A leading British cleaning products manufacturer which began by blending its goods by hand is getting ready to celebrate its 40 year anniversary. Arrow Cleaning and Hygiene Solutions will mark the occasion later this month with a celebration at its factory in Rawdon Road, Moira, Derbyshire.
Arrow, which is now part of Reabrook Ltd, was formed by Jim Farrow in nearby Swadlincote and in the early days its workers used broom handles to stir its cleaning products in rectangular tanks.
The company grew rapidly and soon ventured successfully into the overseas market thanks to products such as Lotoxane, a low emissions industrial degreaser originally developed for the Ministry of Defence for use on its submarines.
Arrow, which has customers in 45 countries worldwide, now employs 175 people and claims to be the UK’s largest manufacturer and distributor of cleaning, maintenance and hygiene products.
It manufactures millions of litres of aerosol and liquids, while its product range is large and includes industrial cleaners and degreasers, floorcare and hard surface cleaners and sanitisers.
Among its products are: the Arrow Chewing Gum Remover, which removes chewing gum from carpets and other soft furnishings by penetrating the gum and allowing the residue to be lifted from the surface; Safety Floor Cleaner, which has been specially formulated for hard-to-clean anti-slip flooring; and its Graf Attack range, a three-step solution which combats the scourge of graffiti.
Shaun Bowden, managing director, said: "We all feel extremely proud that Arrow has reached such a significant landmark and are delighted to be celebrating a real British manufacturing success story. Not only has the Arrow brand been around for 40 years, it is going from strength to strength with a huge product range meeting every need in the market place."
Arrow is now looking firmly to the future and is forever introducing new products to the UK, such as the HYSO automatic door handle cleaning system. A high-tech solution to an age-old problem - did you know that 70% of people fail to wash their hands after having used the toilet? - the HYSO door mounted unit automatically sprays the toilet door handle with a fine, fast-drying mist which kills on contact 99.9% of bacteria, including E-coli & MRSA.
"Introducing the HYSO system is typical of the approach we have taken at Arrow," said Bowden. "We have no doubt that we are in a competitive market and if Arrow is to enjoy another 40 years we have to continue to respond to developments and the ever-changing needs of our customers."