RS Group plc has announced the launch of RS Safety Solutions as a new brand within the RS Group. RS Safety Solutions brings together the existing RS personal protection equipment (PPE) capabilities with the operations of Needlers and Liscombe, both of which are based in the UK.

RS Group acquired Needlers and Liscombe in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Both businesses are leaders in their fields with Needlers largely serving the food processing industry with its PPE and hygiene products and Liscombe primarily operating in industrial sectors, where safety and personal protection is critical. This union offers a deep technical experience whilst combining over 300 years of expertise in this field.

The combination of the two businesses within RS Safety Solutions will enable the leveraging of their respective strengths to serve customers in industrial and food processing markets, and address their requirements for PPE and safety and hygiene equipment. The unification also bolsters the huge potential for each of the forerunner operations and strengthens RS’ position as a major player in the PPE market.

“Following on from changing our name from Electrocomponents to RS Group, this is the latest step on the journey to rebranding all the RS operations,” said Pete Malpas, president EMEA at RS. “By uniting these two growth businesses under RS Safety Solutions, we can now deliver a fantastic offering in PPE, safety and hygiene products in industrial and food processing markets, all backed by the RS Group.”

“The launch of RS Safety Solutions is a hugely exciting moment for us,” commented Mark Day, managing director at RS Safety Solutions. “Our existing customers will recognise that our combined operations are now clearly part of one extremely well-known brand, which will help to strengthen our product range and give us a truly global reach.”