Based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, OMS LubriTek has spent the past decade building a reputation as the UK’s leading specialist in industrial oil management for the plastics manufacturing sector. What started in 2016 as three colleagues with a van and a shared vision has grown into a nationally recognised service provider with over 130 active customers and a record-breaking turnover exceeding £1 million.
The Founding Story
OMS LubriTek was founded by Jamie Shaw, Stuart Bogg and Paul Howley — three former colleagues who had previously worked together at another oil management business. Between them, they brought decades of hands-on industry knowledge. Jamie alone has more than 25 years’ experience in the lubricants sector, having started his career in metalworking fluids before moving into automotive applications. Stuart, now UK Service Manager, brings over 30 years of expertise, while Paul heads up operations.
The trio saw a clear gap in the plastics industry for a more proactive, technically driven approach to hydraulic oil supply and management. In June 2016, they left the security of an established employer and struck out on their own — starting from a small rented office with shared warehouse space and a single van.
The early recognition came quickly. Just a year after launching, OMS LubriTek was named a finalist at the Plastics Industry Awards in 2017, signalling to the wider sector that this was a business with serious intent.
A Philosophy Built on Prevention
At the heart of everything OMS does is a straightforward but often overlooked principle: hydraulic oil should be managed as a critical machine asset, not treated as a throwaway consumable. The comparison Jamie draws is simple — nobody would run a high-performance engine on second-hand fuel, yet manufacturers routinely neglect the oil that keeps their moulding machines functioning at their best.
That mindset drives OMS’s entire service model. Rather than simply turning up for one-off oil changes, the company works closely with production and maintenance teams on an ongoing basis to prevent issues before they develop, reducing downtime, lowering energy consumption, and extending the working life of expensive machinery.
What OMS LubriTek Offers
The company provides a comprehensive range of oil management services tailored to the needs of injection moulders, blow moulders, and other plastics manufacturers. Their core offering includes hydraulic oil analysis using in-house sampling and diagnostic equipment, filtration and water removal to meet or exceed OEM cleanliness standards, full system flushes and oil changes carried out by trained technicians, and supply of their own premium lubricant ranges.
OMS’s flagship product is the GPII UltraLife hydraulic oil range — a premium semi-synthetic formulation with improved thermal stability and oxidation resistance compared to the mineral oils traditionally used in the sector. The company also supplies its own VRT UltraClean additive, developed specifically to prevent varnish build-up and valve sticking, two of the most common causes of hydraulic system issues in moulding machines.
Every oil analysis report is delivered with a clear traffic-light summary, making it straightforward for plant teams to understand the urgency of any recommended action, with more detailed diagnostics available when needed.
Purpose-Built Equipment and Nationwide Coverage
One of OMS’s key differentiators is its investment in custom-built filtration rigs, designed and developed in-house. These rigs allow for high flow rates and deep filtration, and are built for flexible deployment across customer sites anywhere in the UK. Practical touches set the team apart too — such as pre-warming oil during transit so machines spend as little time offline as possible.
The company has recently expanded its premises in Brighouse to include dedicated warehousing, a small laboratory, and office space designed to support continued growth. A fourth team member, Jordan Barker, joined in 2024 as an Oil Management Technician, and further recruitment is planned alongside investment in additional branded service vehicles.
Trusted Across the Supply Chain
OMS LubriTek works across the full plastics supply chain, from machinery OEMs to end-user manufacturers. For OEMs, the company provides clean first-fill services, oil supplied to specification, and system flushing — ensuring new machines arrive in optimal condition. For moulders, the focus is on reducing component wear, preventing breakdowns, and minimising unplanned downtime. Their oils meet or exceed leading OEM specifications, and the company has established strong working relationships with major machinery brands including ENGEL, Arburg, Billion and BOLE.
Proven Results
The results speak for themselves. In one notable example, OMS worked with a major UK manufacturer back in 2017, switching their machinery to GPII UltraLife EE oil. The outcome was an 8.5% reduction in energy usage across the machines — and that same oil is still performing well over eight years later, with no need for replacement thanks to proper sampling and ongoing maintenance.
With a typical injection moulding machine holding around 300 litres of hydraulic oil, regular monitoring is essential. OMS recommends quarterly analysis for machines running around the clock, and at least twice-yearly checks for those on single shifts.
Education at the Core
A recurring theme throughout OMS’s approach is education. The company invests significant time in helping manufacturers understand the financial and operational benefits of proper oil management — attending customer events, open days, and industry exhibitions to spread the message. As Jamie puts it, the results are proven and the figures are there to back them up — it’s simply a case of getting the message out to more manufacturers who could be benefiting.
Looking Ahead
OMS LubriTek is currently in the middle of a year-long celebration marking its tenth anniversary, which began in mid-2025 and will culminate at Interplas 2026 at the NEC, Birmingham. The company has plans for continued growth, including additional recruitment, a new branded service vehicle, and exploration of adjacent sectors such as metalworking, aluminium and copper processing — anywhere their oil management expertise can deliver value.
After a decade of steady, impressive growth from a £72,000 first-year turnover to the million-pound mark, OMS LubriTek has firmly established itself as the UK’s foremost authority on industrial oil management for the plastics sector — and shows no signs of slowing down.
