Latest News
Vickers Starring Role in Film Sector
"Vickers Laboratories which provided fake chocolate for the 2004 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has been busy creating a new range of visual effects fluids for the film Industry." (Yorkshire Evening Post)In one film production we were required to develop and manufacture 23 Tonnes of a viscous white fluid that would resemble Ewes Milk & be safe for their leading actress to be immersed in. The same production company also approached Vickers to create a black liquid of the same viscosity of tree sap.
In another film production we were required to create safe special effects liquid with the look and viscosity of pea green vomit. We were surprised at the 1000L requirement of this product!!
"Steve Foster, the company’s Managing Director, confirmed that the Vickers fluids would appear in a number of major films this year." (Yorkshire Evening Post)
Vickers Laboratories and Melrob Link up to Offer Highest Purity NVP for Optical Sector
Vickers Laboratories and speciality chemicals distributor, Melrob, have linked up to provide a highly pure source of NVP (N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone) for the contact lens manufacturing sector.Vickers Laboratories, widely regarded as the leading manufacturer of NVP, has invested in an additional distillation line to increase production. A further line will be commissioned in January with two more planned for the coming year.
The link with Melrob, which has an extensive customer base in the optical sector across Europe, Asia and the U.S., will enable Vickers to capitalise on growing demand for NVP, which has been driven by the increasing use of silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
Vickers Laboratories has perfected the process to manufacture NVP at the highest-possible levels of purity and consistency and to ship it as a frozen monomer. The development is expected to make lens materials manufacturers reconsider in-house manufacturing of NVP, which can be difficult to manage in terms of purity levels and cost. The raw grade is unpredictable and can result in batch rejections due to discolouration or ‘flecking’.
Ian Melluish, Managing Director of Melrob, says: “The combination of our distribution skills and Vickers’ expertise in manufacturing this complex material provides an excellent opportunity for manufacturers to buy-in NVP, rather than purifying it in-house.”
Paul Bottomley, Sales Director of Vickers Laboratories Ltd, says: “Our reputation has been built on excellent quality and consistency of chemical manufacture. When it comes to medical applications, quality is paramount and users of our NVP can be confident of our fully computer-controlled manufacturing operation and full traceability.”
LEEDS MP LAUNCHES “TRULY WONDERFUL” PRODUCT FOR WELDING INDUSTRY
Australian product development company Ensitech has chosen Leeds for the European launch of a new pH neutral solution to clean stainless steel welds.The Member of Parliament for Pudsey, Mr Stuart Andrew, whose father was a welder, today (Friday) launched the TB-31ND Neutral Weld Cleaning Fluid for Stainless Steel.
Speaking in Leeds, Mr Stuart Andrew said: “In the last year I have really begun to realise the wealth of business and innovation we have in this area. Today has highlighted and emphasised that and we should be proud of it.”
“Anything that can be done to help business cut its costs will do a great deal to help productivity. Safety is very important and we’re also all conscious about the need to protect our environment. In all these respects this new product is truly wonderful.”
Ensitech has worked with two Leeds companies, Vickers Laboratories and Engineering Utilities, to manufacture and distribute the solution. Both companies are based in Mr Andrew’s constituency.
The fluid has been developed because the welding of stainless steel results in a discolouration, often called ‘heat tint’ or ‘blueing’, which must be removed where finished appearance is important. Traditionally, this has been done using a highly toxic acidic substance called ‘pickling paste’. Pickling paste requires high levels of personal protection equipment to be used but even then, it continues to cause injuries to workers, is extremely difficult to dispose of, and is hazardous to the environment.
The new Ensitech TB-31ND fluid (Patent Pending) has neutral pH7, and when used in conjunction with Ensitech’s TIG Brush® weld cleaning machine, enables heat tint to be removed with complete safety. Simultaneously, it completes the ‘passivation’ process that restores stainless steel’s corrosion-resistant properties after welding. Any residue is biodegradable and can be washed away with water.
The safety of the neutral fluid means it can be air freighted, offering great potential for the two Leeds businesses.
The Australian inventor of the TIG Brush®, Clive White, will be in Leeds for the launch. He says: “The development of a pH neutral fluid based on Ensitech’s unique chemistry to clean stainless steel welds represents a step change in the products available to the welding industry. We believe it spells an end to the use of pickling paste, a highly toxic and hazardous substance that has no place in modern industrial processes.”
NVP Manufacturing Expansion
Since 1990 Vickers Laboratories Ltd have been making and purifying monomers used in the manufacture of contact lenses. The most successful of these, currently, is N-Vinyl Pyrrolidone which is used in high water content extended wear lenses and in the latest silicon-hydrogel lenses.
We take commercially available material and through a complex series of highly documented processing stages purify the product. The purification of the material ensures that it is of a high standard for Medical Device companies to mix with other chemicals to manufacture contact lenses.
The final purification stage is by distillation, but to avoid the NVP polymerising we use specialist high vacuum Wiped Wall Evaporators to carry out this vital process. They work by introducing the “crude” product into the distillation unit at a steady rate whereupon it is wiped by rotating blades into a thin film which evaporates very rapidly. The vapours are condensed and collected to provide the final product.
We have 2 of these bespoke units running 12-16 hrs per day, 4-5 days per week mainly unattended as they are computer monitored and controlled. However demand has increased and within only 2 months of the MBO we found ourselves not only enlarging the manufacturing area (which already had dedicated environmental controls), but also upgrading the control systems. We now have state of the art PLC controllers capable of running 4 distillation units in a great new working environment.
The next stage is to add another entire distillation unit and we are currently working on final specifications of this with our supplier. We intend to install and commission this unit in January 2012.
For other monomers and sterile hydrating solutions we can offer please look at the contact lens manf page of the website. We are able to supply NVP worldwide as we have experience in shipping both to the USA and also to the Far East for existing customers.
Implementing GHS
What is GHS?The GHS is an acronym for The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. In the EU this is known as CLP (Classification, labelling & packaging of substances and mixture regulations).It will replace the Dangerous Substances and Dangerous Preparations Directive.
It is a comprehensive approach to defining health, physical and environmental hazards of chemicals. There will be classification processes that use available data on chemicals for comparison with the defined hazard criteria. This will include communicating hazard information, as well as protective measures, on labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
Why the change?
The aim is to create a uniformed system so that all countries across the globe have the same classification procedure for the transportation and supply of chemicals.
What are we changing?
Vickers customers will start to see the new GHS compliant product labels as we replace our existing label stock. This will also include an improved larger label for our 10L, 25L and 200L pack size range. The new labels will display new pictograms, hazard, precautionary statements and signal words. Our Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) will also reflect the changes in the regulations. GHS pictograms will also start to appear within the product details section on our website.
What will this mean to you?
As an end user handling chemicals you should be aware of these regulatory changes to ensure your safety. There could potentially be a number of products where the classification has now changed and therefore are now classified as hazardous.
If you’re an employer it is your responsibility to inform your employees to these changes too. Vickers will supply an information pack along with the first few consignments that display the new GHS compliant product labels.
For further information click on GHS image.
United Utilities
Vickers Laboratories Ltd secures 2 year contract extension with United Utilities.Vickers Laboratories is a manufacturer of on-line reagents for use in automatic analysers in the water and power industry. Vickers has recently secured a 2 year contract extension to supply United Utilities with reagents and buffers for their instrumentation.
Vickers Laboratories Ltd is the largest UK manufacture of reagents and buffers for water quality instrumentation and supplies many UK water companies.
Contact our customer service team for further information.
Installation of Virtual Infrastructure by Complete IT Systems Ltd
Complete IT Systems Ltd, have replaced the existing server infrastructure at Vickers Laboratories with HP Enterprise class server infrastructure running VMware ESXi.
This infrastructure allows Vickers Laboratories to have increased uptime, a reduced carbon footprint, reduced expenditure on Power, and a reduction in space required to house the servers.
The Infrastructure is designed in a resilient configuration, all data is replicated and backed up to an offsite location.
The investment Vickers Laboratories have made in this infrastructure shows the high value Vickers Laboratories have in regards to expansion and protection of their business.
Complete IT Systems Ltd are specialists in the design, installation and configuration of Virtual Infrastructure and are highly accredited in this and many other areas.
New Vickers Laboratories website created by WTS Technologies
Our new, recently unveiled website was professionally designed by Leeds-based web development specialists WTS Technologies.
While our previous website contained a large amount of content, it no longer reflected our current business, which had grown and evolved over time. The fact that our company has a new management team at the helm further necessitated the need for a strong, updated online presence.
With WTS Technologies having designed and streamlined the site, it now clearly highlights our areas of business, emphasising both our products and services. During the process, every step was skilfully managed by WTS to ensure a smooth transition. The result is a website we are very proud of – one that meets our unique needs.
M.B.O.
Three long-standing members of the company’s current management team “ Steve Foster, Operations Director; Phil Constantine, Operations Manager; and Paul Bottomley, Quality and Supply Chain Manager “ have acquired the business from the current majority shareholder, Julian Driver.
The new management team emphasise that it is business as usual but with some changes. All three participants in the MBO have been with the company for more than 20 years and have been a major part in a success story that has seen the winning of major industry awards and some high-profile projects, including creating the chocolate for the film Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.
Steve Foster, the new Managing Director, joined Vickers in 1987 as a Laboratory Chemist. He moved into Products and Services with the company and launched the Customer Service Team, before taking over Operations in 2002.
Paul Bottomley, Sales Director in the new team, joined Vickers direct from school in 1983 and progressed through Operations and Administration before becoming the company's Buyer and then Quality and Supply Chain Manager.
Phil Constantine, the new Operations Director, also joined the company from school, in 1981. Starting as a Process Operator, he developed his management role and became Operations Manager in 2007.
The vendor Julian Driver says: “It is very exciting and fulfilling on a personal level to see the team I have worked with and mentored over many years become the new owners of the business”
“It is a team of people with a tremendous track record, and the ability and skills to take the company forward to the next level”
Site design by WTS Technologies