Birch
A North Lincolnshire-based specialist raw materials manufacturer says its strong foundations and ongoing innovation means it is set for growth in the coming years.
Birch Chemicals specialises in the manufacture of microfine calcium oxide desiccants and calcium hydroxide curing agents used mainly in the rubber, plastics and powder coatings industries.
The company, part of the Singleton Birch group, says that rapid growth has already seen turnover increase significantly from 2012 to 2018, thanks to new product development, export success and strong foundations in its historic lime business.
“Singleton Birch still operates from the North Lincolnshire site where company founder, William Singleton Birch, first leased land to set-up a quarry,”explained Steve Foster, Managing Director of Birch Chemicals.
“We operate from the same site, using lime from the Singleton Birch quarry which is then micronized and classified. We are the only company in this market who manufacture our own lime.”
This, says Foster, gives customers a high level of quality assurance, consistency, control and traceability, vital for Birch Chemicals products’ various applications, such as EPDM rubber products, used in sectors including automotive manufacture.
In order to continue to develop its products, Birch invested 600k last year in new laboratories to support the work of a specialist R&D team.
“This has attracted a lot of interest and in the spring, we welcomed representatives from leading worldwide sector supplier and one of Birch Chemicals’ distribution partners, Safic-Alcan, for a tour of these facilities,” Foster added.
“It was an opportunity for them to learn more about how we are continuing to innovate and grow.”
The business, which has strong export success worldwide through its distribution network, says this is thanks to a British-made product used in high-quality manufacturing processes in sectors where quality and consistency are part of the culture.