Manufacturer of specialist cleaning and maintenance products, Arrow Solutions is staying one step ahead of customer needs with its dedicated onsite research and development (R&D) laboratory. The facility will soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the world of cleaning and maintenance for rail, oil and gas, aerospace, defence, and general engineering.
Within the rail sector it’s crucial to address every cleaning challenge individually. Arrow Solutions’ Derbyshire R&D department allows the company to develop and reformulate products to remain at the forefront of an ever-changing sector.
Flexibility is a key feature for chemical companies specialising in the manufacture of cleaning and maintenance products. Due to evolving industry and environmental standards, existing products are constantly being improved and new solutions developed. For example, rail wash plants must abide by changeable consent to discharge rates, which affects the types of cleaning products that can be used.
Arrow Solutions’ R&D facility also opens the door for customers with special requests. Dependent on volume, the R&D lab can be utilised to create bespoke products for specific client needs.
“Because we supply to the engineering and aerospace sectors, two of the most progressive and innovative industries, we have to be as forward-thinking as possible,” explained James Lomas, national sales manager for Arrow Solutions. “New materials and manufacturing methods are being implemented all the time. Our R&D lab enables us to be proactive in developing new and existing products in anticipation. In aerospace for example we are seeing more and more composites and even additively manufactured parts, which have different cleaning and lubrication needs compared to more traditional materials.
“We aim to always be one step ahead of the industry. In the past this has led us to engineer a winter grade rail screenwash that works down to minus 20 degrees Celsius. This means that our UK customers will never be caught out when the weather changes for the worst.”