| P&G London Plant | |
|---|---|
Procter & Gamble Product Supply [1] | |
 Seen in June 2011 | |
  Location within Essex | |
| Former names | P&G West Thurrock |
| General information | |
| Type | Detergent factory |
| Architectural style | Factory |
| Location | St Clements Road, RM20 4AL |
| Coordinates | 51°28′21″N0°17′42″E / 51.4725°N 0.2950°E |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Current tenants | P&G |
| Construction started | 1937 |
| Completed | 1939 |
| Client | P&G |
The P&G London Plant is a large chemicals plant on the side of the Thames Estuary, in West Thurrock.
The factory started production in the late 1930s. [2]
At a Thurrock Urban District meeting on Tuesday 6 July 1937, plans for a new factory at Thurrock were approved. [3] In April 1938 the foundations were being built to 20 feet in depth. The site was 15 acres, with buildings up to 129 feet in height. [4]
P&G introduced Tide onto the UK market in 1950; Tide now has around 15% of the world market. Tide was introduced in 1950 to compete with Unilever's leading products. To compete, Unilever introduced Surf in 1952, followed by Omo in 1954.
In May 1963, the UK household detergent market was investigated by the government, reporting on 10 August 1966. It was found that 23% of the retail price, for both Unilever and P&G, was taken up by selling and promotion expenses, and the retailer's margin, for both, was 16%. Factory costs were 43%, of retail cost, for P&G, and slightly more for Unilever. The 1966 report found that Unilever and P&G had 96% of the UK market for laundry detergent powder products. [5]
The industry was investigated by the National Board for Prices and Incomes in 1965. [6]
36 year old Kevin Scott-Dean, of Southend-on-Sea, was decapitated on a washing powder process line. P&G UK was fined £18,000 by local magistrates on 28 February 1996 for breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The plant manager was Dexter Mueller. [7] [8] [9]
The site has its own fire service unit. [10]
The east-west London, Tilbury and Southend line, the Tilbury Loop Line, runs directly to the north of the site. There is a Co-op distribution centre nearby to the west, and a large National Grid substation to the south-west. [11]
It makes well-known laundry detergents.
Thurrock is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames immediately east of London and has over 18 miles (29 km) of riverfront including the Port of Tilbury, the principal port for London. Thurrock is within the London commuter belt and is an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The borough includes the northern ends of the Dartford Crossing.
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health care, personal care, and veterinary products.
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry. Tilbury is part of the Port of London with a major deep-water port which contributes to the local economy. Situated 24 miles (38.5 km) east of central London and 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Southend-on-Sea, it is the southernmost point in Essex.
Rinso is a brand name of laundry soap and detergent marketed by Unilever. The brand was created by Robert Spear Hudson and originally branded Hudson's Soap, which was sold to Lever Brothers of Port Sunlight, England, in 1908. It was introduced in the United States by Lever Brothers Company in 1918.
Surf is a British brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed around the world by Unilever, except in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, where it has been owned by Sun Products since 2008.
Tide is an American brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed by Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1946, it is the highest-selling detergent brand in the world, with an estimated 14.3 percent of the global market.
Purfleet-on-Thames is a town in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex, England.
West Thurrock is an area, former civil parish and traditional Church of England parish in Thurrock, Essex, England, located 18 miles (28.1 km) east south-east of Charing Cross, London.
Persil is a German brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed by Henkel around the world except in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Latin America, China, Australia and New Zealand, where it is manufactured and marketed by Unilever. Persil was introduced in 1907 by Henkel. It was the first commercially available laundry detergent that combined bleach with the detergent. The name was derived from two of its original ingredients, sodium perborate and sodium silicate.
Persil Power was a laundry detergent product developed and sold in the mid-1990s by Unilever.
Sunlight is a brand of laundry soap, laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent manufactured and marketed around the world by Unilever, except in the United States and Canada, where it has been owned by Sun Products since 2010.
Fairy is an international brand, primarily used for washing up liquid and dishwasher detergent, owned by the American multinational consumer products company, Procter & Gamble. The brand originated in the United Kingdom in 1898 and is now used on a number of P&G products in various markets.
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Henkel, is a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Founded in 1876, the DAX company is organized into two globally operating business units and is known for brands such as Loctite, Persil, Fa, Pritt, Dial and Purex.
Stanford-le-Hope is a town, former civil parish and Church of England parish in the unitary authority area of Thurrock, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Often known locally simply as Stanford, the town is located 24 miles (38.4 km) east of Charing Cross in London. In 2011 it had a population of 28,765.
The Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry was a passenger ferry across the River Thames east of London. It was the last public crossing point before the Thames reached the sea.
East Tilbury is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, Essex, England, and one of the traditional Church of England parishes in Thurrock. In 2011 the ward had a population of 6,363.
Shell Haven was a port on the north bank of the Thames Estuary at the eastern end of Thurrock, Essex, England and then an oil refinery. The refinery closed in 1999 and the site was purchased by DP World who received planning consent in May 2007 for the new London Gateway deep water container port at the site. The neighbouring Coryton Refinery remained in operation until 2012.
Laundry detergent pods are water-soluble pouches containing highly concentrated laundry detergent, softener and other laundry products. Notable brands of these packs include All, Arm & Hammer, Gain, Purex, Persil, Rinso and Tide. They first became popular in February 2012 when they were introduced by Procter & Gamble as Tide Pods.
Tide Pods are a line of laundry detergent pods from Procter & Gamble under the Tide brand.