70 Years of Ley Rubber: Thank You for Being Part of Our Journey

This year marks a special milestone for us. Ley Rubber turns 70, and we wanted to take a moment to say thank you, to the customers, the team, and the families who have made this journey possible.

Where It All Began

Ley Rubber was established in 1956 by Ken Ley and his family, starting out as a rubber press shop. Over the decades, the business has grown far beyond that original press shop, through management buyouts, new sites, new capabilities and new generations of leadership, into the manufacturer we are today.

In 2001, our dad, Mark Wealleans, completed a management buyout of the business and shifted it from a press shop into extrusion manufacture. He led the company with real care and ambition, growing it steadily and building the foundations we still stand on. Dad sadly passed away in 2017, and Dean stepped into the role of Managing Director, continuing to lead and grow the business he was so proud of.

Along the way we acquired COH Baines in 2012, a business with its own legacy dating back to 1939, and in 2023 we brought all of our operations together under one roof in Knowsley, including the creation of our large warehouse. It was a huge moment for us, bringing everything and everyone together in one place.

A Family Business

Ley Rubber has always been a family business, and it still is today. Dean now runs the company, with all his siblings working alongside him, along with his aunt and uncle. It’s a business built on family values, and that shows in how we treat our customers, our suppliers and each other.

Thank You to Our Team

None of this would be possible without our people. We’re incredibly proud of the loyalty within our team. We recently celebrated an employee reaching 50 years with the company, an incredible achievement, and we have several others who have been with us for over 20 years. To every member of staff, past and present, thank you for the part you’ve played in building Ley Rubber into what it is today.

Thank You to Our Customers

To our long-standing customers who have supported us for decades, and to our newer customers who have placed their trust in us more recently, thank you. Your loyalty means everything to us, and it’s what has allowed us to keep investing, keep improving and keep growing. We don’t take that support for granted.

We’ve continued to invest in our machinery, our site and our people, because we want to keep delivering the quality and reliability you’ve come to expect from us. We’re proud to manufacture here in the UK, supporting industries from automotive and construction to marine, rail, defence and beyond.

Looking Ahead

Seventy years is a huge milestone, but we’re not slowing down. We’ll keep investing in our people, our capability and our site, so that we’re ready for whatever the next chapter brings. As Dean puts it: “This business has always been about people, our family, our team and our customers. Seventy years in, that hasn’t changed, and it’s what will keep us going for the next seventy.”

Thank you for being part of the Ley Rubber story. Here’s to the next chapter.