Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 164,967 pages of information and 246,447 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Dunlop Rubber Co

From Graces Guide
September 1902.
1903.
January 1903.
January 1904.
1904.
February 1907.
March 1907.
April 1907.
April 1908.
April 1908. Advert in French.
July 1908.
September 1908.
November 1909.
November 1909.
November 1909.
July 1910.
December 1911. Advert in French.
September 1911.
September 1911.
December 1912.
December 1912.
December 1912.
January 1913.
January 1913.
February 1913.
February 1913.
May 1913. Pericles.
May 1913

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September 1913
November 1913
February 1914.
March 1914. Tyres.
April 1914.
October 1914.
1915.

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December 1915
March 1916.
March 1916.
September 1916.
1917
December 1919
January 1919
November 1919
1920.
January 1920.
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September 1920.
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1926.
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1927.
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Oct 1927.

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Oct 1927.

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Nov 1927.
November 1927.
1927.
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December 1927.
April 1928.
June 1928.
July 1928.
September 1929.
October 1929.
December 1929.
May 1930.
June 1930.
June 1930.
August 1930.
Im2012WESES-Dunlop.jpg
January 1931.
January 1931.

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February 1931.
February 1931.
March 1931.
March 1931.
1931
April 1931.
April 1931.
May 1931.
May 1931.
July 1931.
July 1931.
July 1931.
October 1931.
December 1931.
December 1931.
05 May 1933.
August 1933.
August 1933.

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October 1933.
October 1933.
November 1933.
December 1933.
1933.
January 1934.
May 1934.
1935. The drawings for the commemorative plaque on the Dunlop Social and Entertainment Hall, Fort Dunlop, Erdington, Birmingham.
February 1935.
May 1935. H. L. Kenward
May 1935.
October 1935.
November 1935.
November 1935.
1 April 1936 Endorsement from Davies Brothers (Chester).
1 April 1936
April 1936.
April 1936.
April 1936.
April 1936.
June 1936.

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June 1936.
June 1936.
June 1936.

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July 1936.
July 1936.
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July 1936.
September 1936.
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October 1936.
October 1936.
April 1936.
April 1936.
February 1937.
October 1937.
October 1937.
December 1937.
December 1937.
May 1938.
December 1938.
May 1938. H. J. Ashby, Sales Manager in the General Division in 1938.
July 1938.
July 1938.
1938.
March 1939.
April 1939.
May 1939.
December 1939
April 1940.
August 1941.
November 1941.
February 1943.
1944.
March 1944.
June 1944.
January 1946.
March 1946.
1946. Tyre-Making Plant at the Speke Factory.
November 1946.
December 1946.
1947.
April 1947.
May 1947.
November 1947.
1948. Technical Manual.
January 1948.
February 1948.
April 1948.
May 1948.
July 1948.
August 1948.
1948.
1950.
April 1950.
August 1950.
November 1950.
December 1950.
1951.
June 1951. Letter to N. L. Bowdler.
1951.
1951
April 1951.
October 1951.
February 1952.

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April 1952.
April 1952.
June 1952.
October 1952.
October 1952.
April 1953.
June 1953.
3D Advert September 1953.
October 1953.

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February 1954.
April 1954.
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August 1954.

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October 1954.
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March 1955.
November 1955.
November 1955.
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May 1957.
Oct 1960.
May 1961.
April 1962.
October 1962.
October 1962.
October 1962.
Oct 1962.
October 1963. Fortiflex.
November 1963.
1964.
1964.
1964.
April 1966.
Oct 1966.
Oct 1966.
March 1967.
November 1968. Metalastik. Polymer Engineering.
November 1968. Pneuride.
September 1969.
1973.
October 1973. Denovo.
1973.
October 1975.

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 -

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 Acquired the Nile Spinning and Doubling Co, and Ross Spinning Co.[14]

1919 New issue of shares. A. L. Ormrod is Chairman, [15]

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[16] as part of its strategy to broaden the business into general rubber goods trade

1925 Issue of shares [17] to pay for acquisition of various companies which would broaden the business into general rubber goods trade:

1927 Stand No. 113 at the 1927 Motor Cycle and Cycle Show at Olympia.[18]

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) [19]

1931 Dunlop Rubber Company went into liquidation.

1933 Concentration into 4 divisions as well as the main activities in tyres and accessories:[20]

A number of the subsidiary companies were liquidated with their business carried on by the main company:

1935 Eric Geddes is Chairman. [21]

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[22]

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) [23]

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 [24]

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) [25]

1959 Acquired Slazenger and John Bull Rubber Co[26]

1960 Organised in 9 main divisions[27]

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. [28]

1962 The company operated over 100 factories, at home and abroad[29]

1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Car tyres and tools. [30]

1968 Testing of aircraft tyres at Fort Dunlop. [31]

1968 Queen's Award to Industry for Export Achievement. [32]

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. [33]

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'.[34]

1985 BTR Industries acquired Dunlop Aviation Division to form BTR Aerospace Group.

1985 BTR acquired Dunlop Polymer Engineering.[35]

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

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Sources of Information

  1. National Archives [1]
  2. The Times, Mar 19, 1962
  3. The Times, Jun 13, 1896
  4. The Times, May 15, 1901
  5. The Times, Dec 02, 1919
  6. The Times, Wednesday, Mar 13, 1907
  7. The Times, Mar 14, 1910
  8. The Times, Saturday, Aug 17, 1912
  9. The Times, Saturday, Aug 31, 1912
  10. The Times, 12 February 1913
  11. The Times, Tuesday, Dec 02, 1919
  12. National Archives [2]
  13. 1914 Whitakers Red Book
  14. The Times, December 2, 1919
  15. The Times, Tuesday, Dec 02, 1919
  16. The Times, 16 December 1925
  17. The Times, 16 December 1925
  18. Bicycling News
  19. 1929 British Industries Fair Advert 140; and p53
  20. The Times, 30 August 1933
  21. The Times, Friday, May 10, 1935
  22. The Times, Aug 13, 1936
  23. 1937 British Industries Fair Advert p618; and p356
  24. The Times, Wednesday, Apr 06, 1938
  25. 1947 British Industries Fair Advert 462; and p88
  26. The Times, Jan 07, 1959
  27. The Times, May 09, 1960
  28. 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises
  29. The Times, Mar 19, 1962
  30. 1963 Motor Show
  31. The Engineer of 22nd March 1968 p477
  32. The Engineer of 26th April 1968 p650
  33. Wikipedia
  34. The Engineer 1981/04/23 and 1981/04/30
  35. The Golden Anniversary of Metalastik (1937-1987)