PROFILE
RS Clare
industries and is a truly global enterprise. Our Lubricants Division has built on the company’s long experience in grease making by serving niche markets for speciality products in the oil and gas, rail, steel, marine and automotive industries throughout the world. We operate a Surface Coatings Division that manufactures and applies anti-skid surfaces and road markings. We also continue to manufacture lubricants under our customer’s own brands as part of our Industrial Division,” David reveals. “Both domestic and international business is critical to our long-term success. Domestically we continue to perform strongly in the markets in which we participate, and we are seeing continued growth in our exports around the globe. We export to over 60 countries and the company now generates more than half of its turnover from overseas sales.” RS Clare was founded on innovation and has been able to thrive for more than 260 years because of its continued focus on radical, disruptive products for new industries and applications. “Innovation is in our DNA and all of our people are consciously looking for new ways to add value to our product portfolio. Many of our customers come to us as the first port of call for product development in lubrication and coatings. An innovation example is the invention of thermoplastic road markings in 1933 by our Chemist ‘Doc Myles’, which are today used around the world. Furthermore, our oil and gas lubricants are exclusively aimed at extending valve life and reducing costs, which is something that is especially important given today’s oil price,” David explains. “Today we maintain a technical team far in excess of what would be typical for our size and comprising not only top academics but also significant field experience to ensure that our developments are fully customer focused. One of our most exciting recent developments is a valve lubricant specifically designed for hydraulic fracking operations. We have incorporated radical technology never before seen in valve lubricants to take a significant step forward in protecting these heavily abused valves and keep out damaging sand. As always we are conducting extensive field trials and early indications are that it delivers significant cost benefits.” As a result of its continued product development and research and development operations, RS Clare has established a strong portfolio of industrial lubricating products.
34
ENERGY,oil&gas
energy-oil-gas.com
These range from its market leading ‘Valve Lubricant 601’ to its new ‘EcoCurve’ Rail lubricant range and beyond. “Our signature product is most definitely Valve Lubricant 601, which is primarily used in gate valves in the oil and gas industry around the world. We have seen huge growth in this product in the last decade, as energy producers see the long-term benefits and value in using a lubricant designed for exceptional performance in the widest range of operating conditions,” David details. “The product’s resistance to hydrocarbons and aggressive chemicals means that it stays in the valve cavity longer, meaning fewer unplanned maintenance intervals and increased component life. Our new range of ‘EcoCurve’ rail greases are biodegradable, reduce noise and wear on the tracks and enable one grease to be used all year round due its wide temperature range.” Over the coming years RS Clare will continually develop new solutions in its chosen market sectors, further adding value to the products that is supplies to its customers. “We focus on markets where we believe we have or can develop a position of technical leadership. In order to do this we invest in close working relationships, which are in effect ‘partnerships’ that ensure that we truly understand our customers’ and their requirements. Innovation is key and not an accident, it has been a long term objective that 25 per cent of our business returns each year should be derived from sales of recent product developments,” David concludes. “We are embarking on a new phase of international growth for several of our divisions with continued increase in exports and another Queen’s Award for Industry is in our sights. We have had considerable success in recent years by building great relationships, understanding customer’s issues and developing intricate specialist lubricants to solve those problems. That has been our strategy for the past few years and it continues to be today.”
Vapor-Tek Ltd Vapor-Tek Ltd specialises in the manufacture of high quality corrosion preventives, for the protection of metal parts, machinery and equipment during storage, transportation and export. It is an approved supplier to the Ministry of Defence DEF STAN 68-10 (PX-24, NATO Code C-634). In addition to solvent and oil-based coatings the company produces a range of vapour-phase (Volatile) corrosion preventives for the protection of internal areas. Vapor-Tek has developed a unique grease (Cablegard) for the protection of overhead power lines (conductors). The company’s philosophy is to provide products, which afford the highest possible level of protection and never to compromise on quality.
RS Clare & Co Ltd rsclare.com
Services Lubricant manufacturer