How Zoom Transformed Collaboration for Auto Supplier Cooper Standard’s Global Teams

With over 50 years of experience as a supplier of automotive systems and components, Cooper Standard has established itself as an industry leader by remaining at the forefront of innovation. By leading the charge in areas such as fuel and brake delivery systems and sealing systems, Cooper Standard has leveraged the experience and creativity of its employees to produce innovations that make vehicles safer and more efficient.

But as Michigan-based Cooper Standard grew to over 30,000 employees in 21 countries, it was difficult to coordinate real-time collaboration on these leading-edge projects. With different teams in different regions using a range of video conferencing tools, it became increasingly difficult to support all the tools and use them in conjunction with one another. 

Due to the complex nature of these projects and the need for constant collaboration, Cooper Standard required a solution that would simplify its communications. Cooper Standard switched to Zoom and was able to implement an easy-to-use solution that provided all the communication capabilities it required. 

“You can walk into a video conference room, see the schedule, and just say, ‘Hey Zoom, start my meeting,’ ” said Bob Cross, IT director for Cooper Standard. “That simplicity was really what we were after.” 

With one video conferencing solution used across the organization, Cooper Standard’s IT department no longer had to cobble together disparate tools and applications. This allowed its global teams to focus on creating new innovations rather than scrambling to help users launch a meeting. 

Zoom Rooms, specifically, have bolstered that collaboration. The flexibility of the Zoom Rooms interface and the ability to easily schedule meetings and invite attendees has improved productivity and efficiency for Cooper Standard. “Zoom Rooms … really enabled our collaboration to be so successful,” Harper said. “Zoom allows us to get down to business faster.” 

The benefits of switching to Zoom weren’t isolated to increased collaboration and efficiency. Cooper Standard also was able to save money on dial-in. “We are up to 80% of VoIP on our network,” Cross said. “With Zoom and VoIP, you eliminate the cost of the dial-in. Plus, the quality is better.” 

With Zoom’s intuitive design and robust support, Cooper Standard’s employees have been thrilled with the tangible results they’ve experienced. “I have people come up to me all the time to thank me for this implementation,” Cross said. “It has been one of our most successful implementations. With Zoom, everything is just really easy.”