The Growth Track

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The Sumitomo Rubber Group

The Growth Track

Over the more than 110 years since our founding, we have leveraged our proprietary rubber technology as a tire maker to expand our field of business into sports and industrial products, thereby helping to achieve a sustainable society.

Sales Revenue / Net Sales

Fiscal 2022 Sales Revenue: ¥1,098.7Billion

Business Profit*: ¥22.0Billion

*Business profit = Sales revenue – (Cost of sales + Selling, general and administrative expenses)

History of the Sumitomo Rubber Group

The Sumitomo Rubber Group

Helping to achieve a sustainable society by leveraging our proprietary rubber technology

1888～

1960s～

1980s～

2000s～

2010s～

Management

Technologies and Products

1888

John Boyd Dunlop commercialized the world’s first pneumatic tire

John Boyd Dunlop

The world’s first pneumatic tire

1909

Commenced operation of the Kobe Factory
U.K.-based Dunlop Rubber Company established and began operating Japan’s first modern rubber factory

1913

Started tire manufacturing, producing the first Japanese-made tire

The first Japanese-made tire

1930

Started production of Japan’s first golf and tennis balls

DUNLOP65 (released in 1935)

1954

Developed Japan’s first tubeless tire

1963

In 1963, Sumitomo assumed management of the Company and changed its name to Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.

1964

Started production of golf clubs

1966

Started mass-production of Japan’s first radial tire “SP3”

SP3

1981

Entered into a full business tie-up with The Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd., a precursor of the FALKEN brand.
Commenced the operation of the Malaysia Factory

1983

Acquired European tire business from U.K.-based Dunlop Rubber Company

1984

Acquired six plants in the U.K., Germany and France as well as Dunlop Tire Technical Division in the U.K.

A signing ceremony with U.K.-based Dunlop Rubber Company

1986

Acquired Dunlop Tire Corporation in the U.S.A., becoming the global owner of the Dunlop brand

1999

Formed an alliance in the Tire Business with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in the U.S.A. This alliance led to the creation of a joint venture structure under which the manufacture and sale of Dunlop brand tires was assumed by the Company in Japan and Asia and by Goodyear in North America and Europe.

2000

Released first-generation “XXIO” golf clubs and golf balls

First-generation “XXIO”

2003

Merged with The Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
Spun off the Sports Business

2007

Acquired Cleveland Golf

2009

Celebrated the 100th anniversary
Completed the Tire Technical Center

2012

Released “MIRAIE” Vibration Control Units for Detached Housing

2013

Released “ENASAVE 100,” the world’ s first* 100% fossil resource-free tire
*Since the use of synthetic rubber became the industry standard (based on Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ own research)

ENASAVE 100

2014

Acquired fitness company Kitz Wellness Co., Ltd. (current Dunlop Sports Wellness Co., Ltd.), making it a subsidiary

Released “ENASAVE NEXT” tires boasting 50% less rolling resistance and the coveted “AAA-a” ranking—the highest possible—under Japan’s tire labeling system

2015

Acquired the Switzerland-based Lonstroff AG, which manufactures and sells rubber parts for medical applications, to expand the scope of operations
Dissolved the Tire Business-related alliance agreement and joint ventures with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in the U.S.A

Completed the New Materials Development Technology “ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN”

2017

Acquired trademark rights to the Dunlop brand in countries overseas as well as Dunlop brand sports equipment and licensing businesses from Sports Direct International plc in the U.K.
Acquired Micheldever Group, a major tire sales company in the U.K., stepping up the marketing of FALKEN brand tires
Launched the European and U.S.A. Tire Technical Centers

Announced the “SMART TYRE CONCEPT” for tire technology development

2018

Consolidated the Sumitomo Rubber Group’s Sports Business-related operations
The 130th anniversary of the commercialization of the pneumatic tire

Signed an official sponsorship agreement with the Australian Open, one of the four major tennis tournaments

2019

Celebrated the 110th anniversary of the Group’s founding

Released “ENASAVE NEXT III,” the Company’s flagship fuel-efficient tires made using Performance Sustaining Technology based on the SMART TYRE CONCEPT

2020

Established “Our Philosophy,” a new corporate philosophy structure

Released “VEURO VE304,” premium tires boasting the highest levels of passenger cabin comfort thanks to superior quietness as well as long-lasting wet grip performance

2022

Released “e. SPORT MAXX,” Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ first replacement EV tires, in China, where the automobile market is rapidly shifting toward EVs. This product boasts the highest level of energy efficiency in the Company’s history.

The Sumitomo Rubber Group’s Approach to Brand Development

To take full advantage of the Dunlop brand and maximize business outcomes, the Sumitomo Rubber Group makes collective efforts that rally all its varied resources. As part of these efforts, in April 2017 we acquired rights to the global use of Dunlop brand sports goods trademarks and have since then striven to enhance the value of the Dunlop brand.

At the same time, under the slogan “Rubber and Beyond, Driving Our Future,” we constantly do our best to ensure a sense of security for all customers and to better live up to their trust in us as we aim to help create a joyful, sound and affluent society. To that end, we have created value-added brands in all of our Tire, Sports and Industrial Products businesses based on our strategies for each segment.

Tire Business	Sports Business	Industrial Products Business
A pioneering brand focused on achieving both superior safety and environmental friendliness Since the 1888 commercialization of the world’s first pneumatic tire produced by J. B. Dunlop, the Dunlop brand has served as an important component of the history of automobiles and evolved in step with advances in tire technologies. As a pioneering brand, Dunlop is always focused on creating products that are friendly to the global environment and, to this end, employs state-of-the-art simulation technologies in an effort to realize superior driving safety, environmental friendliness and fuel efficiency. A global brand for all those who love driving Founded in 1983, the Falken brand has been producing replacement tires via the application of technologies that it has long nurtured in the course of supporting major motor sports. Guided by an uncompromising commitment to quality, Falken continues to create products designed to deliver the fun of driving. In line with its brand statement “ON THE PULSE,” Falken is currently serving an increasingly broad range of market regions, starting from Europe—an area well known for delivering harsh judgments on quality—and extending to the United States, India, China and Australia, thereby securing greater presence as a global brand originating in Japan.	In the Sports Business, the “DUNLOP” brand was the first in Japan to produce golf and tennis balls and has also released innovative products supporting the history of golf and tennis. With “DUNLOP” as a starting point, we have developed the “XXIO,” “SRIXON,” “Cleveland Golf” and other unique brands, acting as a supplier of sporting gear for a number of top-notch players who compete in major events around the globe. Other aspects of the Sports Business include the wellness business, which includes sports club operations; the sports school business, which oversees golf and tennis schools; and the management of golf courses and tournaments. In these ways, we take an aggressive, multifaceted approach to our operations aimed at supporting sports activities.	Based on our rubber technology, we create a variety of products for industrial use and other applications. Our target markets currently range from the industrial infrastructure, medical and living essentials fields to the healthcare field in line with our efforts to meet the ever more diverse needs of society. The potential of our offerings backed by cutting-edge technologies is attracting attention from customers worldwide.
Vibration control dampers
Floor coating for construction use
Gymnastic halls

Tire Business

Sports Business

Industrial Products Business

A pioneering brand focused on achieving both superior safety and environmental friendliness
Since the 1888 commercialization of the world’s first pneumatic tire produced by J. B. Dunlop, the Dunlop brand has served as an important component of the history of automobiles and evolved in step with advances in tire technologies. As a pioneering brand, Dunlop is always focused on creating products that are friendly to the global environment and, to this end, employs state-of-the-art simulation technologies in an effort to realize superior driving safety, environmental friendliness and fuel efficiency.

A global brand for all those who love driving
Founded in 1983, the Falken brand has been producing replacement tires via the application of technologies that it has long nurtured in the course of supporting major motor sports. Guided by an uncompromising commitment to quality, Falken continues to create products designed to deliver the fun of driving.

In line with its brand statement “ON THE PULSE,” Falken is currently serving an increasingly broad range of market regions, starting from Europe—an area well known for delivering harsh judgments on quality—and extending to the United States, India, China and Australia, thereby securing greater presence as a global brand originating in Japan.

In the Sports Business, the “DUNLOP” brand was the first in Japan to produce golf and tennis balls and has also released innovative products supporting the history of golf and tennis. With “DUNLOP” as a starting point, we have developed the “XXIO,” “SRIXON,” “Cleveland Golf” and other unique brands, acting as a supplier of sporting gear for a number of top-notch players who compete in major events around the globe.

Other aspects of the Sports Business include the wellness business, which includes sports club operations; the sports school business, which oversees golf and tennis schools; and the management of golf courses and tournaments. In these ways, we take an aggressive, multifaceted approach to our operations aimed at supporting sports activities.

Based on our rubber technology, we create a variety of products for industrial use and other applications. Our target markets currently range from the industrial infrastructure, medical and living essentials fields to the healthcare field in line with our efforts to meet the ever more diverse needs of society. The potential of our offerings backed by cutting-edge technologies is attracting attention from customers worldwide.