooper’s future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, or future events or performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “projects,” “believes,” “seeks,” “schedules,” “estimates,” “positions,” “pursues,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “budgets,” “outlook,” “trends,” “guidance,” “focus,” “on schedule,” “on track,” “is slated,” “goals,” “objectives,” “strategies,” “opportunities,” “poised,” “potential” and similar expressions. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations of Goodyear’s and Cooper’s management and therefore involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in the statements.

Key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include uncertainties as to the timing to consummate the potential transaction; the risk that a condition to closing the potential transaction may not be satisfied; the risk that regulatory approvals are not obtained or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated by the parties; the effects of disruption to Goodyear’s or Cooper’s respective businesses; the effect of this communication on Goodyear’s stock price; the effects of industry, market, economic, political or regulatory conditions outside of Goodyear’s control; transaction costs; Goodyear’s ability to achieve the benefits from the proposed transaction, including the anticipated annual run-rate operating and other cost synergies and accretion to return on capital employed, free cash flow, and earnings per share; Goodyear’s ability to promptly, efficiently and effectively integrate acquired operations into its own operations; unknown liabilities; and the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues. Additional information concerning these risks, uncertainties and assumptions can be found in Goodyear’s and Cooper’s respective filings with the SEC, including the risk factors discussed in Goodyear’s and Cooper’s most recent annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and future filings with the SEC.

While the list of factors presented here is considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on Goodyear’s financial condition, results of operations, credit rating or liquidity. Goodyear does not assume any obligation to publicly provide revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in (i) the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-238212), (ii) the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (No. 333-254482) and (iii) the Registration Statements on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-219603, 333-190252, 333-177752, 333-150405, 333-141468, 333-126566, and 333-126565) of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of our report dated February 22, 2021, relating to the consolidated financial statements and schedule of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company appearing in this Current Report on Form 8-K of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in (i) the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-238212), (ii) the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (No. 333-254482) and (iii) the Registration Statements on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-219603, 333-190252, 333-177752, 333-150405, 333-141468, 333-126566, and 333-126565) of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of our report dated February 22, 2021, relating to the consolidated financial statements and schedule of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company appearing in this Current Report on Form 8-K of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Dollar amounts in thousands except per share amounts)

Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of consolidation – The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. Acquired businesses are included in the consolidated financial statements from the dates of acquisition. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

The Company consolidates into its financial statements the accounts of the Company, all wholly-owned subsidiaries, and any partially-owned subsidiary that the Company has the power to control. Control generally equates to ownership percentage, whereby investments that are more than 50 percent owned are consolidated, investments in subsidiaries of 50 percent or less but greater than 20 percent are accounted for using the equity method, and investments in subsidiaries of 20 percent or less are measured at fair value or, if fair value is not readily available, at cost (less impairment, if any), adjusted for observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment. The Company does not consolidate any entity for which it has a variable interest based solely on power to direct the activities and significant participation in the entity’s expected results that would not otherwise be consolidated based on control through voting interests. Further, the Company’s joint ventures are businesses established and maintained in connection with the Company’s operating strategy.

Cash and cash equivalents – The Company considers highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

The Company’s objectives related to the investment of cash not required for operations is to preserve capital, meet the Company’s liquidity needs and earn a return consistent with these guidelines and market conditions. Investments deemed eligible for the investment of the Company’s cash include: 1) U.S. Treasury securities and general obligations fully guaranteed with respect to principal and interest by the government; 2) obligations of U.S. government agencies; 3) commercial paper or other corporate notes of prime quality purchased directly from the issuer or through recognized money market dealers; 4) time deposits, certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances of banks rated “A-” by Standard & Poor’s or “A3” by Moody’s; 5) collateralized mortgage obligations rated “AAA” by Standard & Poor’s and “Aaa” by Moody’s; 6) tax-exempt and taxable obligations of state and local governments of prime quality; and 7) mutual funds or outside managed portfolios that invest in the above investments. The Company had cash and cash equivalents totaling $625,758 and $391,332 at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The majority of the cash and cash equivalents were invested in eligible financial instruments in excess of amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and, therefore, subject to credit risk. Management believes that the probability of losses related to credit risk on investments classified as cash and cash equivalents is remote.

Restricted cash – The Company’s restricted cash is comprised primarily of funds within a voluntary employees’ beneficiary trust restricted to the future payment of employee benefit obligations.

Notes receivable – The Company has received bank secured notes from certain of its customers in the PRC to settle trade accounts receivable. These notes generally have maturities of six months or less and are redeemable at the bank of issuance. The Company evaluates the credit risk of the issuing bank prior to accepting a bank secured note from a customer which supports periodic assessment of expected credit losses. Management believes that the probability of material losses related to credit risk on notes receivable is remote.

Accounts receivable – The Company records trade accounts receivable when revenue is recorded in accordance with its revenue recognition policy and relieves accounts receivable when payments are received from customers.

Allowance for credit losses – In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” which changes accounting requirements for the recognition of credit losses from an incurred or probable impairment methodology to a current expected credit losses (CECL) methodology. This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and was adopted effective January 1, 2020. Trade receivables (including the allowance for credit losses) is the only financial instrument in scope for ASU 2016-13 currently held by the Company.

In implementing the standard, the Company amended its policy to utilize an expected loss methodology based on credit risk in place of the incurred loss methodology based on aging. The Company’s updated policy includes the regular review of its outstanding accounts receivable portfolio to assess risk and likelihood of credit loss. This review includes consideration of potential credit loss over the asset’s contractual life, along with historical experience, current conditions and forecasts based on management’s judgment. The Company also performs periodic credit evaluations of customers’ financial conditions in order to assess credit worthiness and maintain appropriate credit limits. Accounts receivable, net of the allowance for credit losses, are $506,305 and $544,257 as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The Company recorded provisions for credit losses for receivables of $11,162 and $8,109 at the same dates. The adoption of this standard did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

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Inventories – Inventory costs are determined using the LIFO method for substantially all U.S. inventories. Costs of other inventories have been determined by the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. Inventories include direct material, direct labor, and applicable manufacturing and engineering overhead costs. FIFO inventories are valued at cost, which is not in excess of the net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. LIFO inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market.

Long-lived assets, including goodwill and right-of-use assets – Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the following expected useful lives:

The Company capitalizes certain internal and external costs incurred to acquire or develop internal-use software. Capitalized software costs are amortized over the estimated useful life of the software, which ranges from one to ten years.

Intangibles with definite lives include trademarks, technology and intellectual property which were fully amortized as of December 31, 2019. Land use rights are amortized over their remaining useful lives, which range from 35 to 42 years.

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASC 842, “Leases,” which requires lessees to record right-of-use assets and related lease obligations on the balance sheet, as well as disclose key information regarding leasing arrangements.

The Company evaluates the recoverability of long-lived assets, including property, plant and equipment and right-of-use assets for operating and finance leases, based on undiscounted projected cash flows, excluding interest and taxes, when any impairment is indicated. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are assessed for potential impairment at least annually or when events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred.

Earnings per common share – Net income per share is computed on the basis of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding each year. Diluted earnings per share includes the dilutive effect of stock options and other stock units. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:

At December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, all options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock were included in the computation of diluted earnings per share as the options’ exercise prices were less than the average market price of the common shares.

Derivative financial instruments – Derivative financial instruments are utilized by the Company to reduce foreign currency exchange risks. The Company has established policies and procedures for risk assessment and the approval, reporting and monitoring of derivative financial instrument activities. The Company does not enter into financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The Company offsets fair value amounts recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheets for derivative financial instruments executed with the same counter-party.

The Company uses foreign currency forward contracts as hedges of the fair value of certain non-U.S. dollar denominated net asset and liability positions. Gains and losses resulting from the impact of currency exchange rate movements on these forward contracts are recognized in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income in the period in which the exchange rates change and offset the foreign currency gains and losses on the underlying exposure being hedged.

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Foreign currency forward contracts are also used to hedge variable cash flows associated with forecasted sales and purchases denominated in currencies that are not the functional currency of certain entities. The forward contracts have maturities of less than twelve months pursuant to the Company’s policies and hedging practices. These forward contracts meet the criteria for and have been designated as cash flow hedges. Accordingly, the unrealized gains and losses on such forward contracts are recorded as a separate component of stockholders’ equity in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and reclassified into earnings as the hedged transaction affects earnings.

The Company is exposed to interest rate risk on borrowings that bear interest at floating rates. The Company utilizes derivative instruments to manage the risk associated with the floating rate debt and has effectively fixed the variable interest rate component on the notional amount of these swaps. The swaps qualify for hedge accounting and, therefore, changes in the fair value of the swaps have been recorded as a separate component of stockholders’ equity in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and reclassified into earnings as the hedged transaction affects earnings.

The Company assesses hedge effectiveness quarterly. In doing so, the Company monitors the actual and forecasted foreign currency sales and purchases versus the amounts hedged to identify any hedge ineffectiveness. The Company also performs regression analysis comparing the change in value of the hedging contracts versus the underlying foreign currency sales and purchases, which confirms a high correlation and hedge effectiveness.

The Company is exposed to price risk related to forecasted purchases of certain commodities that are used as raw materials, principally natural rubber. Accordingly, it uses commodity contracts with forward pricing for a portion of its production requirements. These contracts generally qualify for the normal purchase exception under guidance for derivative instruments and hedging activities, and therefore are not subject to its provisions.

Income taxes – Income tax expense is based on reported earnings or losses before income taxes in accordance with the tax rules and regulations of the specific legal entities within the various specific taxing jurisdictions where the Company’s income is earned. Taxable income may differ from earnings before income taxes for financial accounting purposes. To the extent that differences are due to revenue or expense items reported in one period for tax purposes and in another period for financial accounting purposes, a provision for deferred income taxes is made using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is recognized if it is anticipated that some or all of a deferred tax asset may not be realized. Deferred income taxes generally are not recorded on the majority of undistributed earnings of international subsidiaries based on the Company’s intention that these earnings will continue to be reinvested. Upon enactment of the Tax Act, the Transition Tax was recorded based on approximately $495 million of unremitted foreign earnings. During 2020, the Company re-evaluated its position on potential earnings repatriation and has concluded that the repatriation implications of the Tax Act continue to have no impact on its indefinite reinvestment assertion, consistent with all years since 2018. As such, no change has been made with respect to that assertion for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Product liability – The Company accrues costs for asserted product liability claims at the time a loss is probable and the amount of loss can be estimated. The Company believes the probability of loss can be established and the amount of loss can be estimated only after certain minimum information is available, including verification that Company-produced product was involved in the incident giving rise to the claim, the condition of the product purported to be involved in the claim, the nature of the incident giving rise to the claim and the extent of the purported injury or damages. In cases where such information is known, each product liability claim is evaluated based on its specific facts and circumstances. A judgment is then made to determine the requirement for establishment or revision of an accrual for any potential liability. Adjustments to estimated reserves are recorded in the period in which the change in estimate occurs. The liability often cannot be determined with precision until the claim is resolved.

Pursuant to ASC 450 “Contingencies,” the Company accrues the minimum liability for each known claim when the estimated outcome is a range of probable loss and no one amount within that range is more likely than another. For such known claims, the Company accrues the minimum liability because the product liability claims faced by the Company are unique and widely variable, and accordingly, the resolutions of those claims have an enormous amount of variability. The costs have ranged from zero dollars to $33 million in one case with no average that is meaningful.

No specific accrual is made for individual unasserted claims or for premature claims, asserted claims where the minimum information needed to evaluate the probability of a liability is not yet known. However, an accrual is maintained for such claims based, in part, on management’s expectations for future litigation activity and the settled claims history maintained, including the historical number of claims and amount of settlements.

The Company periodically reviews its estimates and any adjustments for changes in reserves are recorded in the period in which the change in estimate occurs. Because of the speculative nature of litigation in the U.S., the Company does not believe a meaningful aggregate range of reasonably possible loss for asserted and unasserted claims can be determined. While the Company believes its reserves are reasonably stated, it is possible an individual claim from time to time may result in an aberration from the norm and could have a material impact.

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The product liability expense reported by the Company includes amortization of insurance premium costs, adjustments to settlement reserves and legal costs incurred in defending claims against the Company. Legal costs are expensed as incurred and product liability insurance premiums are amortized over coverage periods.

Advertising expense – Expenses incurred for advertising include production and media and are generally expensed when incurred. Costs associated with dealer-earned cooperative advertising are recorded as a reduction of the revenue component of Net sales at the time of sale. Advertising expense for 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $53,662, $58,453 and $54,177, respectively.

Stock-based compensation – The Company’s incentive compensation plans allow the Company to grant awards to employees in the form of stock options, stock awards, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance stock units, dividend equivalents and other awards. Compensation related to these awards is determined based on the fair value on the date of grant and is amortized to expense over the vesting period. If awards can be settled in cash, these awards are recorded as liabilities and marked to market.

Warranties – Warranties are provided on the sale of certain of the Company’s products and an accrual for estimated future claims is recorded at the time revenue is recognized. Tire replacement under most of the warranties the Company offers is on a prorated basis. The Company provides for the estimated cost of product warranties based primarily on historical return rates, estimates of the eligible tire population and the value of tires to be replaced. The following table summarizes the activity in the Company’s product warranty liabilities, which are recorded in Accrued liabilities and Other long-term liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets:

Use of estimates – The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of: (1) revenues and expenses during the reporting period; and (2) assets and liabilities, as well as disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Revenue recognition – In accordance with ASC 606, revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods and services. Shipping and handling costs are recorded in cost of products sold. Allowance programs such as volume rebates and cash discounts are recorded at the time of sale as a reduction to revenue based on anticipated accrual rates for the year.

Research and development – Costs are charged to Cost of products sold as incurred and amounted to approximately $64,140, $69,928 and $64,007 during 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Related party transactions – Prior to becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary, the Company’s COOCSA joint venture paid $5,800, $26,589 and $28,023 in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, to an employment services company in Mexico owned by members of the joint venture workforce. In addition, subsequent to the acquisition, payments of $15,984 were made to members of the prior joint venture workforce in connection with services rendered. COOCSA also recorded sales of $2,784, $4,373 and $4,713 to the now former noncontrolling shareholder in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The Company purchased $2,784, $10,920 and $775 of TBR tires from Sailun Vietnam in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, through an off-take agreement between the two parties.

Pensions and Postretirement Benefits Other than Pensions – The Company provides certain pension and postretirement benefits other than pensions to employees and retired employees, including pensions, postretirement health care benefits, other postretirement benefits, and supplemental pensions. In general, the Company’s policy is to fund its pension benefit obligation based on legal requirements, tax and liquidity considerations and local practices. The Company does not fund its postretirement benefit obligation.

Plan assets and obligations are measured using various actuarial assumptions, such as discount rates, rate of compensation increase, mortality rates, turnover rates and health care cost trend rates, which are determined as of the current year measurement date. The measurement of net periodic benefit cost is based on various actuarial assumptions, including discount rates, expected return on plan assets and rate of compensation increase, which are determined as of the prior year measurement date. The Company reviews its actuarial assumptions on an annual basis and modifies these assumptions when appropriate. As required by GAAP, the effects of the modifications are recorded currently or are amortized over future periods.

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The expected return on plan assets is determined using the expected long term rate of return. These computed rates of return are reviewed by the Company’s investment advisers and actuaries. Industry comparables and other outside guidance are also considered in the annual selection of the expected rates of return on pension assets.

The corridor approach is used in the valuation of defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans. The corridor approach defers all actuarial gains and losses resulting from variances between actual results and actuarial assumptions. Those unrecognized gains and losses are amortized when the net gains and losses exceed 10 percent of the greater of the market-related value of plan assets or the projected benefit obligation at the beginning of the year. The amount in excess of the corridor is amortized over the average remaining service period to retirement date of eligible plan participants.

Tariffs – The Company is subject to tariffs on the import of tires, raw materials and tire-manufacturing equipment in certain of the jurisdictions in which it operates. Tariff costs are included within inventory as they pertain to tires and raw materials, while tariffs on tire-manufacturing equipment are included as part of the cost of fixed assets. Material components of the Company’s tariff costs include:

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Each change to U.S. GAAP is established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of an accounting standards update (“ASU”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”). The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs.

Accounting Pronouncements – Recently adopted

Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820),” which removes, modifies and adds various disclosure requirements around the topic in order to clarify and improve the cost-benefit nature of disclosures. Such modifications to disclosures center around Level 3 fair value measurements and investments in entities that calculate net asset value. This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and has been adopted by the Company effective January 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

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Internal-Use Software

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40),” which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a service contract hosting arrangement with those of developing or obtaining internal-use software. This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and has been adopted prospectively by the Company effective January 1, 2020. Capitalization of implementation costs incurred in a service contract hosting arrangement affects Intangibles, net of accumulated amortization, Cost of products sold, and Selling, general, and administrative expense within the consolidated financial statements. The adoption of this standard did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Accounting for Income Taxes

On December 18, 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes,” to, among other provisions, eliminate certain exceptions related to intra-period tax allocation and loss benefit limitations in interim periods, as well as certain rules pertaining to deferred taxes for equity method investees. This ASU also simplifies rules pertaining to franchise taxes and other taxes partially based on income, and changes the timing of when an entity recognizes effects of enacted tax law changes. This standard becomes effective in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020; however, the Company chose to early adopt as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Defined Benefit Plans

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits – Defined Benefit Plans – General (Subtopic 715-20),” which removes, modifies and adds various disclosure requirements around the topic in order to clarify and improve the cost-benefit nature of disclosures. For example, disclosures around the effect of a one-percentage-point change in assumed health care costs was removed. This standard is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020. These amendments must be applied on a retrospective basis for all periods presented. The adoption of this standard did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements and is reflected in Note 11 “Pensions and Postretirement Benefits Other than Pensions.”

Reference Rate Reform

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848),” which provides optional guidance for a limited time to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The Company will utilize optional expediencies under ASC 848 on their cash flow designated hedges during LIBOR transition to continue to assess future LIBOR interest as probable beyond LIBOR’s termination, to document changes to critical terms of the derivative and the borrowings related to reference rate reform and to make changes to effectiveness assessments related to reference rate reform without dedesignating the hedge relationships. The adoption of this standard did not materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Note 2. COVID-19

In March 2020, the World Health Organization categorized COVID-19 as a pandemic, and the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency. The Company’s priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been protecting the health and safety of its employees, responsibilities to its broader communities, and commitments to its customers and other key stakeholders.

The Company’s consolidated financial statements reflect estimates and assumptions made by management that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods presented. The Company considered the impact of COVID-19 on the assumptions and estimates used and determined that there were no material adverse accounting impacts on the Company’s results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020. Given the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and related market conditions, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the period of time that these events will persist or the full extent of the impact they will have on the business. The Company continues to take actions designed to mitigate the adverse effects of this rapidly changing market environment.

On March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) which includes modifications to the limitation on business interest expense and net operating loss provisions, and provides a payment delay of employer payroll taxes during 2020 after the date of enactment. The Company’s payment of employer payroll taxes after enactment otherwise due in 2020 was delayed, with 50 percent due by December 31, 2021, and the remaining 50 percent by December 31, 2022. At December 31, 2020, the Company has deferred the remittance of $14,742 of employer taxes under the CARES Act. This liability is split evenly between the Company’s Accrued liabilities and Other long-term liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company continues to evaluate the potential applicability and related impact of the CARES Act. The CARES Act has had no further impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements at December 31, 2020.

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Note 3. Restructuring

2020 Activity

Reduction in Force

In the second quarter of 2020, the Company announced a reduction in its workforce as a result of the Company’s continuing evaluation of the skills and roles required for the Company to succeed and grow into the future. As a result of this action, the Company incurred severance and other related costs of $1,474 for the three month period ended June 30, 2020. No further expenses were incurred for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Corporacion de Occidente SA de CV

On January 24, 2020, the Company acquired the remaining 41.57 percent noncontrolling ownership interest in COOCSA, making COOCSA a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Americas Segment. In this transaction, the Company acquired the remaining outstanding voting common stock of COOCSA for a total cash price of $54,500. In addition, subsequent to the acquisition, payments of $15,984 were made to members of the prior joint venture workforce in connection with services rendered.

In accordance with ASC 810, “Consolidation”, the excess of the purchase price over the noncontrolling shareholder interest was recorded as a decrease to Capital in excess of par value to reflect the additional ownership. Payments to members of the joint venture workforce in connection with services rendered included $7,772 paid to members that were also shareholders of the non-controlling interest. This amount was also treated as part of the overall purchase price under ASC 810.

In addition to the payments made to the joint venture workforce for services rendered, the Company also incurred $2,712 of other costs associated with the transaction. For the three month period ended March 31, 2020, the Company incurred restructuring expense of $10,930 related to the COOCSA acquisition. There were no further restructuring expenses related to the COOCSA acquisition for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The full year period costs related to the reduction in force and COOCSA acquisition are comprised of:

At December 31, 2020, the Company did not have an accrued restructuring balance related to these actions.

2019 Activity

Cooper Tire Europe

On January 17, 2019, Cooper Tire Europe, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, committed to a plan to cease substantially all light vehicle tire production at its Melksham, U.K. facility, which is included in the International Segment. The phasing out of light vehicle tire production was substantially completed in the third quarter of 2019. Approximately 300 roles were eliminated at the site. Cooper Tire Europe now obtains light vehicle tires to meet customer needs from other production sites within the Company’s global production network. Approximately 400 roles remain in Melksham to support the functions that continue there, including motorsports and motorcycle tire production, a materials business, Cooper Tire Europe headquarters, sales and marketing, and the Europe Technical Center. Costs related to the decision to cease light vehicle tire production at the Melksham, U.K. facility were $8,315 for the full year ended December 31, 2019. In connection with this business realignment, a one-time payment from the U.S. to Serbia was made during the fourth quarter of 2019 in order to allow the Serbian operations to improve their financial standing and serve as a reliable and fully operational contract manufacturer for the U.S.

Cooper Tire Asia

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company’s Asian operations, included in the International Segment, completed a headcount optimization review. As a result of this optimization, the Company incurred $1,262 of restructuring expense during 2019.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded restructuring expense of $8,818, made up of employee severance, asset write-downs and other costs. At December 31, 2019, the Company’s accrued restructuring balance was $1,398, composed primarily of severance costs related to the Asian operations.

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In addition to the costs classified as restructuring expense on the Consolidated Statement of Income, the Company incurred additional costs of $759 in 2019 as a result of Cooper Tire Europe’s decision to cease light vehicle production at its Melksham facility. These additional costs relate to professional fees associated with the Company’s evaluation of its legal entity structure moving forward, as well as other matters, and are included within Selling, general and administrative expense on the Consolidated Statement of Income.

Note 4. Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Accounting policy

Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer and excludes any sales incentives or rebates. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product to a customer. This occurs with shipment or delivery, depending on the underlying terms with the customer. The transaction price will include estimates of variable consideration to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of revenue recognized will not occur. At the time of sale, the Company estimates provisions for different forms of variable consideration (discounts and rebates) based on historical experience, current conditions and contractual obligations, as applicable. Payment terms with customers vary by region and customer, but are generally 30-90 days. The Company does not have significant financing components or significant payment terms. Incidental items that are immaterial in the context of the contract are expensed as incurred.

Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, that are collected by the Company from a customer, are excluded from revenue.

Shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight after control of a product has transferred to a customer are accounted for as a fulfillment cost and not as a separate performance obligation. Therefore, such items are accrued upon recognition of revenue.

Nature of goods and services

The following is a description of principal activities, separated by reportable segments, from which the Company generates its revenue. See Note 19 - Business Segments for additional details on the Company’s reportable segments.

The Company’s reportable segments have the following revenue characteristics:

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Disaggregation of revenue

In the following tables, revenue is disaggregated by major market channel for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively:

Contract liabilities

Contract liabilities relate to customer payments received in advance of shipment. As the Company does not generally have rights to consideration for work completed but not billed at the reporting date, the Company does not have any contract assets. Accounts receivable are not considered contract assets under the revenue standard as contract assets are conditioned upon the Company’s future satisfaction of a performance obligation. Accounts receivable, in contrast, are unconditional rights to consideration.

Significant changes in the contract liabilities balance, included within the Company’s Accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, during the twelve months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

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Transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, revenue recognized from performance obligations related to prior periods is not material.

Revenue expected to be recognized in any future period related to remaining performance obligations, excluding revenue pertaining to contracts that have an original expected duration of one year or less, contracts where revenue is recognized as invoiced and contracts with variable consideration related to undelivered performance obligations, is not material.

The Company applies the practical expedient in ASC 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” and does not disclose information about remaining performance obligations that have original expected durations of one year or less.

Note 5. Inventories

The Company uses the LIFO method for substantially all U.S. inventories. The current cost of the U.S. inventories under the FIFO method was $310,141 and $365,585 at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. These FIFO values have been reduced by approximately $77,251 and $87,616 at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, to arrive at the LIFO value reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company’s remaining inventories have been valued under the FIFO method. All LIFO inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. All other inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

Note 6. Goodwill and Intangibles

Goodwill is recorded in the segment where it was generated by acquisitions. In 2011, the Company recorded $18,851 of goodwill related to the acquisition of additional ownership of COOCSA in the Americas Tire Operations segment and, in 2016, the Company recorded goodwill in the amount of $33,250 related to the acquisition of GRT in the International Tire Operations segment. Goodwill prior to 2011 was zero.

Purchased goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested annually for impairment, unless indicators are present that would require an earlier test. On December 12, 2018, Cooper Vietnam and Sailun Vietnam entered into an equity joint venture contract to establish a joint venture in Vietnam to produce and sell TBR tires. The new joint venture began commercially producing tires in 2020. The capacity created by this planned facility decreased expected production requirements for Cooper’s GRT joint venture. The Company included the expected impact of the new Vietnam joint venture on projected future cash flows in performing its annual goodwill impairment assessment on GRT in 2018. Based on the assessment performed, the goodwill balance was deemed to be fully impaired and resulted in a non-cash fourth quarter 2018 impairment charge of $33,827 recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Income. The fair value of GRT utilized in the goodwill impairment assessment was determined based upon internal and external inputs considering various market transactions and discounted cash flow valuation methods, among other factors. This valuation approach represented a Level 3 fair value measurement measured on a non-recurring basis in the fair value hierarchy due to the Company’s use of Company-specific inputs and unobservable measurement inputs.

During the fourth quarter of 2020 and 2019, the Company completed its annual goodwill and intangible asset impairment tests and no impairment was indicated for the goodwill related to the 2011 acquisition of additional ownership of COOCSA or the Company’s other indefinite-lived intangible assets.

The following table presents intangible assets and accumulated amortization balances as of December 31, 2020 and 2019:

Estimated amortization expense over the next five years is as follows: 2021 - $19,727, 2022 - $17,938, 2023 - $16,737, 2024 - $15,463 and 2025 - $2,534.

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The provision (benefit) for income tax for continuing operations consisted of the following:

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company concluded its accounting under comprehensive U.S. tax legislation enacted in 2017 (the “Tax Act”) and updated its SAB 118 provisional estimates with respect to remeasurement of U.S. deferred tax assets and the Transition Tax on unrepatriated foreign earnings. Tax benefit of $3,576 and tax expense of $5,026 were recorded, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2019, final Transition Tax regulations were issued resulting in the Company recording an additional Transition Tax liability of $1,661. The Company’s outstanding Transition Tax payable as a result of the enactment of the Tax Act, subsequent SAB 118 revisions, and adjustments related to the final regulations, was $20,434 at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The Transition Tax payable is recorded in Other long-term liabilities and is payable over a period of three years beginning in 2022.

The Tax Act also subjects a U.S. parent shareholder to current tax on its global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”). For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company determined that its accounting policy is to record GILTI as a period cost only in the period it is incurred. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized additional tax expense associated with GILTI, exclusive of GILTI foreign tax credits, which is reflected in the rate reconciliation below. No additional tax expense associated with GILTI was recognized for the year ended December 31, 2020.

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Prior to enactment of the Tax Act, the Company did not recognize a deferred tax liability related to the U.S. federal and state income taxes and foreign withholding taxes on unremitted foreign earnings because it overcame the presumption of the repatriation of those earnings. Upon enactment of the Tax Act, the Transition Tax was recorded based on approximately $495 million of unremitted foreign earnings. During 2020, the Company re-evaluated its position on potential earnings repatriation and has concluded that the repatriation implications of the Tax Act continue to have no impact on its indefinite reinvestment assertion, consistent with all years since 2018. As such, no change has been made with respect to the Company’s indefinite reinvestment assertion for the year ended December 31, 2020 and foreign income, foreign withholding, and state income tax liabilities have not been recorded on approximately $738 million of undistributed foreign earnings. Determination of the amount of any deferred income or withholding tax liability on these earnings is not practicable because of the complexities of the hypothetical calculation.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company’s effective tax rate was primarily driven by a change in the mix of earnings between the U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions as compared to 2019. The mix of earnings in 2019 resulted from a business realignment strategy executed to improve the Company’s market share for its European light vehicle tire business. The mix of earnings in 2020 has reverted to a more heavily weighted U.S. share. The resulting tax effects of the 2019 earnings mix are reflected as the difference in effective tax rates of international operations in the rate reconciliation below.

The Company’s Serbian operations are benefiting from a ten-year tax holiday that is based largely on historical investments in property, plant, and equipment which has the impact of reducing the effective tax rate in Serbia to approximately 1.5 percent. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recognized a tax holiday benefit of $0.7 million. The tax holiday will expire in 2026.

A reconciliation of the income tax provision (benefit) for continuing operations to the tax based on the U.S. statutory rate is as follows:

Payments for income taxes in 2020, 2019 and 2018, net of refunds, were $42,933, $10,244 and $19,763, respectively.

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Deferred tax assets and liabilities result from differences in the basis of assets and liabilities for tax and financial reporting purposes. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31 were as follows: