What Vickers Laboratories does

Vickers Laboratories Limited is a Pudsey, West Yorkshire-based specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1969 and now operating as a portfolio company of Calibre Scientific following its December 2024 acquisition. The company manufactures and supplies a diversified portfolio of chemicals across eight verticals: Laboratory & Industrial, Monitoring & Measuring (water and power industries), Food & Beverage, Education, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices, Contact Lenses, Anatomical Science, and Textiles. Its core proprietary product is Optomer® N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NVP) monomer, a globally supplied input for silicone hydrogel contact lens manufacturing, complemented by USP-grade salts and buffer solutions. Secondary core lines include Thiel soft-fixing embalming fluids (UK-leading, 30+ years of expertise), textile dyestuffs and optical brightening agents, online monitor reagents for water treatment, and bespoke formulation services.

The company operates three manufacturing facilities in the Leeds area — including a newly opened pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing suite in 2025 that doubled production capacity — and is certified to ISO 9001-2015, holds Responsible Care status with the Chemical Business Association, is EcoVadis Bronze-rated, and complies with UK/EU REACH and the Biocidal Products Regulation. The 2025 capacity expansion targets rising demand from pharmaceutical and medical device customers, complementing long-standing supply to global contact lens OEMs and framework agreements with utilities such as Anglian Water.

Vickers operates a sales-led go-to-market model with direct sales, account application onboarding, and quote-based bespoke pricing rather than published price lists. Distribution is supported by an e-commerce-enabled product catalog and multi-year framework contracts with enterprise customers. The Calibre Scientific parent group provides access to a global distribution network spanning 175+ countries, transforming the prior UK-centric operation into an international specialty chemicals node within a broader life science platform. The company does not publicly disclose revenue; headcount is reported as 11-50 employees.

Name

Vickers Laboratories

Legal name

Vickers Laboratories Limited

Website

https://viclabs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vickers Laboratories is a UK-based specialty chemical manufacturer producing NVP monomer (Optomer®) for contact lenses, embalming fluids, textile chemicals, and pharmaceutical-grade reagents across eight industry verticals, now operating as part of Calibre Scientific's global life science platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Textile, Leather & Paper Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN), Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)

Keywords

• Specialty chemical manufacturing
• Contact lens materials
• Anatomical embalming fluids
• Water treatment reagents
• Textile dyestuffs pigments

Headquarters

HQ city

Pudsey

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Chemical Manufacturing and Product Sales: Vickers generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of specialty chemicals across multiple sectors including laboratory & industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical chemicals, contact lens materials, anatomical science fluids, textile chemicals, and water treatment reagents. The company offers both standard products and bespoke formulations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vickers Laboratories manufactures and supplies specialty chemicals across eight sectors including laboratory and industrial, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, contact lens materials (Optomer® NVP monomer), anatomical science embalming fluids, textile dyestuffs and pigments, online monitor reagents for water and power industries, food and beverage, and education. The company also offers contract manufacturing, blending, packing, product development, and waste management services, with bespoke chemical formulation capabilities.

Product overview

Vickers Laboratories is a specialty chemical manufacturer offering a diverse portfolio of chemical products across multiple sectors including Laboratory & Industrial, Monitoring & Measuring, Food & Beverage, Education, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices, Contact Lenses, Anatomical Science, and Textiles. Their core products include Optomer® NVP monomer for contact lens manufacturing (especially silicone hydrogel lenses), embalming fluids including Thiel soft-fixing fluids for anatomical science (UK's leading manufacturer), textile chemicals (dyestuffs, pigments, optical brightening agents), and online monitor reagents for water and power industries. The company also provides contract manufacturing, blending, packing, and product development services alongside their product range.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Optomer: Primary product brand for contact lens materials, specifically N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NVP) based monomer used in contact lens manufacture.

Products and services

• Optomer® NVP Monomer Proprietary N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NVP) monomer supplied to global contact lens manufacturers, particularly for silicone hydrogel contact lens production.
• Laboratory & Industrial Chemicals High-quality specialty chemicals for laboratory and industrial applications, including large-scale production and bespoke chemical formulations.
• Online Monitor Reagents and Standards Production-scale specialist chemical reagents and standards for online monitoring in water and power industries, supplied under long-term framework agreements such as the 5-year Anglian Water agreement.
• Food & Beverage Chemicals Chemicals supporting food safety and quality compliance in food and beverage production, meeting food safety legislation requirements.
• Education Chemicals Practical science education chemicals supplied to schools, colleges, and educational institutions for laboratory teaching.
• Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Chemicals Production chemicals for the pharmaceutical and medical device sector manufactured under multi-skilled quality systems, with capacity supported by a new pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing suite opened in 2025.
• Embalming Fluids (including Thiel Soft-Fixing) High-performance embalming fluids for prevention of bacterial decomposition in anatomical science, including Thiel soft-fixing fluids that preserve natural tissue flexibility, colour retention, and realistic anatomical characteristics for teaching and surgical training. UK market-leading product with over 30 years of formulation experience.
• Textile Chemicals (dyestuffs, pigments, optical brightening agents) Textile dyestuffs, pigments, pre-treatment chemicals, and optical brightening agent chemicals for UK and international textile manufacturers, including distributed Archroma partner products.
• Chemical Manufacturing Services (contract manufacturing, blending, packing, product development) Contract manufacturing, blending, packing, product development, logistics, and waste management services delivered alongside the company's proprietary product portfolio.
• Bespoke Emulsion Mixing Service Custom emulsion mixing service developed with support and innovation funding from the PAPI Project, providing tailored emulsion formulations to customer specifications.
• Contact Lens Salts and Buffers Certified USP-grade salts including Sodium Chloride, Sodium Dihydrogen Orthophosphate, di-Sodium Hydrogen Orthophosphate, Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate, and Sodium Tetraborate for contact lens manufacturing and lens care formulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity doubled with new pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing suite opened in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anglian WatercoreOthers · 1 January 20155-year Framework Agreement to supply Anglian Water with Online Monitor Reagents and Standards for water quality monitoring applications.
• AquAidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AquAid to deliver clean drinking water to villages across Africa through the company's fundraising contributions.
• The Howarth FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive sponsorship and partnership with The Howarth Foundation who work with third sector street-based organisations to find employment opportunities. Vickers participates in their fundraising events including charity dinners, music extravaganzas, sponsored runs, and sporting events.
• Leeds UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Leeds University to develop an ink stain for G4S cash security boxes that renders bank notes unusable when triggered.
• ArchromaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership for Archroma products including Foron SP-WF Dyes, Nylosan dyes, and Sanitized T-99-19 antimicrobial, offering sustainable dyes and chemicals for textile applications.
• PAPI ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived support and innovation funding from PAPI Project to launch bespoke emulsion mixing service.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reagecon Diagnostics: Irish specialty chemicals manufacturer of analytical reagents, standards, and laboratory chemicals with a comparable multi-sector, mid-market scale profile serving laboratory, water, and life science customers.
• Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS): UK-based laboratory supplies distributor and manufacturer with overlapping chemical and consumable offerings to education, research, and industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Calibre Scientific: Parent company of Vickers and a diversified global provider of life science reagents, tools, and instruments; directly comparable as the acquirer and broader portfolio company.
• Fisher Scientific (Thermo Fisher): Global incumbent life science and laboratory chemical supplier with overlapping laboratory, analytical, and pharmaceutical chemical offerings across B2B channels.
• Sigma-Aldrich (Merck KGaA / MilliporeSigma): Broad incumbent in laboratory chemicals, reagents, and life science materials; serves much of Vickers' pharmaceutical and laboratory customer base on a global scale.
• Avantor: Specialty chemicals and materials supplier to biopharma, healthcare, and advanced technology customers; directly comparable product mix in pharmaceutical and laboratory production chemicals.
• Croda International: UK-headquartered specialty chemicals manufacturer with multi-sector exposure including personal care, pharma, and industrial; comparable in footprint and specialty chemical manufacturing heritage.
• Honeywell Research Chemicals: Broad incumbent in laboratory and specialty chemicals (including former Fluka and Riedel-de Haën brands); overlaps with Vickers' laboratory and industrial chemical offerings.
• Johnson Matthey: UK-headquartered specialty chemicals and advanced materials company with comparable mid-market specialty chemical manufacturing capabilities and global reach.

Emerging players

• Bio-Techne: Life science reagents and specialty chemicals provider with growing exposure to pharmaceutical and diagnostic manufacturing customers served by Vickers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vickers Laboratories