Dunlop was originally a
brandThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of tyre produced by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company at the end of the 19th century, taking its name from
John DunlopJohn Boyd Dunlop was a Scottish inventor. He was one of the founders of the rubber company that bore his name, Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company....
. The brand is now used for many other products either derived from rubber or with a looser connection to rubber.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Dunlop (brands)' Start a new discussion about 'Dunlop (brands)' Answer questions from other users |
Dunlop was originally a
brandThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of tyre produced by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company at the end of the 19th century, taking its name from
John DunlopJohn Boyd Dunlop was a Scottish inventor. He was one of the founders of the rubber company that bore his name, Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company....
. The brand is now used for many other products either derived from rubber or with a looser connection to rubber.
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.
- in 1985, Dunlop Rubber sold the rights to the Dunlop brand of automobile tyre.
- 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.
The Dunlop brand today
Today, the Dunlop brand and logo is used for these products:
Automobile
- Dunlop Tyres and Dunlop Tires:
- owned in Europe and North America by Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop Tyres is a British company owned 75% by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and 25% by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which bought the right to sell Dunlop-branded road tyres....
, a joint venture 75% owned by GoodyearThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
and 25% by Sumitomo Rubber Industriesis a tire and rubber company based in Japan. It is part of the Sumitomo Group.The company traces its origins to 1909, when the Sumitomo Group made an investment in Dunlop Japan, the newly formed Japanese subsidiary of the British company Dunlop Rubber...
(the result of a 1999 deal)
- owned 100% by Goodyear in Australia (the result of deals in 1987 and 2006 with Dunlop Australia)
- owned by Sumitomo in Asia (the result of the acquisition from Dunlop Rubber in 1985)
- owned in India by the Ruia Group (the result of the sale of Dunlop India in 1984 to the Jumbo Group, which sold it on in 2005)
- owned in South Africa by Apollo Tyres
Apollo Tyres Ltd is the world's 15th biggest tyre manufacturer, with annual revenues of Rs 88.6 billion in 2010. It was founded in 1976. Its first plant was commissioned in Perambra, Kerala. In 2006 the company acquired Dunlop Tyres International of South Africa...
Ltd of India (the result of a sale by BTR in 1998)
Aerospace
- Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, an independent company in Birmingham, England (sold by BTR in 1996; 75% of the company is currently owned by AAC Capital Partners)
- Dunlop Aerospace, including Dunlop Equipment and Dunlop Precision Rubber, owned by Meggitt plc (the result of a sale by BTR in 1998)
Industrial products
- Dunlop Conveyor Belting, part of Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting Worldwide, providing a range of conveyor belt systems
- Dunlop Extrusions, a brand of rubber extrusions owned by an independent company in Manchester, England
- Dunlop Fabrications, a brand of flexible fuel and water tanks owned by Trelleborg AB
Trelleborg AB is a global engineering group focused on polymer technology, with headquarters in Trelleborg, approximately 21,000 employees , and a revenue of 27 billion SEK . Its stock has been listed at the Stockholm Stock Exchange since 1964, currently on the OMX NordicList, large cap...
of Sweden
- Dunlop Hiflex, a brand of hydraulic hoses and pipes
- Dunlop Oil & Marine, a brand of rubber hose for marine use, owned by Continental AG
Continental AG, internally often called Conti for short, is a worldwide leading German manufacturer of tires, brake systems, vehicle stability control systems, engine injection systems, tachographs and other parts for the automotive and transport industries. The company is based in Hanover, Germany...
of Germany
- Dunlop Rubber Mouldings, owned by Dunlop Industrial Products, a South African company sold by BTR in 1998
- Dunlop Systems & Components, an independent company in Coventry, England, which manufacture the Dunlop Pneuride brand of rubber air spring bellows & air suspension systems
Construction materials
- Dunlop Adhesives, a brand of tile adhesive and grouting, owned by Ardex GmbH
Ardex GmbH is a manufacturer of special materials for the building trade with its place of business in Witten. It is operated as an independent family-owned business by Mark Eslamlooy, director of the management board and Dr. Rüdiger Oberste-Padtberg...
(the result of a sale by BTR in 1996)
- Dunlop Industries of Kenya, who produce PVC floor tiles (sold by BTR in 1996)
Furniture
- Dunlopillo, a brand of mattress and latex foam for furniture, owned in the UK by Hilding Anders and elsewhere by Dunlop Latex Foam Ltd (sold by BTR in 1997)
Sporting goods
- Dunlop Sport, a brand of golf and tennis equipment, sporting footwear and other products
- in Australia and New Zealand owned by Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands is a major Australian company marketing Berlei, Bonds, Clarks , Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Malvern Star, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker and Tontine . It once held the Asian Pacific licence for British Knights footwear. It was formed as a division of...
, sold by Pacific Dunlop (formerly Dunlop Australia) in 2001
- in Japan, Taiwan and Korea owned by SRI Sports Limited (a subsidiary of Sumitomo), acquired as part of Dunlop Japan in 1963
- in the United States, owned by DNA (Housemarks) Limited, a joint venture company owned by Sports Direct
Sports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands. Although now a publicly traded company on the London...
and SRI USA, Inc (a subsidiary of Sumitomo).
- in the rest of the world rights to the brand are owned by Sports Direct as a result of the acquisition of Dunlop Slazenger
Dunlop Slazenger was a sports equipment manufacturing company formed by BTR plc by consolidating the various sports brands acquired as part their take-over of Dunlop Holdings in 1985...
from CinvenCinven is a British private equity firm founded in 1977 with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Hong Kong. Currently, the company has raised four funds, with the last one signing up €6.5 billion...
in 2004.
Footwear
- Dunlop Protective Footwear, a brand of waterproof footwear and safety boots, owned by the Dutch company Hevea, which acquired the brand in 1996.
In the US and Canada, the rights to the Dunlop brand are now owned by a joint venture company owned by Sports Direct and Sumitomo
See also
- Dunlop Sport
Dunlop Sport is a tennis, squash, golf, badminton, clothing, travel and bicycle equipment brand, that specializes in sporting goods.After Dunlop Holdings was acquired by BTR plc in 1985, Dunlop Sport was combined with the Slazenger brand which Dunlop had acquired in 1959 to form Dunlop Slazenger...
- Dunlop Sport (Australia)
Dunlop Sport is a division of Pacific Brands of Australia. The company is not connected to Sports Direct, which owns rights to the Dunlop brand outside Australia and New Zealand.Dunlop Australia first manufactured sandshoes in 1924...
- Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop Tyres is a British company owned 75% by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and 25% by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which bought the right to sell Dunlop-branded road tyres....
- Dunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...