Dunlop Closes Tyre Factory in New York
Dunlop has closed one of its US-based tyre factories, resulting in 1500 people losing their jobs
The tyre factory that’s closing is a century-old site in New York and as a result of Dunlop’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber, taking this decision to shut it down, 1500 people have been made redundant.
Cutting costs is nothing new in any industry, let alone the motorcycle world or things attached to it like tyre companies. Cited as a reason for the scrapping of the facility near Buffalo, Sumitomo Rubber explained in a statement that the decision taken was down to facility performance and an increasingly competitive market overseas.
“The plant closure is primarily due to overall facility performance within the increasingly competitive international tyre market,” according to a statement from Sumitomo. “This difficult decision follows a multi-year analysis of the company’s financial situation and general market conditions.”
It’s been revealed by the Japanese giant that it attempted to find a buyer for the facility, which first opened its doors in 1923, but it subsequently made the decision to shut down the factory when no one stepped forward.
Testing, research and development of the tyres is set to continue in America, as well as other markets, but the facility in New York that’s been shelved is expected to be moved to Japan. Due to the size of the facility, 1500 people losing their jobs highlights just how bad the situation for Dunlop was.
The tyre brand will continue to make its motorcycle tyres in various markets across the world, but this news comes a year after it was replaced as the tyre supplier for Moto2 and Moto3, with both series’ performing better than ever thanks to the switch to Pirelli rubber.
As a result of being replaced by Pirelli, which is also the tyre supplier in WorldSBK, Dunlop no longer holds a place as a sole tyre provider for a major world championship in motorcycle racing.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
