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St Helens are few family companies that can boast a
history spanning three centuries – but Caldo Oils
is an exception. The company was founded in by renowned
Victorian engineer George Scott who enjoyed a reputation
for cutting edge technology in the building of bridge
beams and lamp standards.
In
1922 George’s descendants Walter and John established
the Caledonian Oil Company, blending lubricants for
the fledgling motor industry.
The young entrepreneurs bought a fleet of second hand
tankers and wholesale fuels, selling it on to garage
forecourts. Expansion into petrol retailing began after
the Second World War and Caldo Oils was born in 1951
after it was compelled to change its name by new legislation
preventing place names being registered as companies.
Now
Walter’s grandsons, Mike Scott and his brother
Tim, are continuing the family business that has prospered
and grown into a multi million pound business through
a process of diversification and acquisition. “We
have kept the lubricants side of the operation as our
core business,” explains managing director Mike
Scott.
As
well as blending lubricants, which involves a process
of blending base oils with chemical additives to suit
the requirements of the world’s car producers,
the company also sells at garage forecourts and in the
late 1990s it diversified into the printing and production
of plastic cards.
“We
invested in the technology that embossed, encoded and
wrote the strip for the plastic cards and we were flooded
with orders,” says Mike. Turnover doubled and
this line of business has been developed in parallel
with the lubricants business.
The
company has continued to develop and expand its premises
at Worsley Brow, Sutton, increasing capacity for the
blending of lubricants that are then distributed for
use in the fields of transport, agriculture and industry.
Mike
and Tim also began a process of acquisition –
buying Castle Lubricants in Rhuddlan in North Wales,
a lubricants company in Newton Abbott, Devon, and most
recently Contact Lubricants in Manchester, allowing
Caldo access to some of the biggest brand lubricants,
including BP Castrol.
“We
are still on the acquisition trail but it has to be
the right company that fits well with Caldo,”
explains Mike.
The
company employs 36 people at its St Helens plant and
Mike and Tim have been involved with several local initiatives
including Lancsafe, made up of a consortium of local
businesses working with the police and the Chamber to
help combat crime in the East Lancs Road area.
A
special hotline to an on-duty policeman was set up to
allow businesses to report crimes immediately, enabling
the police to act as quickly as possible.
“Last year, we lost £30,000 through cars
driving away from our petrol forecourts without paying,”
says Mike. “The culprits were mainly driving stolen
cars and this initiative has worked really well as the
police were able to respond as soon as a car drove away
without paying.”
Caldo
Oils has also been liaising with the Chamber and the
Royal Mail, following changes to the postal delivery
system in St Helens. They have also encouraged business
involvement in the Worsley Brow masterplan – aimed
at redeveloping the Sutton area, including plans for
a major housing development.
For
more information on Caldo Oils, telephone 01744 813535
or visit their website
Read success stories
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