RS CLARE FEATURED PROFILE AS MERSEY MARITIME'S 'MEMBER OF THE MONTH'

We are delighted to feature RS Clare as our July Member of the Month.

How many people do you employ?
250

Who are the key individuals at the head of the organisation?
We regard all of our employees as key individuals, everyone plays their part in the success of the company.

Tell us briefly about the business and its history?
RS Clare was founded in Liverpool in 1748 at the very beginning of the Industrial revolution, making us the longest established lubricants company in the United Kingdom. From modest beginnings starting out as a chemist, druggist and dry salter, we are now primarily a lubricants manufacturer working with a global customer base in a variety of industries. 

Today RS Clare operates in multiple industries and is a truly global enterprise. Our Industrial Lubricants Division has built on our long experience in grease making by carving out niche markets for speciality products in marine, oil and gas, rail, steel and automotive industries throughout the world.

We continue to manufacture lubricants under customers’ own brands as part of our Industrial Private Label Division. After nearly 270 years in business we are thriving, and we are doing so partly because our customers demand the very best from us, and partly because we continue to anticipate change. We recognise that it’s next year that matters, the past is history.

What is your geographical footprint – where do you operate?
Our head office and manufacturing plant is in Liverpool UK and has been for over 270 years. One of the key ‘platforms’ in our business strategy over the last 20 years has been to globalise, and as a company we now have a strong export business in several of our application markets.

We now have offices in Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Houston and manufacture through a partner in North America. We also have a strong foundation of regional partnerships with resellers and agents bringing local knowledge and other complementary strengths to support our global customer base.

How have you been impacted by COVID-19?
Like all businesses, it’s been a challenging time for us, and we have had to work very hard to keep growing our business during the pandemic. We have maintained focus on prioritising the health and safety of our people alongside continuing to serve our customers to the best of our abilities.

Through careful planning and management, we have been fortunate in being able to maintain uninterrupted manufacturing and day-to-day business operations, and our office based teams were equipped to work remotely from the beginning and remain available to support our customers and partners worldwide.

What are your plans for the next six to 12 months?
We are continuously looking at new markets and opportunities and are mainly focused on those niches or sub-segments that fit our vision of delivering ‘solutions for asset protection’. A particular focus for us in the next six to 12 months is developing environmentally friendly lubricants (VGP compliant) for marine applications such as wire ropes, open gears and bearings.

We will continue our significant capital expenditure projects to build upon the last few years where we have built a new Technical Centre and new office buildings. This new investment will focus on expanding our manufacturing facilities to provide significant benefits to both our staff and customers.