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Dunlop Tyres is owned by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company which sells Dunlop brand tyres in North America, Australia and Europe. In other regions of the world, the Dunlop brand is owned by other companies. In India the brand is owned by Dunlop India Ltd. whose parent company is the Ruia Group, and in the rest of Asia and Africa by Sumitomo Rubber Industries.
In 1985, Dunlop Rubber Company was acquired by BTR plc, and Sumitomo acquired the rights to manufacture and market Dunlop branded road tyres. Sumitomo did not acquire any Dunlop company. In 1997 Sumitomo gained agreement to use the Dunlop name in its corporate name, and changed the name of its UK subsidiary to Dunlop Tyres Ltd.
In 1999 Sumitomo and Goodyear began a joint venture by which Sumitomo continued to manufacture all Japanese-made tyres under the Dunlop name, while Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company bought 75% of the European and North American tyre businesses of Sumitomo.
The company has extensive manufacturing operations throughout the world. With the closure of the Washington plant in 2006, Goodyear Dunlop ceased mainstream car and lorry tyre production in the UK.
Dunlop maintained a motorsport manufacturing operation located in a corner of the original Dunlop factory in Erdington, Birmingham, established in 1891. This factory produces specialised vintage, motorcycle and touring car tyres, and produces about 300,000 specialised racing tyres per year. In 2014, it was announced that this plant would close, ending Dunlop tyre production in the UK.
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