Dunlop (brands)

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 type	Tyres, sports equipment, adhesives
Owner	Sumitomo Rubber Industries (consumer tyres, sports equipment, and the trademark) [1] Liberty Hall Capital Partners (aircraft tyres) Ardex (adhesives) Hevea B.V. (footwear) Alfagomma Group (hoses)
Country	United Kingdom
Introduced	1888;137 years ago (1888)
Markets	Worldwide
Previous owners	Dunlop Ltd (1888–1985)
Website	www.dunlop.com

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.

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; ^[2]
• 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

Currently, 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 :
  • operations in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North America were managed by Goodyear (the result of dissolvement of global joint venture with Sumitomo in 2015), ^{[3] [4] [5]} now transferred to Sumitomo in May 2025;
  • owned by Sumitomo in the rest of Asia (the result of the acquisition from Dunlop Rubber in 1985); the operations in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, originally managed by Continental AG, will transferred to Sumitomo in 2026; ^{[6] [7]}
  • owned by Sumitomo in Africa (the result of an acquisition in 2013 from Apollo Tyres of India, ^[8] which had acquired the brand rights from BTR in 1998); ^[9]
  • owned in India by the Ruia Group ^[10] (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. ^[11] AAC sold company to Liberty Hall Capital Partners for $135 Million). ^[12]
• Dunlop Aerospace , including Dunlop Equipment and Dunlop Precision Rubber, owned by Meggitt plc ^[13] (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). ^[14]
• Ardit Floor Leveler (cement based) for concrete or timber floors, to apply tiles, carpet or vinyl flooring. ^[15]

Footwear

• Dunlop Protective Footwear, a brand of waterproof footwear and safety boots, owned by the Dutch company Hevea, which acquired the brand in 1996. ^[16]

Furniture

• Dunlopillo, a brand of mattress and latex foam for furniture, owned in the UK by Steinhoff International, ^[17] acquired in 2013 from Hilding Anders, which owns the brand in Scandinavia. ^{[18] [19]} Elsewhere, it was owned by Dunlop Latex Foam Ltd (sold by BTR in 1997) ^[20] and now by several companies including the Pikolin group. ^[21] 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. ^[22] 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 Michelin. ^[23]
• Dunlop Extrusions, a brand of rubber extrusions owned by an independent company in Manchester, England. ^[24]
• Dunlop Fabrications, a brand of flexible fuel and water tanks owned by Trelleborg AB of Sweden. ^[25]

• Dunlop Hiflex

  Company type	Subsidiary
  Industry	Manufacturing
  Founded	1969 (1969)
  Headquarters	Halmstad, Sweden
  Area served	Scandinavia, Europe, North America
  Products	Hydraulic hoses, industrial hoses, couplings, fluid-conveyance systems
  Parent	Alfagomma Group
  Website	www.dunlophiflex.com

Dunlop Hiflex is a Scandinavian manufacturer and supplier of hydraulic hoses, industrial hoses, couplings, and fluid-conveyance systems. The company is headquartered in Halmstad, Sweden, with operations across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and exports to several other European markets and the United States. Dunlop Hiflex is part of the Alfagomma Group, an Italian-based global manufacturer of industrial and hydraulic hose systems. ^[26]

History

The company's origins date back to 1969, when BTR AB was established in Sweden with a focus on industrial and hydraulic hose systems. ^[27] The company later operated under the name Hiflex Sweden AB, supplying hydraulic and industrial hoses throughout Scandinavia.

In 2003, the company changed its name to Dunlop Hiflex AB to align with the Dunlop brand and reflect its broader product offering. ^[27]

In 2005, Dunlop Hiflex became part of the Alfagomma Group, an Italian manufacturer of hydraulic and industrial hoses. The acquisition expanded Dunlop Hiflex's production capacity, logistics network, and research capabilities while integrating it into Alfagomma's global operations. ^[26]

Corporate structure

• Headquarters: Halmstad, Sweden
• Founded: 1969 (as BTR AB)
• Renamed: Dunlop Hiflex AB in 2003
• Parent company: Alfagomma Group (since 2005)
• Regions served: Scandinavia, Europe, North America

See also

• John Boyd Dunlop

References

1. Brands on Sumitono website, 14 Aug 2020
2. "History of Pacific Dunlop" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-10. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
3. Sumitomo Rubber completes acquisition of Dunlop brand from Sports Direct on Rubber News, 5 Apr 2017
4. Goodyear form 10-Q for quarter ended June 30, 1999, p.28
5. Bennett, Jeff (2015-10-01). "Goodyear, Sumitomo Dissolve Global Alliance". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2020-08-20.
6. "About | Dunlop Tyres Malaysia".
7. "Acquisition of All Exclusive Right to Use DUNLOP Trademark in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei". 2025-12-03. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
8. "Apollo Tyres sells South African business to Sumitomo Rubber for Rs 340 crore". Economic Times. 2013-05-30. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
9. Report, University of Natal, 2002 Archived 2008-09-10 at the Wayback Machine p.37
10. Hindu Business Online, 31 December 2005
11. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres website
12. "Liberty Hall Capital Partners Acquires UK-Based Dunlop Aircraft Tyres for US$135 million". 15 June 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
13. "Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems website". Archived from the original on 2004-08-28. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
14. Olympia Capital website Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
15. "Browse Dunlop Ardit Floor Leveller - Dunlop Trade".
16. Hevea website
17. Steinhoff International brands
18. Multi-million pound deal saves 250 jobs at Huntingdon factory Stephen Waite, Hunts Post, 2 April 2013
19. Dunlopillo website
20. Dunlop Latex Foam website Archived August 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
21. Markets and brands Grupo Pikolin.
22. Dunlop Conveyor Belting website
23. Press Release - Michelin Acquisition of Fenner PLC
24. Dunlop Extrusions website
25. Dunlop Fabrications website
26. "About Dunlop Hiflex". Dunlop Hiflex. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
27. "Om oss – Dunlop Hiflex Sverige". Dunlop Hiflex (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 November 2025.

External links

• Official website
• Dunlop Hiflex Sweden
• Dunlop Sports
• Dunlop Tires