Celebrating 49 Years at Robinson Brothers!

Mr Ranvir Virdi, Robinson Brothers' PAL (Polymer Additives Laboratory) Training Consultant, joined the company on 2nd July 1973. He was studying for his "O" levels in college and saw a job advertisement in a scientific journal. At that time, he recalls, the devices were not as advanced as they are today. Calculations were carried out using log tables or slide rules, not on calculators and computers as currently.

He explains that Robinson Brothers, at the time, used to put its young employees on day-release courses. Therefore, he obtained ONC at Warley College in Smethwick, followed by HNC, BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry and MSC in Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis at Wolverhampton Polytechnic.

Having earned enough knowledge and experience, he became a Chartered Chemist and a full member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Later also became a full member of the Plastics & Rubber Institute and a Chartered Engineer. Then progressed to a Chartered Scientist.

Mr Virdi has devoted most of his career at Robinson Brothers to the creation of new compounds and worked on products such as piperidine, thioglycolic acid, thio acid derivatives, and rubber accelerators. The development, research and constant improvement of products that functioned as rubber accelerators and were still N-nitrosamines safe made him a renowned scientist. He had the opportunity to present his work at various Rubber and Latex related International Conferences in various countries, including IRC and MARGMA in Malaysia, since the early 1980s. He is the lead and a co-author of at least 15 published scientific and technology related papers given by Robinson Brothers.  He has been an industrial supervisor for yearly placement students in PAL studying BSc or MSc in Chemistry, mainly from the University of Birmingham or the University of Aston since 2006. Mr Virdi has also been designated as an inventor with patents on Robac products.

In the early 2000s, he moved to the R&D department, where he held the position of Senior Chemist. In 2009, he was appointed as PAL’s manager, a role whose functions, among many others, included practical formulation development based on sustainable accelerators and technical service associated with the introduction of new materials and technology to the polymer and latex industries worldwide.

Finally, in July 2022, Ranvir Virdi started working as a PAL Training consultant. He currently trains the PAL staff and our agents on the chemistry and technology of rubber vulcanisation using the Robac range of products and their applications in rubber.

In 49 years working at Robinson Brothers, Mr Virdi has participated in several projects and the development and promotion of products such as Robac AS100, Arbestab Z, Robac SAA30, Robac SRM102PM60 and Robac TiNTD known for their quality and safety.

For those starting their careers as chemists, Ranvir leaves a message "Working in chemistry involves a lot of creativity and it helps to build various skills to progress a career in chemistry as a Chemist: Skills such as being curious, organised, paying attention to details, patient and determined, adaptable to acquire analytical, scientific and numerical skills, be research minded with good written and oral communication skills. I would say don't be afraid to ask questions or help as you are not alone in the area. It is important to listen to superiors and make notes to make your learning quicker. Get to know the branch of chemistry you enjoy and put all your efforts to excel in that area."

 

About Us
Robinson Brothers is a leading UK chemical manufacturer of fine chemicals and rubber accelerators. Our team of Chemists are experts in custom synthesis, contract manufacture and process optimisation. This experience has led us to become a reliable supplier to organisations; serving the Pharmaceutical, Agrochemical and Speciality Chemical industries as well as many others.

Robinson Brothers Group acquired Endeavour Speciality Chemicals in 2008.

Robinson Brothers Limited | West Midlands | B70 0AH UK
E: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)121 553 2451

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