New Technical Centre Showcases Commitment To Quality And Innovation At GB Lubricants

State-of-the-art and purpose-built, the new GB Lubricants Technical Centre is a “significant and pivotal investment” that showcases the company’s commitment to quality and innovation, says Paul Booth, GB Lubricants Managing Director. Fully bespoke, the facility incorporates laboratory and office space which has been designed to ensure efficient, effective and cohesive operations. Equipped with cutting-edge apparatus and machinery, the hi-tech laboratory is used to analyse and test incoming and outgoing oils, lubricants and associated products; at GB Lubricants, quality assurance is key.

“The Technical Centre forms the cornerstone of our business,” explains Paul B. “With a growing global reputation for being a trusted manufacturer of sophisticated, complex and premium-quality oils and lubricants, the new facility and the resources it offers allow us to ensure our technical offering matches the requirements of our customers and our contract manufacturing partners as product specifications evolve. We are delighted to see it in action. It provides the foundation for success as GB Lubricants enters its next phase of growth.”

Bright, spacious and spotlessly clean, the Technical Centre’s temperature-controlled laboratory is an environment governed by exacting adherence to protocol and compliance. Creating a safe environment for the team that works within the building was paramount. For example, extraction systems, such as fume cupboards that provide a contained environment within which procedures involving hazardous vapours and gases can be carried out, eliminating the risk of harmful exposure. A hi-tech security system guarantees the protection of intellectual property and formulations.

“The main role of the laboratory is quality assurance,” says Technical Manager, Paul Crozier, who oversees its operation. “We test to critical industry and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) standards and in accordance with GB Lubricants’ own high-quality control system and specifications.” The rigorous process of quality control begins as soon as raw materials arrive on site in Gateshead, where GB Lubricants is based. “Simply put, lubricants are manufactured by mixing various chemical additives into base fluids,” explains Paul C. “The product formulations are perfectly balanced for the intended application, so any deviation could potentially cause problems.” Once a batch of lubricant is produced, further testing is carried out. Filling samples are then taken to confirm there has been no contamination during product transfer. “Nothing enters or leaves GB Lubricants without the laboratory’s approval,” assures Paul C. “This guarantees the end user receives a consistent, high-quality product.”

In addition to the launch of the Technical Centre, investment in new technology has delivered further advantages. The purchase of a new ICP-OES spectrometer, a replacement for an older model, which determines the levels of additive elements present in a lubricant, “has brought improved precision, accuracy and speed,” explains Paul C. Two automatic viscometers, that measure lubricant viscosity at various temperatures, reduce the need for unnecessary human intervention, therefore, productivity is increased. “They also require smaller sample volume and less solvent for cleaning in between tests, which minimises waste,” Paul C says.

A pioneer in the oil and lubricants industry for its focus on sustainability and minimising the company’s environmental impact, GB Lubricants is “particularly proud” of the sustainable nature of the new Technical Centre, emphasises Managing Director, Paul Booth. In 2024, the company achieved the EcoVadis platinum award for sustainability for the second year running, maintaining its place in the top one per cent of companies that are evaluated from the industry worldwide, and the Gateshead facility is quickly becoming recognised as one of the lowest carbon footprint sites for lubricant manufacture in the world thanks to its collaboration with the local council in harnessing various streams of greener energy which now provide 99% of all electricity and heat to the site. For ethical reasons as well as to reinforce business resilience, GB Lubricants aims to achieve net carbon-zero energy for manufacturing by 2030. By championing green targets, the company aspires to encourage other lubricant manufacturers to follow its lead.

Equipping GB Lubricants with a competitive edge to bring new grades to the market, the new Technical Centre has a vital role in research and development (R&D), as well as product development. “The most satisfying part of my job is seeing a new product launched,” says Technical Manager, Paul Crozier. “Investment in the technical function of the business allows us to keep on growing our range of premium lubricants and also allows GB Lubricants to work with a growing number of third-party clients for contract manufacturing, who require a trusted blending  partner to manufacture  their own products to high-quality standards  as well.”

Underpinned by almost 150 years of experience, GB Lubricants is one of the longest-standing, privately-owned manufacturers of premium-quality oils and lubricants in the UK. With such prestige comes expectation and a level of scrutiny, so to maintain a reputation for excellence, transparency is key. Providing a focal point to receive visitors and offer them first-hand behind-the-scenes insight, the Technical Centre is a powerful asset. “Customers need to have confidence in our products,” explains Paul C, “and as much as we can talk to them about the in-depth steps we take to ensure they receive a consistently high-quality product, it is now much easier to say, ‘come and have a look around our Technical Centre.’ We can actually show them what we do.”

Overseeing the day-to-day running of the laboratory, Beth Burnett, Laboratory Chemist, relishes the opportunity to welcome visitors into the Technical Centre. “It’s a great working environment and an important hub for educating people,” says Beth. The laboratory’s latest acquisition, a Herschel Emulsifier, enables Beth to demonstrate the kind of cutting-edge quality control testing that is carried out. An impressive benchtop instrument that measures the ability of a lubricating oil to separate from water by stirring a mixture of oil and water in a temperature-controlled bath, and then observing how quickly the water separates from the oil, it is, Beth says, “the most visual piece of equipment we have and a key test in identifying how a product will perform in the field.” Beth adds: “Visitors are always impressed by how neat, clean, bright and open the Technical Centre is, but it’s observing the laboratory in action that has the biggest impact.”

Investment at GB Lubricants also extends to upskilling the existing workforce and offering career development opportunities at all levels, while apprenticeship schemes offer the next generation of talent a way to train that equips them with the ability to react to current market needs because they are learning on the job. “It’s important to allow young apprentices to hone their skills in a controlled but fast-paced environment that has access to the most up-to-date equipment, methodology and best practices,” explains Beth, who acts as mentor to candidates on the GB Lubricants laboratory apprenticeship scheme. The UKLA Certificate of Lubricant Competence course is also a valuable resource. “I feel lucky to be working at GB Lubricants,” she says, “the company’s investment in different areas gives me the confidence that the business will remain an industry leader as it expands and develops. It’s exciting to be part of that process.”

Paul Booth concludes, “It’s vital that GB Lubricants can continue to offer the latest technology products as lubricant formulations get ever more sophisticated and complex to meet OEM requirements. A significant growth area for GB Lubricants in recent years has been the contract manufacturing of oils and lubricants for third-party clients. We have a growing global reputation for being a trusted manufacturing partner with continuous investments and our focus on low-carbon manufacturing. Our new Technical Centre plays a key role in this, and we are delighted to see it now in action. It allows us to cement the growth seen in recent years and is a foundation for the next phase of medium and long-term growth and investment projects we have identified to ensure GB Lubricants’ technical offering matches the requirements for our customers and manufacturing partners.”