1977
Derek Millard left ICI to set up a small chemical manufacturing business, ReAgent Chemical Services Limited (RCS), with his wife, Norma.
1979
RCS began trading, with ICI as their sole customer.
1984
The company grew steadily in the early eighties. Derek and Norma’s son-in-law, Steve Hudson, became a director in 1984, and their daughter, Barbara, became a director in 1985.
1989
Steve and Barbara took the company over from Derek and Norma, and ReAgent continued to grow.
1992
ReAgent was awarded its first quality accreditation, BS 5750, which was the precursor to ISO 9001. We hold the ISO 9001 accreditation to this day.
1997
Richard Hudson, Steve & Barbara’s son and ReAgent’s current CEO, started working at ReAgent on the factory floor during his school holidays.
2005
ReAgent rebranded from RCS to ReAgent.
2009
Richard Hudson became Managing Director. ReAgent has since averaged an annual growth rate of 24% a year.
2013
ReAgent launched chemicals.co.uk, offering a wide range of off-the-shelf chemicals to business customers.
2020
Steve and Barbara retired, and Rich became ReAgent’s CEO. Watch our video of Derek, Steve and Rich talking about how ReAgent has changed throughout the generations.
2024
We made significant developments to our factory, including installing a solar farm on the roof, increasing our chemical blending capacity, improving flammable handling, doubling storage capacity, and adding new office and engineering spaces.
2025
ReAgent won the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, recognising our exceptional global growth and commitment to excellence.
2026
ReAgent launched the ReAgent Foundation, a corporate charity working to protect the environment, promote STEM education, and improve the lives of those struggling with life-altering illnesses.
