Millers Oils
A company dedicated to keeping things moving
Stating his objectives in a most gentlemanly Victorian manner, John W Miller proclaimed in 1889: ‘The quality of my oil will be rigidly adhered to!’ Having established his business some two years earlier, Miller’s ambition was to be not necessarily the biggest producer of oil – but the best. Three generations and almost 130 years later, Millers Oils is keen to highlight this commitment to innovation and superior quality. ‘As a company, we were right in the thick of the industrial revolution, making lubricants for the textiles industry and for the railways,’ says a proud Technical Director, Martyn Mann, who has been with the company for two decades. ‘Modern vehicle technology is constantly evolving – more so than ever before – and so we spend every day moving with it.’
Evidence of that can be found on a tour of the Millers West Yorkshire research and manufacturing facility. Looking more like a typical Yorkshire bakery from the outside, when you step through the door it suddenly resembles a laboratory from a science fiction film, with boffins in white coats handling test tubes and inspecting the contents of numerous mysterious jars. With ever-more stringent emissions regulations, the need for research is unrelenting. ‘Engines are getting smaller nowadays and have to work harder. Turbos and stop-start technology puts additional strain on the engines and the lubricants’ says Mann.
The challenges of lubricating a modern engine go hand-in-hand with those facing classics, with ethanol causing Martyn the greatest concern. ‘Ethanol attacks almost every part of a machine and it supports moisture. That’s why we’re developing new ways to combat it.’ Products like Millers VSPE Power Plus offers ethanol protection, lead replacement, cleaning properties and an octane boost in one. If there’s any doubt about the health of your classic, Millers offers a health check. Away from the hubbub of production, we’re shown the lab where customers are able to have their lubricant analysed. ‘We can see if the car is on the verge of a costly breakdown by thoroughly checking for contamination in the engine’ says Mann. ‘It’s a blood test for your classic car.’