Is Liverpool’s oldest manufacturing business also our best kept secret?

Most of us will never have heard the name RS Clare before.

Yet this Liverpool born-and-bred, family-run company (one of the oldest in the UK) has been greasing the wheels of industry - and shaping all our lives - for centuries.

And make no mistake, RS Clare is as innovative and ingenious as it was when it was founded at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution 275 years ago, with sights set firmly on both global and national horizons.

Become familiar with this brand and, you too, are likely to want to join in with its celebrations: RS Clare is Liverpool’s oldest manufacturing business and specialist in lubricants, greases and road markings, so it’s left its mark on our roads, rail tracks - and even household products.

And its products also have their place in history for contributing to Britain’s war effort.

“Not many people have heard of RS Clare,” admits chairman, Ian Meadows. “We make grease for several major oil companies, but we are not known by the public. We are also a big supplier to the UK rail network but again, we’re unknown because they are not interested in what goes on the rail. I say to people, ‘Do you ever go on the railways?’ and they say ‘Yes' and I say ‘Do you ever go round a bend on the railways? Well, we lubricate {the tracks} to help reduce noise and keep the rail tracks safe for you.'

"On our 250th Anniversary, one of my ambitions was to say ‘Clare’s is an extraordinary outfit’. Not only are we now 275, but we have changed fundamentally many times. That's why we survive and we should tell people about it. And so we do.”

Sixth generation and current managing director, David Meadows, agrees: His eyes are firmly on the future direction of the company. Expanding global markets and eco-friendly