Dunlop (brands)

Dunlop is a brand of tyre originally produced by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company from the end of the 19th century, taking its name from John Boyd Dunlop. The brand is used for many other products made from rubber or with rubber components and some with a looser connection to rubber.

This article is about brands named for John Boyd Dunlop first developer of the pneumatic tyre. For the Dunlop brand of guitar products, see Dunlop Manufacturing.
Dunlop
Product typeTyres, sports equipment
Owner
CountryScotland, Edinburgh
Introduced1888 (1888)
Related brandsDunlop
MarketsWorldwide

Ownership of the brand has become fragmented over the years. Three main events contributed to this fragmentation:

  • in 1899, the Dunlop company sold its Australian branch. As a result, Dunlop Australia acquired the rights to the brand in Australia.[4]
  • in 1985, Dunlop Rubber sold the rights to the Dunlop brand of automobile tyre, following several bad business decisions, including a disastrous joint venture with Pirelli where Dunlop unwittingly took responsibility for significant debts.
  • between 1996 and 1998, BTR plc (which acquired Dunlop Rubber in 1985) sold a number of companies which used the Dunlop brand for their products.

Dunlop brands

The Dunlop brand and logo is largely reunified under the ownership of Sumitomo Rubber Industries. Various companies market products with the "flying D" logo or incorporate the word Dunlop in their trading name.

Automobile
  • Dunlop Tyres and Dunlop Tires:
    • owned in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North America by Goodyear (the result of dissolvement of global joint venture with Sumitomo Rubber Industries in 2015)[5][6][7]
    • Motorcycle tyre rights in North America owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries (the result of dissolvement of global joint venture with Goodyear)[7]
    • owned by Sumitomo in Asia (the result of the acquisition from Dunlop Rubber in 1985), with the exception of Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, where the brand is owned by Continental AG[8]
    • owned by Sumitomo in Africa (the result of an acquisition in 2013 from Apollo Tyres of India,[9] which had acquired the brand rights from BTR in 1998)[10]
    • owned in India by the Ruia Group[11] (the result of the sale of Dunlop India in 1984 to the Jumbo Group, which sold it on in 2005).
  • Dunlop Garage Equipment, a subsidiary garage equipment manufacturer, owned by Gemco, supplying vehicle servicing equipment for cars and commercial vehicles, based in Mytholmroyd, England.

Aerospace
  • Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, a company in Birmingham, England (sold by BTR in 1996; 75% of stack was sold to AAC Capital Partners.[12] AAC sold company to Liberty Hall Capital Partners[13] for $135 Million).
  • Dunlop Aerospace, including Dunlop Equipment and Dunlop Precision Rubber, owned by Meggitt plc[14] (the result of a sale by BTR in 1998)

Construction materials
  • Dunlop Adhesives, a brand of tile adhesive and grouting, owned by Ardex GmbH (the result of a sale by BTR in 1996)
  • Dunlop Industries of Kenya, who produce PVC floor tiles (sold by BTR in 1996)[15]
  • Ardit Floor Leveler (cement based) for concrete or timber floors, to apply tiles, carpet or vinyl flooring.[16]

Footwear
  • Dunlop Protective Footwear, a brand of waterproof footwear and safety boots, owned by the Dutch company Hevea, which acquired the brand in 1996.[17]

In the North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the brand is operated by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and operated in Asia by Sumitomo Rubber Industries.

Furniture
  • Dunlopillo, a brand of mattress and latex foam for furniture, owned in the UK by Steinhoff International,[18] acquired in 2013 from Hilding Anders, which owns the brand in Scandinavia.[19][20] Elsewhere it was owned by Dunlop Latex Foam Ltd (sold by BTR in 1997)[21] and now by several companies including the Pikolin group.[22] They are also operating in Asian countries like Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam.

Industrial products
  • Dunlop Conveyor Belting, part of Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting Worldwide, providing a range of conveyor belt systems.[23] On March 19, 2018, Fenner PLC, the parent company of the 'Dunlop' and 'Fenner Dunlop' brands in the industrial and mining sector, was acquired by Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin, commonly known in the North America as The Michelin Group.[24]
  • Dunlop Extrusions, a brand of rubber extrusions owned by an independent company in Manchester, England[25]
  • Dunlop Fabrications, a brand of flexible fuel and water tanks owned by Trelleborg AB of Sweden[26]
  • Dunlop Hiflex, a brand of hydraulic hoses and pipes[27]
  • Dunlop Oil & Marine, a brand of rubber hose for marine use, owned by Continental AG of Germany[28]
  • Dunlop Rubber Mouldings, owned by Dunlop Industrial Products, a South African company sold by BTR in 1998[29]
  • Dunlop Systems & Components, an independent company borne of a management buyout from Trelleborg AB in 2007, who in turn had purchased the business as part of a suite of companies from BTR Seibe (which subsequently became Invensys - Until recently they owned a substantial historical catalogue of Trademark rights pertaining to use of the Dunlop/D Device in the manufacturing arena). Based in Coventry, England, manufacturing rubber full air struts, air springs, and bellows, ECAS (ElecronicallyControlled Air Suspension) air suspension components such as compressors and valve blocks and also owning the rights to automotive anti-vibration systems.[30]

Sports equipment
  • Dunlop Sport, a brand of golf and tennis equipment, sporting footwear and other products
    • Owned by SRI Sports (a subsidiary of Sumitomo) worldwide after acquisition of Dunlop Sport brand in most countries from Sports Direct.[31] SRI Sports already owned Dunlop Sport in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan prior to its acquisition of Dunlop Sport International.

References
  1. Trademark Lawyer – Federal Court – Dunlop aircraft tyres, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Limited v The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company [2018] FCA 1014 (11 July 2018)
  2. Brands on Sumitono website, 14 Aug 2020
  3. About on Dunlop Tyres Malaysia, 19 Nov 2019
  4. History of Pacific Dunlop
  5. Sumitomo Rubber completes acquisition of Dunlop brand from Sports Direct on Rubber News, 5 Apr 2017
  6. Goodyear form 10-Q for quarter ended June 30, 1999, p.28
  7. Bennett, Jeff (2015-10-01). "Goodyear, Sumitomo Dissolve Global Alliance". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  8. "About | Dunlop Tyres Malaysia".
  9. "Apollo Tyres sells South African business to Sumitomo Rubber for Rs 340 crore". Economic Times. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  10. Report, University of Natal, 2002 Archived 2008-09-10 at the Wayback Machine p.37
  11. Hindu Business Online, 31 December 2005
  12. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres website
  13. "Liberty Hall Capital Partners Acquires UK-Based Dunlop Aircraft Tyres for US$135 million". 15 June 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  14. "Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems website". Archived from the original on 2004-08-28. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  15. Olympia Capital website Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Browse Dunlop Ardit Floor Leveller - Dunlop Trade".
  17. Hevea website
  18. Steinhoff International brands
  19. Multi-million pound deal saves 250 jobs at Huntingdon factory Stephen Waite, Hunts Post, 2 April 2013
  20. Dunlopillo website
  21. Dunlop Latex Foam website Archived August 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  22. Markets and brands Grupo Pikolin.
  23. Dunlop Conveyor Belting website
  24. Press Release - Michelin Acquisition of Fenner PLC
  25. Dunlop Extrusions website
  26. Dunlop Fabrications website
  27. Dunlop Hiflex website
  28. Dunlop Oil & Marine website
  29. "Dunlop Rubber Mouldings website". Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  30. "Component Manufacturer and Supplier | Coventry | Dunlop Systems and Components".
  31. "Sports Direct sells Dunlop for $137m". The Guardian. 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
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