BIRMINGHAM, England (May 30, 2013) — Goodyear Dunlop U.K. Ltd. has lost the lease on its Fort Dunlop property in Birmingham — site of its Dunlop Motorsport manufacturing unit — and must be out of the property by May 2014.
Dunlop Motorsport has developed a "robust contingency plan to ensure continued supply of our motorsport tires to our key customers," said Jean-Felix Bazelin, general manager, Dunlop Motorsport Europe,
"Our first aim is to assess the impact and evaluate possible alternatives," he said, including the possibility of moving production to the company's truck tire retreading plant in Wolverhampton, England.
Goodyear Dunlop said it "remains committed to the motorsport business."
Dunlop Motorsport employs 180 at the 97-year-old manufacturing complex, which originally was a Dunlop Holdings tire factory.
The plant makes racing tires for two- and four-wheel motorsports varieties, turning out an estimated 1,500 units daily. Goodyear Dunlop said it also sources motorsport tires from several other countries but did not elaborate.
The owner of the 11-acre property, pension firm Nilgosc, is transferring the lease to Jaguar Land Rover Ltd., which is looking to expand its nearby Castle Bromwich operation.
"Jaguar Land Rover has exchanged unconditional contracts with Canmoor Developments to acquire approximately 11 acres of land adjacent to its Castle Bromwich manufacturing plant," the company said in a statement.
"Jaguar Land Rover continues to work in partnership with local authorities and businesses to ensure that our growth plans support the local economy and community."
Anthony Clark of Plastics & Rubber Weekly, a sister publication of Tire Business, contributed to this article.