Dunlop Protective Footwear

Dunlop Protective Footwear is the leading global manufacturer of branded protective footwear for industrial, food processing and agricultural usage. The company has developed a proprietary technology for the manufacturing of polyurethane boots, known as PUROFORT®. Using this technology, Dunlop is able to produce safety boots with superior performance on properties such as insulation, weight, flexibility and slip resistance. These properties are often of critical importance in professional usage.

In 2004, Gilde acquired the small and local boots company Hevea from tire manufacturer Vredestein. For over a decade, management and Gilde have continuously grown the company’s international footprint. This started by investing heavily in sales and marketing, focusing entirely on the Dunlop brand and the company’s proprietary PUROFORT® technology.


The step-change acquisition of US competitor Onguard in 2016 was another milestone in Dunlop’s global expansion.

Dunlop currently sells over 6 million safety boots per year and realizes more than EUR 110 million in sales. The company has a distribution network spanning over 50 countries worldwide and operates three production facilities in the Netherlands, Portugal and the US.

In 2018, EQT joined Dunlop as majority shareholder whereas Gilde remains a significant minority shareholder going forward. The company’s strong local presence in North America, supported by product innovation and penetration into new geographies, will enable Dunlop to expand further in the coming years.

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