'Wonder material' first for paint maker

OLDHAM-based aerosol and chemicals firm James Briggs is to become the first company to commercialise the use of "wonder material" graphene in specialist paints.

Through a joint development agreement with Applied Graphene Materials plc, James Briggs will start incorporating graphene nanoplatelets into its existing paint formulations with a view to launching new high-performing primer paints next year.

It is expected that the introduction of graphene, which was first isolated in the North-West by the University of Manchester, will significantly improve the protective properties of the new paints.

Furthermore, the two businesses will collaborate on potential applications for lubrication products, given graphene's improved friction properties.

Graphene has an unequalled combination of electrical, mechanical and thermal properties, meaning it has great potential to replace existing materials in a wide range of applications.

It was first isolated in 2004 by Sir Andre Geim and Sir Konstantin Novoselov at Manchester University, for which they later received the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics. Applied Graphene Materials is based at Wilton Science Park near Middlesbrough.

It was founded by Professor Karl Coleman in 2010, based on technology that he initially developed at Durham University.

Capital

The company was admitted to the London Stock Exchange's AIM market in November 2013 and expanded its infrastructure to be able to exploit its technology globally. By late 2015, customer activity had built to such a level that the company raised further capital through a secondary stock market placing.

Tim Pugh, chief executive at James Briggs, said: "We are keen to become the first specialist chemicals and coatings company to take advantage of this exciting new technology. The detailed understanding that AGM brings in maximising the performance of graphene is impressive and we look forward to rapidly incorporating this into our own extensive range of high-performance products."

The news follows James Briggs' announcement of a record financial year for 2015/16, as it looks to build its presence in international markets. It was named Business of the Year at the 2015 Oldham Business Awards owing to its expansion.

The Oldham company is one of the largest manufacturers of aerosol and consumer chemicals in Europe. Founded in 1830, it designs and manufactures a wide range of products including paints, lubricants, cleaning fluids and polishes for automotive, industrial, hygiene and other sectors.

In the past few years it has invested in new facilities including a head office at Broadway Business Park, between its two other Chadderton and Royton sites. It has also increased its workforce from 155 to 200.