In 1888, John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic bicycle tyre, forming the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company in Dublin in 1889. In 1893, the Company opened a branch office and factory in Melbourne's Chinatown district. In 1899, a Canadian syndicate purchased the Australasian rights from the UK Company and floated the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company of Australasia Limited in Victoria on 30 August 1899. In 1905 the Company purchased its main rival Barnet Glass & Sons Proprietary Limited. In 1908, Barnet Glass created another public company, Barnet Glass Rubber Company Limited which also merged with Dunlop in 1929, being fully absorbed in 1937. On 16 August 1920 the company changed its name to the Dunlop Rubber Company of Australia Limited and became a listed public company on the Melbourne Stock Exchange, and since then has remained the parent company of the group. After merging with the Perdriau Rubber Company in 1929, the company adopted the name Dunlop Perdriau Limited, which changed to Dunlop Australia Limited in 1967. In 1980, the company acquired Olympic Consolidated Industries and a half-share in Olex Cables (which became a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1981). To reflect this merger, the name of the company was changed to Dunlop Olympic Limited.

Barnet Glass (1849-1918), was a rubber importer and manufacturer of rubber garments and accessories with a factory in Melbourne. In 1894, an office was opened in London and a branch factory, the Pioneer Rubber Company in Adelaide. In 1899, the Pioneer Rubber Factory of Australia was opened at Kensington, Melbourne. In October 1900, Glass converted his business into a company, Barnet Glass & Sons Proprietary Limited. In 1905, the company was bought by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company of Australasia Limited.

Barnet Glass then built a factory and plant in Footscray, and began work as Glass & Co. In 1908 the firm was converted into a public company, Barnet Glass Rubber Company Limited. As well as manufacturing rubber, the company were agents for Michelin tyres. By 1918 Glass had branches in every Australian State and in New Zealand. In 1929 Barnet Glass Rubber Company Limited also merged with the Dunlop Rubber Company. Barnet Glass Co. manufactured and traded as a separate organization until 1937, when its manufacturing activities at Footscray were transferred to the Dunlop factories.

Founded by Melbourne-born swimming champion and businessman (Sir) Frank Beaurepaire (1891-1956), the Olympic brand was one of the most successful Australian-made tyre products. After establishing a tyre retreading business, Advanx Tyre Repair Company in William Street, Sydney during 1920, Beaurepaire returned to Melbourne in late 1922 and opened a new business in Latrobe St, Beaurepaire Tyre Service, specialising in retreads. Beaurepaire established a tyre manufacturing plant in Cross Street, West Footscray in 1933. To capitalise on Beaurepaire's public image as an Olympic swimming hero, the firm was named the Olympic Tyre and Rubber Company. Production began in 1934 and the new firm survived despite fierce discounting by Dunlop and Goodyear as Olympic tyres soon gained a good reputation with motorists. Beaurepaire Tyre Service branches continued as a separate arm of the business. During the Second World War, manufacture of insulated electrical cables began and Olympic Cables Limited was formed in 1946 as another branch of the business. By the 1950s the name of the parent firm was Olympic Consolidated Industries. Increased competition and changes to tariff protection eventually led to the merger of Olympic and Dunlop in 1980, with the new company named Dunlop Olympic Tyres Proprietary Limited.