ABOUT RAPRA LIMITED

Rapra Limited was founded in 1919 as the Research Association of British Rubber Manufacturers (RABRM). The company was set up as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Operating from its base in Croydon, South London, it offered a range of Member-only technical and information services to its rubber-industry Membership base.

The company moved to Shawbury in Shropshire in 1954. In 1960, plastics were added to the company’s remit and it changed its name to the Rubber and Plastics Research Association (RAPRA for short). Until the late 1970s, the company continued to be funded by a combination of Membership subscriptions and direct government grant funding. In the following years, direct government grants diminished and eventually ceased, leading to the company’s income becoming entirely reliant on providing research, technology and information services to Members (on a preferential basis) and also now to non-Member companies.

In 1985, the company changed its name to Rapra Technology Ltd. and a board of directors was appointed (executive and non-executive) to oversee the activities of the company. The management team, with the support of the main board and the Members, exercised a Management Buyout (MBO) in 2002, acquiring the assets and liabilities of the company from Rapra Technology Ltd. As a result of the MBO, the membership element of Rapra Technology Ltd was re-named Rapra Limited and continued to be a not-for-profit organisation, offering Membership services via the “new” Rapra Technology MBO Company.

In 2006 the site at Shawbury, including all the facilities it provided, was taken over by The Smithers Group, an independent testing and consultancy organisation based in Akron Ohio.

Today, Rapra Limited continues to be a not-for-profit company, offering its Members preferential access to the services and products provided by Smithers Rapra and iSmithers in the UK and other Smithers Group companies in the USA and Europe.

Due to the twists and turns of this 90 year history, Rapra Limited has had to adapt and has evolved into a unique membership organisation.

Its strength continues to be its member companies and the ability it maintains to provide them with privileged access to world class independent technical and information services.

Meet the Rapra Limited team

In addition to the board of non-executive directors, Richard Walton is the full-time Membership Director. He oversees the whole organisation - including links with service providers, particularly the Smithers Group. In addition, he also develops other initiatives and benefits to extend Membership and support to members.

Steve Shaw is Rapra Limited’s Business Relationships Manager whose role is to assist Richard in delivering the highest quality benefits package members. He maintains the membership database and ensures that there is clear communication between members, service providers and partner organisations so that members needs are met.

Ivy Lue Is the China Project Manager working from the offices of the China Britain Business Council (CBBC) offices in Shanghai under their Launchpad Scheme. Initially her job is to conduct market research into the needs of Chinese companies and overseas organisations with a base in China. From this research, the membership plan for the region will be modified and adapted to ensure maximum benefit to businesses.

Laura Woods Is the North America Marketing Manager working from the offices of Smithers Scientific Services in Akron Ohio. She has responsibility for maintaining and developing our membership in the US and Canada. One of her main tasks will be to make a thorough initial assessment then monitor the needs of current and potential members in North America, looking for ways that the membership benefits package can be developed to increase its value and relevance.

For more information about how you can be involved with Rapra Limited, contact Rapra Membership .