Note: Robinson Brothers existed as two different companies at different times but belonged to the same family. Its first existence was as a wrought iron tube manufacturer and then later one of the partners of that company formed a new one with his sons to produce gas and chemicals.
1828 Listed as Robinson Brothers of West Bromwich as 'Iron Masters and Manufacturers' [1]
1829 Bankruptcy. James Wickenden Robinson and Henry Martin Robinson, Walbrook Buildings, London and West Bromwich, Stafford, wrought iron tube manufacturers.'[2] [3]
1862 James Wickenden Robinson with his sons William Leckie Robinson and James Henry Robinson entered a lease for the supply of gas in Leamington.[4]
1864 Owners of the Leamington Priors Gas-Light and Coke Co. '...to legalize and confirm a certain lease of the 18th of November, 1862, of the undertaking of the Company, or part thereof, already granted by or on behalf of the Company, in favour of Messrs. James Wickenden Robinson, William Leckie Robinson, and James Henry Robinson...'[5]
1869 William Leckie Robinson with his brothers James Henry Robinson and Charles Robinson Robinson formed the company Robinson Brothers at Ryder's Green, West Bromwich, as a tar and ammonia distilling business. W. T. Bushell was manager.
1894 Became a limited company
1909 Opened an Insecticide Department later known as the Horticultural Department
1909 New Road Coating (‘TARVIA’)
1922 Formation of Research Department.
1927 - April. The method worked our in the research laboratories, and described by Mr D. W. Parkes to the Birmingham Section of the Society of Chemical Industry recently, for the removal of phenolic products from the effluent liquors from the distillation of gasworks ammonia seems, stats the Chemical Trade Journal, highly promising. It is noteworthy that this is an occasion when English chemical engineers have apparently succeeded where continental investigators have not met with great success.[6]
1929 Electrolytic reduction of pyridine to piperidine for ultra rubber accelerators.
1938 Carbon Disulphide (CS2) Handling Facilities for Dithiocarbamate and Thiuram production.
1939 Polymer Additives Laboratory and Technical Service Department established.
ROBAC Trade Mark Registered for Rubber Chemicals.
1946 World Beater cure system for vehicle weather-strip developed. Thioglycollic Acid for hair waves and Depilatories – RBL still key supplier of raw materials to cosmetic industry (e.g. Methyl Thioglycollate)
1947 Aliphatic Esters for lube oils and plasticisers
1950 High Pressure hydrogenation using nickel catalyst.
1968 Development of process to produce Cysteamine for antiulcer drug Tagamet ™
1984 Friedel Craft reactions using AlCl3
1990 BS 5750 Quality Management
1993 Commercial use of pure oxygen (O2) as a reactant
1994 Bulk handling of Bromine
1998 ISO 9001
Chairmen of Robinson Brothers
- 1894-1901 William Leckie Robinson
- 1901-1911 W. T. Bushell
- 1911-1931 Herbert W. Robinson
- 1931-1939 Charles Burt Robinson
- 1939-1959 Stanley John Robinson
- 1959-1968 Brendan Robinson
- 1968- Richard Burt Robinson
Number of Employees
- 1930 - 28
- 1945 - 92
- 1955 - 207
- 1960 - 250
- 1965 - 306
- 1969 - 364
The company has a web site
See Also
Sources of Information
- The Chemistry of Progress - Robinson Brothers. 1969