Dunlop Aircraft Tyres confirms commitment to manufacturing in Birmingham

DUNLOP Aircraft Tyres has reconfirmed its commitment to manufacturing in Birmingham following the announcement by the similarly-named – but unconnected – business, Dunlop Motorsport that it is quitting the city and switching production abroad.

The commitment guarantees the jobs of 355 workers employed at the plant.

DAT, which has been based in the city for more than 100 years, is completely unrelated to Goodyear Dunlop, which is set to quit its plant at the historic Fork Parkway by the beginning of September after Jaguar Land Rover acquired the lease on the factory site.

“We recently completed a £4m investment in our factory that included the acquisition of production and testing machines that will increase our new tyre output by 15%,” said Dunlop Aircraft Tyres’ chairman, Ian Edmondson.

“This investment further shows our long-term commitment to manufacturing at Fort Dunlop.”

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres exports 80% of the products it makes in Birmingham and over recent months has made a number of significant announcements, including:

•    News that the company had secured a £1.5m government grant to develop and test next-generation aircraft tyres that will be lighter and more robust.

The three-year project, which is being run in collaboration with Airbus, will see Dunlop Aircraft Tyres focus on developing main-wheel radial tyres designed for current and future versions of the A320 family of aircraft.

•    Signing a long-term contract to provide new and retreaded tyres to Czech Republic carrier Travel Service Airlines. The tyres will support the airline’s fleet of 23 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, as well as four B737NGs operating for its low-cost subsidiary SmartWings.

•    Winning an exclusive five-year deal to supply new and retreaded nose and mainwheel tyres for Flybe’s fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft and radial nosewheel tyres for the carrier’s Embraer 195s. The deal includes the three new aircraft the airline will be basing at Birmingham Airport as the hub becomes its largest operation in the UK.

Additionally, tyres featuring the company’s new foreign object damage (FOD) resistance tyre technology are being fitted to the Airbus Military A400M transport aircraft, which first entered service with the French Air Force.

More than 170 Airbus Military A400M transport aircraft have been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the UK and they will all be delivered on Dunlop tyres.