Dunlop Rubber

Dunlop Ltd, formerly Dunlop Rubber, was a British multinational company, involved in the manufacture of various natural rubber goods.

The business was founded in 1889 by Harvey du Cros, and he involved John Boyd Dunlop, who had re-invented and developed the first practical pneumatic tyre for his child's tricycle. The business and original factory was founded in Upper Stephen Street, Dublin; a plaque marks the site, which is now part of the head office of the Irish multinational departments store brand, Dunnes Stores. The company was one of the first multinationals and, under du Cros and, after him, under Eric Geddes, it grew to be one of the largest British industrial companies, although J. B. Dunlop had dropped any ties to it well before his name was used for any part of the business. In 1893, its manufacturing base was relocated from Belfast and Dublin to Coventry, the centre of the British cycle industry. The company was negatively impacted by a wider economic downturn shortly after the end of the First World War, which led to a restructuring and senior management changes.

During the interwar period, the company undertook various efforts to diversify. In the late 1920s, Dunlop controlled manufacturing subsidiaries in the US, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, Australia, India and Japan. By 1946, Dunlop had 70,000 employees, and sales outlets in nearly every country in the world. In the early 1950s, by which point the company held almost half of the UK tyre market, Dunlop developed Maxaret, the first anti-lock braking system. In 1958, Dunlop acquired domestic competitor John Bull Rubber. At its height, the company not only manufactured a wide variety of tyres but also a variety of other products, often rubber-based, including footwear, clothing, belting, sports goods and latex foam products.

Despite having recognised by the mid-1960s the potential drop in demand as the more durable radial tyres swept the market, Dunlop Rubber failed to adapt to evolving market conditions in the 1970s. In 1971, Dunlop merged with the Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli, forming the third-largest tyre company in the world,. but this arrangement underperformed and was ultimately dissolved in 1981. In September 1983, its European tyre business was sold to its former subsidiary, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd of Japan. After taking on excessive debt, Dunlop was acquired in 1985 by the industrial conglomerateBTR. Since then, ownership of the various Dunlop assets and trademarks has become fragmented, although Sumitomo Rubber Industries primarily owns the Dunlop trademark today.