BTR Industries
Encyclopedia
BTR plc was a British industrial conglomerate
, which merged with Siebe
in 1999 to form BTR Siebe plc, later renamed Invensys
. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange
and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
.
of the USA formed a UK subsidiary British Goodrich Rubber Co. Ltd. In 1934 Goodrich sold most of its shares in the company, which changed its name to the British Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd. In 1956 the company changed its name to BTR Limited, when it ceased production of tyres.
The Company was dominated by Sir Owen Green from 1967 to 1993 first as Managing Director (until 1986) and then as Chairman. By 1982 BTR had acquired a large number of companies in the United Kingdom
, the USA, Canada
, Australia
, South Africa
and Germany
. In 1985 BTR acquired Dunlop Holdings plc
. The Dunlop road tyre business was immediately sold to Sumitomo Rubber Industries
. In late 1985, BTR launched a hostile take-over bid for Pilkington, a leading manufacturer of high quality glass, with operations worldwide. After a successful defensive campaign by Pilkington, BTR was forced to withdraw its offer in early 1986.
In 1992, Hawker Siddeley Group Plc was acquired by BTR plc for £1.5bn.
BTR also had an industrial products operation in Australia
known as Nylex which it secured complete control of in 1995.
Between 1996 and 1998, BTR sold the remaining Dunlop companies.
In 1999 BTR merged with Siebe
to form BTR Siebe plc, which was renamed Invensys
plc.
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
, which merged with Siebe
Siebe Gorman
Siebe Gorman & Company Ltd was a British company which developed diving equipment and breathing equipment and worked on commercial diving and marine salvage projects...
in 1999 to form BTR Siebe plc, later renamed Invensys
Invensys
Invensys plc is a global engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of BTR plc and Siebe plc. It has offices in more than 50 countries and its products are sold in around 180 countries.Invensys is organised into...
. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
.
History
BTR started in 1924, when the B.F.Goodrich CompanyGoodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
of the USA formed a UK subsidiary British Goodrich Rubber Co. Ltd. In 1934 Goodrich sold most of its shares in the company, which changed its name to the British Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd. In 1956 the company changed its name to BTR Limited, when it ceased production of tyres.
The Company was dominated by Sir Owen Green from 1967 to 1993 first as Managing Director (until 1986) and then as Chairman. By 1982 BTR had acquired a large number of companies in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1985 BTR acquired Dunlop Holdings plc
Dunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
. The Dunlop road tyre business was immediately sold to Sumitomo Rubber Industries
Sumitomo Rubber Industries
is a tire and rubber company based in Japan. It is part of the Sumitomo Group.The company traces its origins to 1909, when the Sumitomo Group made an investment in Dunlop Japan, the newly formed Japanese subsidiary of the British company Dunlop Rubber...
. In late 1985, BTR launched a hostile take-over bid for Pilkington, a leading manufacturer of high quality glass, with operations worldwide. After a successful defensive campaign by Pilkington, BTR was forced to withdraw its offer in early 1986.
In 1992, Hawker Siddeley Group Plc was acquired by BTR plc for £1.5bn.
BTR also had an industrial products operation in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
known as Nylex which it secured complete control of in 1995.
Between 1996 and 1998, BTR sold the remaining Dunlop companies.
In 1999 BTR merged with Siebe
Siebe plc
Siebe plc was once one of the United Kingdom's largest engineering businesses. It was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in 1999 it merged with BTR plc to form Invensys.-History:*1819: Siebe plc was founded by Augustus Siebe in London....
to form BTR Siebe plc, which was renamed Invensys
Invensys
Invensys plc is a global engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of BTR plc and Siebe plc. It has offices in more than 50 countries and its products are sold in around 180 countries.Invensys is organised into...
plc.
Operations
The Company was latterly organised into the following businesses:- Engineering
- Packaging
- Materials
- Building products
- Polymers
See also
- Dunlop RubberDunlop RubberDunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
- BTR Aerospace GroupBTR Aerospace GroupBTR Aerospace Group was renamed by BTR plc after the acquisition of the Dunlop Aviation Division from Dunlop Rubber in 1985.It was a group of four companies:*Standard Aero, in Canada*Dunlop Aviation Division*Aero Engine Equipment*Dunlop Precision Rubber...
- India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Cable Company