Superfine Manufacturing

What Superfine Manufacturing does

Superfine Manufacturing Ltd is a UK-based contract chemical manufacturer founded in 1963 in Forfar, Scotland, specialising in the design, formulation, manufacture, and packaging of liquid products. The company operates from a single headquarters and manufacturing facility at Orchardbank Industrial Estate, running in-house blending, mixing, and automated filling lines under BS EN ISO 9001 quality management, with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 added in 2025. Output spans cleaning solutions, biocidal products, and specialty chemical formulations.

The company's commercial model is B2B contract manufacturing with three service layers: full-service contract manufacturing (Superfine handles formulation, production, packaging, and QA), toll manufacturing (clients supply formulations and materials), and white-label / private-label manufacturing (clients brand Superfine-produced formulations, with white-label minimums of 200 bottles and bespoke private-label minimums of 600 litres). Customer segments include the UK rail industry (under RISQS accreditation), automotive and transportation, janitorial and biocidal, agricultural and horticultural, professional dog grooming, and small businesses seeking their own branded product ranges. Distribution is direct and UK-domestic, with container sizes from 5 litres to 1,000-litre IBCs.

Since October 2024, Superfine has been a subsidiary of the Milbank Group, a family-owned investment company, and collaborates with sister group company Orion Future Technology on silicon-based agricultural biostimulants. Leadership transitioned in March 2025 when Julie Milne, a 36-year company veteran, became Managing Director following Nigel Archer's retirement.

Name

Superfine Manufacturing

Legal name

Superfine Manufacturing Ltd

Website

https://superfine.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Superfine Manufacturing is a UK-based, family-owned contract chemical manufacturer (founded 1963, Forfar, Scotland) that designs, formulates, blends, and packs liquid cleaning, biocidal, and specialty chemical products under contract, toll, white-label, and private-label models for rail, automotive, janitorial, agricultural, and pet-grooming clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Forfar

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Chemical Manufacturing Services: Full-service contract manufacturing where Superfine handles formulation development, production, packaging, and quality assurance for client products. Revenue is generated through production fees based on order volume and complexity.
2. Toll Manufacturing Services: Clients supply their own formulations, raw materials, or packaging components while Superfine handles production. Revenue is earned through toll processing fees.
3. White Label Manufacturing: Manufacturing of proven formulations under client's own brand. Minimum orders of 200 bottles. Revenue generated through per-unit pricing.
4. Private Label Manufacturing: Fully bespoke formulations developed exclusively for clients. Starting from 600 litres per product. Revenue generated through development fees and production costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Superfine Manufacturing is a UK contract chemical manufacturer that designs, formulates, blends, fills, and packages liquid products on behalf of business customers. Offerings include bespoke custom formulation, toll manufacturing (where clients supply their own formulations and raw materials), and white label/private label production from 200-bottle minimum runs up to 1,000-litre IBC volumes, serving rail, automotive, janitorial, agricultural, and dog grooming sectors.

Product overview

Superfine Manufacturing is a UK-based contract chemical manufacturer established in 1963, specialising in the design, formulation, manufacture, and packaging of liquid products. The company operates as a single unified offering focused on contract chemical manufacturing services rather than a platform architecture. The core products include Railway Cleaning Products, Automotive & Transportation Cleaning Products, Janitorial & Biocidal Products, Agricultural Chemical Products, and Dog Grooming Chemical Solutions. These products are offered through two main service models: bespoke contract chemical manufacturing (with in-house formulation development, scalable production, blending, filling, and packaging) and toll manufacturing (where clients supply formulations/materials). The company also operates a sub-brand, Superfine Dog Grooming Products, for pet care formulations. Products can be supplied under the Superfine brand or privately labelled for customers. The portfolio spans cleaning products, disinfectants, biocidal solutions, and specialised formulations across rail, automotive, janitorial, agricultural, and pet grooming sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Superfine Dog Grooming Products: Premium pet care formulations for professional groomers, retailers, and brands, specialising in shampoos, conditioners, coat treatments, and hygiene products.

Products and services

• Contract Chemical Manufacturing Services Full-service contract manufacturing where Superfine handles bespoke formulation development, production, blending, filling, packaging, and quality assurance under BS EN ISO 9001 for clients across rail, automotive, janitorial, agricultural and pet care sectors.
• Toll Manufacturing Solutions Manufacturing service in which clients supply their own formulations, raw materials, or packaging components while Superfine handles production, blending, filling, packaging, and delivery of the finished liquid chemical product.
• Private Label Manufacturing Bespoke formulation, custom branding and packaging service that lets businesses launch products under their own brand, with fully bespoke formulations developed exclusively for clients starting from 600 litres per product.
• White Label Manufacturing Manufacturing service offering proven, in-house formulations under the client's own brand with a 200-bottle minimum order, where customers supply their logo and label artwork.
• Railway Cleaning Products Specialised cleaning solutions for the UK rail industry including windscreen washer liquids, train wash chemicals, interior cleaners, graffiti removers, metal particle removers, toilet tank disinfectants, and degreasers for trains, trams, and railway equipment.
• Automotive & Transportation Cleaning Products High-performance cleaning solutions for the automotive and transportation sectors including alloy wheel cleaners, bug removers, paint sealants, glass cleaners, traffic film removers, degreasers, and fleet screen wash products.
• Janitorial & Biocidal Products Professional cleaning and disinfection products for commercial, industrial, and public environments, including surface disinfectants, hand sanitisers, washroom products, industrial degreasers, and odour control solutions.
• Agricultural Chemical Products Chemical solutions for agriculture and horticulture including biosecurity disinfectants, foot dips, animal housing cleaners, milk parlour cleaners, crop protection products, silicon-based biostimulants, and farm equipment cleaners.
• Dog Grooming Chemical Solutions Professional dog grooming formulations including shampoos, conditioners, coat treatments, detangling sprays, deodorising treatments, paw balms, ear cleansers, and eye cleansers for professional groomers, retailers, and pet care brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60 years of industry expertise and operation since 1963
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Orion Future TechnologystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of the Milbank Group, Superfine Manufacturing collaborates closely with fellow group company Orion Future Technology to produce and distribute innovative silicon-based biostimulants for the agricultural sector. Orion leads on research, development, and commercial distribution while Superfine supports manufacturing to ensure high-quality, consistent supply.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• McBride plc: UK-listed private-label household cleaning and personal care products manufacturer operating a contract manufacturing model serving retail and B2B brands across Europe. The most direct functional comparison to Superfine's white-label/private-label liquid manufacturing offering, though at significantly larger scale.
• Sterling Pharma Solutions: UK-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) operating from a single UK site with custom synthesis and formulation services. Comparable in the contract manufacturing services model, though focused on pharma rather than cleaning/biocidal chemicals.
• Robinson Brothers: UK specialty chemicals manufacturer established in the 19th century, producing intermediates and specialty chemicals including for cleaning and personal care applications. Comparable in UK footprint, multi-generation ownership, and contract/toll manufacturing capabilities.
• Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd: UK-based independent chemical manufacturer offering custom synthesis, contract manufacturing, and toll processing of specialty chemicals. Comparable in scale, family-owned heritage, and bespoke formulation/customer-driven business model.
• Selden Research: UK-based contract manufacturer of cleaning, hygiene, and maintenance chemicals offering private label manufacturing to distributors and brands. Directly comparable in business model (B2B contract cleaning chemicals, private label) and UK-centric geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Croda International plc: UK-listed global specialty chemicals giant serving personal care, cleaning, and industrial markets with a much broader portfolio and global scale. Comparable in UK heritage and specialty chemical end markets, but not in business model focus on private label/contract manufacturing for SME customers.
• Stepan Company: US-listed specialty and contract chemicals manufacturer producing surfactants and cleaning intermediates for personal care, cleaning, and agricultural applications. Comparable in contract manufacturing capabilities and end markets, but with North American manufacturing footprint and far larger scale.
• Innospec Inc: US-listed specialty chemicals company with performance chemicals, fuel additives, and oilfield services divisions including cleaning/surfactant formulations. Comparable in specialty chemical manufacturing and cleaning/biocidal end markets, with much larger scale and broader geographic diversification.
• PZ Cussons plc: UK-listed consumer products company with personal care and household cleaning brands that also manufactures and supplies liquid cleaning products. Comparable in cleaning/biocidal product categories and UK base, but operates as a brand owner rather than contract manufacturer.

Regional players

• Fareva: French-headquartered global contract manufacturer of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and household/industrial chemicals with extensive private-label offerings. Comparable in contract manufacturing services model across cleaning and personal care, but primarily Continental European footprint rather than direct UK overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/superfine

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Superfine Manufacturing