Company History

The Farécla story began in 1934. Back then our founder, Mr Rodney Alfred Hawkins, established Broadfields Garage, a small garage repair business in Winchmore Hill North London. The young company flourished and growth was steady until 1939 when the onset of World War II plunged Europe into conflict.

1944 saw the new company divided in two, with the engineering arm moving to new premises in Enfield, North London and the garage repair business continuing at the original site in Winchmore Hill, now with the addition of a small petrol forecourt.

The two businesses continued to flourish, with the engineering output starting to focus on the production of component parts for the rapidly expanding motor industry, leading to the creation of supply agreements with major industry players such as Ford, Austin and Morris. New premises were also acquired in Cockfosters, Barnet to distribute vehicles from the Standard Motor Company of Coventry.

Recognising a growing demand for motoring accessories, Rod Hawkins began exploring opportunities to manufacture and distribute these products under the newly created Imperial brand. The range would eventually expand to include; ‘Per Fit’ branded seat covers, roller type radiator blinds, adjustable spot and fog lamp brackets, adjustable rear window blinds, safety belts and security devices.

Georges Fevrier, an industrial chemist from Paris, approached Rod Hawkins with the intention of acquiring a partner in the distribution of a series of abrasive products based on chemical formulae he had developed. These early discussions led to Broadfields not only distributing, but also manufacturing the new products. With Fevrier providing the technical support and Hawkins the commercial expertise, the brand name Farécla was chosen as a combination of French words meaning ‘shining’ and ‘bright’. Our products have been living up to their name ever since.

The initial Farécla range was sold in the UK and comprised our original rubbing compounds - G1, G2 and G7, in addition to the then flagship Imperial Polish No. 2, a well respected liquid finishing product packaged in small glass bottles. In the same year, Farécla products were first sold into export markets with Finland, Netherlands and New Zealand leading the way.

At this stage the Farécla range still represented only a small part of the Broadfields business. However with the Imperial motor accessories range beginning to show signs of decline, greater focus was starting to be placed on this specialist area of vehicle repair. Attendance at exhibitions in both the UK and overseas helped the business gain exposure in international markets and broaden our reach by meeting with potential distributors.

The start of a new decade saw a major change in the structure of the Broadfields company with the Farécla brand division acquiring its own specialist premises in Ware, Hertfordshire. This in turn led to the official incorporation of Farécla Products Limited on the 24th November 1971.

With paint technology evolving during the late 1970s, Farécla recognised the need to update our product range to meet the needs of the new 2-pack systems. A period of development work ensued, culminating in the introduction of a new product, the famous G3 Paste. Partnered with the new G-Mop foam applicator, the product would go on to become our flagship product for many years, revolutionising the industry by providing the user with cut and finish in a single step.

With paint systems becoming progressively harder, Farécla introduced the revolutionary Advanced G3 Liquid. Our first liquid compound, the product brought bodyshops improved economy in use and reduced splatter.

A new parent company, Surface Solutions International Limited was formed to oversee group operations. Growth came in the form of new markets with the launch of new Marine Industrial and Consumer Car Care divisions, as well as expansion into the USA.

Our Profile Range launched in 2003, providing surface finishing solutions for a wide range of customers working with different materials and finishes - from OEM boat builders to instrument makers.

2015 marks a new era in paint refinishing with the launch of our new G3 Premium Compounding System. On average, the new G3 Premium System is 20% faster than the nearest competitor providing a step change improvement in speed and quality of finish on today’s most advanced modern paint systems.

In the summer of 2016, we installed solar panels on the roof of our manufacturing facility to help reduce our carbon footprint. The solar panels generate approximately 20% of our site's electricity needs, with the remainder of our electricity sourced from renewables via the national grid.

To support our activities in the Asia and Pacific regions, we opened our Farécla office and warehouse in the Songjiang district of Shanghai. 

Debuting at Automechanika Frankfurt, the G360 System was developed to remove the need for P3000 sanding discs, saving time and money. Since launching, G360 has been very well received and widely acknowledged as a 'game-changer' in the automotive refinish environment, as well as OEMs working with the next generation of UHS clear coats.

Saint-Gobain acquired Farécla Products to complete its surface finishing product range while at the same time bringing its technical expertise to engineer new solutions in the automotive as well as other polishing/finishing markets.

Farécla is pleased to announce that in North America it will become a member of Saint-Gobain’s Refinish Solutions Group (RSG), an alliance of industry leaders that leverage their core expertise to help collision repair centres optimise refinish processes in order to improve profitability.

VOC-Free Re-formulations:

• The formula of Profile Premium Liquid, now reborn as Profile 350, transitioned to become VOC-free
• G360 Finish has been reformulated, further committing to our VOC-free vision

Operational Excellence:

• Achieved Scope 2 certified zero electricity supply, significantly reducing our carbon footprint
• Demonstrated our commitment to a more sustainable production process by discontinuing the use of bleached cartons on our production lines

Learn more about our sustainability plans »