Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 143,388 pages of information and 230,039 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Dunlop Rubber Co
From Graces Guide
of 150 to 152 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC. Works: Para Mills, Aston Cross, Birmingham (1914)
as Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd - Goods Division of Fort Dunlop, Erdington, Birmingham, and of Cambridge Street, Manchester. Telephone Central (Manchester) 2131. Telegraphic Address: "Rubber, Manchester". (1937)
as Dunlop Clothing and Weatherproofs Ltd of Bridport Road, Edmonton, London, N18. (1947)
as Dunlop Rubber Co Dunlopillo Division, Rice Lane, Walton, Liverpool. (1947)
as Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd (Sports Division) of St. James's House, St. James's Street, London, SW1. (1929 and 1947) Sole Distributors of Sports Goods of Dunlop Rubber Co.
See also -
- Dunlop Rubber Co: Advertising Signs
- Dunlop Aviation
- Dunlop Rubber Co: Dunlopillo
- Dunlop Hose Division and Dunlop Hydraulic Hose Division
- Dunlop Polymer Engineering
- Dunlop Special Products
1889 The name Dunlop Rubber Company was first used for a private company created to serve as one of the manufacturing units for the Pneumatic Tyre and Booths Cycle Agency Ltd [1].
1896 Byrne Brothers India Rubber Co was set up[2]
1896 Rubber Tyre Manufacturing Co was floated as a public company to take over the Byrne Brothers India Rubber Co.[3]
1901 The Rubber Tyre Manufacturing Co was purchased by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co [4]. This included the Dunlop Rubber Co which was of comparatively small account at that time[5]
1907 In a re-structuring of the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co, that company set up a new company, the Dunlop Rubber Co by offering existing shareholders the opportunity to subscribe for shares to provide capital for the new company [6].
1910 Exhibited rubber fabric for use in dirigible balloons at the Olympia exhibition[7]
1912 August. Financial issues between the company and the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co. It was agreed to amalgamate the two companies [8] with transfer of assets and goodwill to this company [9]. The Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co would change its name to the Parent Tyre Co to avoid confusion as it continued to pay dividends to its shareholders [10].
1912 Purchased 200 acres of land to build Fort Dunlop. [11]
c.1913 Acquired Coventry Rim and Wheel Co; formation of Dunlop Rim and Wheel Co as a subsidiary[12].
1914 Established the Castleton Mills, near Rochdale to manufacture the fabric which would be the foundation of Dunlop pneumatic tyres.
1914 Manufacturers of Dunlop pneumatic tyres for motors and cycles. [13]
1919 New issue of shares. A. L. Ormrod is Chairman, [14]
1922 Eric Geddes became chairman
1924 Geddes initiated a policy of acquisitions at Dunlop to diversify the product range beyond tyres to general rubber products. The productive capacity of Fort Dunlop was greatly extended in the years 1925–8 and Geddes paid particular attention to manufacturing layout, time and motion studies, and the exploration of management ideas.
1925 Acquired Charles Macintosh and Co[15] as part of its strategy to broaden the business into general rubber goods trade
1925 Issue of shares [16] to pay for acquisition of various companies which would broaden the business into general rubber goods trade:
- Charles Macintosh and Co Ltd
- Broadhurst and Co Ltd
- Campbell, Achnach and Co Ltd
- Casoid Ltd
- Manchester Balata Belting Co Ltd
- Macintosh Cable Co Ltd
- New Eccles Rubber Works Ltd
- New Liverpool Rubber Co Ltd
- Shrewsbury S. T. and Challiner Tyre Co Ltd
- William Knott and Son Ltd
1927 Stand No. 113 at the 1927 Motor Cycle and Cycle Show at Olympia.[17]
1929 British Industries Fair Advert for Tennis Machine, Balls, Rackets; Racket Presses; Golf Balls; Hockey Sticks; Bowls; Football Bladders; Sundries. (Sports Goods Section - Stand No. B.16) [18]
1931 Dunlop Rubber Company went into liquidation.
1933 Concentration into 4 divisions as well as the main activities in tyres and accessories:[19]
- General Rubber Goods
- Footwear
- Garments
- Sports Goods
A number of the subsidiary companies were liquidated with their business carried on by the main company:
- New Liverpool Rubber Co
- Broadhurst and Co
- Dela Rubber Co
- Macinlop
- Dunlop Sports Co
- Tyre Machinery Syndicate
- Shrewsbury S. T. and Challiner Tyre Co
1935 Eric Geddes is Chairman. [20]
1935 Mr H. L. Kenward (see May 1935 image) is the Sales Director for the Dunlop Rubber Co and has also been elected President of the Motor Trade Association.
1936 Acquired India Tyre and Rubber Co[21]
1937 British Industries Fair Advert for Industrial and Mechanical Rubber Goods. Driving, Conveyor and elevator Belting hose. Anti-corrosion rubber. rubber Rollers. Rubber Blocks for road lines and pedestrian crossings. Rubber Flooring. Gloves. (Engineering/Metals/Quarry, Roads and Mining/Transport Section - Stand No. D.609) [22]
1938 J. George Beharrell (Chairman); C. A. Proctor and John L. Collyer are joint MD appointed this year. Other directors include Clive L. Ballieu and S. Hardman Lever [23]
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
1947 British Industries Fair Advert for Clothing (at Earls Court: Ground Floor, Stand No. 240) including Rainwear, Sportswear, Leisurewear, Skiwear; Sports Equipment (at Olympia: 1st Floor, Stand No. F.1805) for Tennis, Golf, Badminton, Squash, Hockey, Table Tennis, Darts; Dunlopillo (at Earls Court: 1st Floor, Stand No. 679) for Latex foam cushioning, Mattresses, furniture upholstery, cushions, hospital equipment; Industrial (at Birmingham) for Rubber Goods, Belting, Hose, Anti-corrosion rubber, Gloves, Rubber Floors. (Textiles Section) [24]
1959 Acquired Slazenger and John Bull Rubber Co[25]
1960 Organised in 9 main divisions[26]
1961 Group employees are 100,000. Sales in 1959 were £261m. Manufacture tyres, tubes, brakes, aviation equipment, adhesives, flooring, footwear, hose, belting, rubber goods, sports goods and marine equipment. [27]
1962 The company operated over 100 factories, at home and abroad[28]
1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Car tyres and tools. [29]
1968 Testing of aircraft tyres at Fort Dunlop. [30]
1968 Queen's Award to Industry for Export Achievement. [31]
1971 Dunlop merged with Pirelli of Italy to form the world's third largest tyre company after Goodyear and Firestone. The merger was not a takeover by either company, but a joint venture arrangement where each company took minority interests in the other's subsidiaries. [32]
1979 The company closed its tyre factory in Speke, near Liverpool.
1981 Split partnership with Pirelli. Pirelli was not profitable throughout the entire duration of the merger, and by April 1981 'Dunlop nearly stopped making tyres in Britain'.[33]
1985 BTR Industries acquired Dunlop Aviation Division to form BTR Aerospace Group.
1985 BTR acquired Dunlop Polymer Engineering.[34]
The company once had extensive manufacturing operations in the UK. With the closure of the Washington plant in 2006, Goodyear Dunlop have ceased mainstream tyre production in the UK. There is still a bespoke Motorsport manufacturing site on a corner of the original Fort Dunlop factory in Erdington, Birmingham, opened in 1891, which supports specialised vintage, motorcycle and touring car tyre production. The factory produces around 300,000 specialised Racing tyres per year which are shipped all over the globe.
The main Birmingham site has been extensively redeveloped with a modern shopping centre (The Fort Shopping Centre) and several logistics warehouses. The iconic former head office building is being redeveloped into a combined residential, office and hotel complex. This can be observed between junction 5 and 6 of the M6, on the east side of the motorway.
Notes
Robert William Thomson (1822 - 1873) invented the first vulcanised rubber pneumatic tyre. Thomson patented his pneumatic tyre in 1845, his invention worked well but was too costly to catch on. Because of this precedent, John Boyd Dunlop's patent was rendered invalid.
[3] Manchester Archives. Records, 1930s-1950s: correspondence and articles on the company’s war work; report of a visit to its factories in South Africa, 1955; photographs including the Gaythorn plant, Manchester, the Gateshead factory, Newcastle upon Tyne, and barrage balloon production and workers. These records can be found in the personal papers of Charles Hemm, Director of the company. (M536/)
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ National Archives [1]
- ↑ The Times, Mar 19, 1962
- ↑ The Times, Jun 13, 1896
- ↑ The Times, May 15, 1901
- ↑ The Times, Dec 02, 1919
- ↑ The Times, Wednesday, Mar 13, 1907
- ↑ The Times, Mar 14, 1910
- ↑ The Times, Saturday, Aug 17, 1912
- ↑ The Times, Saturday, Aug 31, 1912
- ↑ The Times, 12 February 1913
- ↑ The Times, Tuesday, Dec 02, 1919
- ↑ National Archives [2]
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Times, Tuesday, Dec 02, 1919
- ↑ The Times, 16 December 1925
- ↑ The Times, 16 December 1925
- ↑ Bicycling News
- ↑ 1929 British Industries Fair Advert 140; and p53
- ↑ The Times, 30 August 1933
- ↑ The Times, Friday, May 10, 1935
- ↑ The Times, Aug 13, 1936
- ↑ 1937 British Industries Fair Advert p618; and p356
- ↑ The Times, Wednesday, Apr 06, 1938
- ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair Advert 462; and p88
- ↑ The Times, Jan 07, 1959
- ↑ The Times, May 09, 1960
- ↑ 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises
- ↑ The Times, Mar 19, 1962
- ↑ 1963 Motor Show
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd March 1968 p477
- ↑ The Engineer of 26th April 1968 p650
- ↑ Wikipedia
- ↑ The Engineer 1981/04/23 and 1981/04/30
- ↑ The Golden Anniversary of Metalastik (1937-1987)
- [4] Wikipedia