Pacific Dunlop was a highly diversified Australian conglomerate company that operated in, among other things, the Automotive, textile, electronics and biotechnology industries. Products commercialised included tires, car batteries, cables, clothing, electronics, bedding, condoms.
Facing financial difficulties, it rapidly spun off and sold its non-core assets before renaming itself Ansell in 2002. In 2006, it sold its tyre making business to Goodyear to focus on the manufacturing of latex products.
History
Pacific Dunlop has its roots in the Irish Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company, which established the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company of Australasia in 1893, which included a local finishing factory and office in Melbourne to supply the market with bicycle tyres. In 1899 downturn in cycling's popularity and speculation from the parent company led to the sell-off of Dunlop's Australasian and North American operations, and the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company of Australasia was floated with 80,000 shares, costing £1 per share. The company was listed on Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide stock exchanges.[1]