Post war
By 1946, Dunlop had 70,000 employees, and sales outlets in nearly every country in the world.[19] In 1948 Dunlop invented the self-sealing tyre, which reduced the risk from blowouts.[20] In the early 1950s, Dunlop developed Maxaret, the first anti-lock braking system.[21] By 1955 Dunlop had almost half of the UK tyre market.[22] A report by the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission in that year found that Dunlop and the four other main sellers in the UK market (Goodyear, Avon, Firestone and Michelin) companies had arrangements which resulted in fixed prices.[22] These arrangements were forced to change, and Dunlop's market share decreased.[13] In July 1956, the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission published a further document with implications for Dunlop products entitled Report on the Supply of Certain Rubber Footwear,[23] which covered rubber boots of all kinds including wellingtons and overboots.
In 1952 a group of British military veterans raided Dunlop's annual shareholder meeting to protest against British colonialism and the Malayan Emergency. This protest which took place in the aftermath of the British Malayan headhunting scandal, saw the soldiers throwing leaflets across the room containing both anti-colonial messages and photographs of British troops posing with the severed heads of suspected communist and anti-colonial guerrillas.[24]
In 1958, Dunlop acquired British rival John Bull Rubber which also included Metalastic.[25] Throughout the 1950s Dunlop had manufacturing plants in Brazil and New Zealand.
The Dunlop Aquafort range of underwater swimming equipment, including one- and two-piece dry suits, wetsuits, weight-belt, snorkel, diving mask and swimming fins was manufactured between 1956 and 1962 or so by Dunlop Special Products Limited at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham and distributed by Dunlop Sports Company Limited at Allington House, 136–142 Victoria Street, London.[26]
A further factor in Dunlop's decline was the decision during the early 1960s to develop cheaper textile radial tyres rather than the more durable steel-belted radial tyres.[13] Dunlop lost market share to manufacturers marketing steel-belted tyres, such as Michelin.[27]
Meanwhile, UK productivity and quality was poor.[28] Salesmen preferred products from the company's continental factories.[28]
In 1967, the company changed its name from the "Dunlop Rubber Company Ltd" to "Dunlop Ltd", as it had diversified from rubber.[13] At this time, around 60 per cent of sales came from overseas, and tyres represented 60 per cent of company turnover.[13]
Sir Reay Geddes, the son of Sir Eric Geddes, became chairman of Dunlop in 1968.[29]
In 1968, Dunlop acquired George Angus Ltd of Newcastle upon Tyne, a world leader in the supply of fire hoses and fire fighting equipment.[30] That year Dunlop had operating profits of £31.8 million, with net profits of £11.2 million.[13] By the late 1960s, Dunlop was the 35th largest company in the world outside the United States.[13] In 1970, Dunlop had 102,000 employees.[31]
In 1971, Dunlop merged with Pirelli of Italy to form the world's third-largest tyre company after Goodyear and Firestone.[13] The merger was a joint venture arrangement where each company took minority interests in the other's subsidiaries, rather than a takeover.[32] The merger was not successful, and the joint venture was dissolved in 1981.[13] Pirelli was not profitable throughout the entire duration of the merger.[33]
The decline of the British car manufacturing industry from 1972 onwards also impacted the core Dunlop business.[28] Matters were compounded by the 1973 oil crisis.[28]
