RiKA relocation is a £1m investment

A COMPANY which has been based in Oldham for 13 years has invested £1 million to relocate from Greengate to the new Broadway Business Park.

RiKA International, owned by NJC which has sites in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in Japan, has acquired a 5,000 sq ft two-storey building in Howarth Court.

Managing director Liam Killough and four other staff currently occupy the building. Chadderton is home to RiKA International’s European sales, marketing and research operations which also service North and South America, South Africa and Australasia.

RiKA International is a wholly owned subsidiary of New Japan Chemical Company Ltd, which manufactures performance chemicals in Osaka.

The highly innovative technology is predominantly in the area of clarifier for polypropylene.

Mr Killough (54), from Heywood, said: “We take a customer’s plastic, treat these pellets with our clarifier and the outcome is a clear product, which can also withstand extreme temperatures making our product ideal for food boxes in the freezer industry.”

The product has many other uses and RiKA employs two research chemists in Chadderton.

“Our owners travelled from Japan to attend a global trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, and then visited us and were delighted with our progress,” Mr Killough added.

He is confident impending changes to patents coupled with RiKA’s proven expertise will deliver growth from a turnover of £4 million to £20 million-plus within five years.