Research & Development

Whiteley prides itself on having a Research and Development team committed to world leading research and product development. 

Research & Development

Whiteley prides itself on having a Research and Development team committed to world leading research and product development. 

Innovation is in our DNA

At Whiteley, innovation is in our DNA. It is part of who we are, and what we have been doing since 1933. The company was formed in the context of supply chain disruption following the Great Depression. Many raw materials were scarce and expensive, so the company experimented with Australian Native Oils to deliver more effective cleaning quality in the hospitality sector.

Mr Reginald K Whiteley joined the business in the early 1970’s, and he supercharged the innovation approach. Every part of the business was subject to innovation, starting with chemistry, moving through the manufacturing processes, across the administration of the company and into the approach taken by the sales team.

Under the leadership of Reg Whiteley we introduced to Australia what were then ‘modern’ phenolic disinfectants, broad spectrum quaternary biocides, floor polish polymerisation, equipment innovations such as super-buffing, and carpet extraction equipment and consumables. As a prolific inventor Reg held many patents. His first patent saw collaboration with long-time associate and current director Mr Phillip J Morgan. His collaboration with the late Professor Yvonne Cossart took company collaboration from the commercial realm into the very serious end of tertiary & university collaboration research.

Research that is changing the world

Today that heritage puts Whiteley in a great position. Whiteley continues to innovate, collaborate and to invent. The Research & Development team has grown from Reg Whiteley plus one chemist into a talented team of ten under the guidance of Dr Greg Whiteley, who work together with an unquenchable thirst to innovate and drive science forward.

Whiteley invest more into research than any of the local or international competitors. The Whiteley team has a long list of patents, inventions and published internationally peer reviewed papers. Our research projects are changing the world, including issues such as Hepatitis Disinfectant testing, understanding the cleaning and reprocessing of endoscopes, driving advancements in wet and dry bacterial biofilms, and delivering products that meet the most vigorous testing requirements to resolve the challenges facing clinicians globally.

Collaboration and University Partnerships

We strive to deliver safer, cleaner healthcare and community environments through advanced cleaning and disinfection technologies. Our research collaborations have led to significant scientific steps forward and have extended the global understanding of issues around hygiene, infection prevention and infection control. Whiteley still lead the world in practical infection prevention and are always looking for new and better ways to reduce the incidence of healthcare associated infections.

For more than 30 years Whiteley has worked collaboratively with universities both locally, nationally and across the world to achieves these goals including;