Our History

Vickers Laboratories, PudseyThe new site offered an increase in manufacturing capacity and the building and processes easily complied with all current and anticipated Environmental legislation.

In 2001 Julian Driver took control of the business as Chief Executive Officer.

The business went through major restructuring over the following years and won several awards, the most coveted one being the IMechE business excellence award in 2005.

As the business grew, it developed from being a purely chemical manufacturing company into a chemical, packing and logistics company. The key skills being in the procurement of raw materials, their safe and efficient repacking or dissolution in water and subsequent storage and distribution. All these activities were underpinned by skilled staff with a detailed knowledge of the complex regulatory requirements of handling chemicals.

In 2010 Julian Driver sold the company to some members of the existing Management team who became the new owners. 

In 2014 a new warehouse was acquired on the same industrial site to help with the expansion of the business.

Meet the team

The team at Vickers Laboratories understands that every business is
different and that's why we offer total flexibility in our service to you.

Steve Foster

Managing Director

Steve joined the company in 1987 as a laboratory chemist and has since worked in New Projects (Products and Services), ran a fledgling Customer Service Team and finally took over Operations in 2002. He is an enthusiastic practitioner of Lean and extremely competent with Excel, which is an invaluable tool in a small but complex business like VLL.

Since, the MBO he has provided strategic direction to the business and assisted Paul in sales where technical input has been required.

Steve Foster - Managing Director

Paul Bottomley

Commercial Director

Paul started in the business, direct from school in 1983, packing chemicals. he moved into more administrative roles which proved a good grounding and allowed him to become the buyer after Julian Driver took over full ownership of the company. This role has become much more sophisticated over the years and is now truly that of a supply chain manager.

Since then, MBO Paul has relinquished the procurement role and devotes his efforts to outbound selling.

Paul Bottomley - Commercial Director

Phil Constantine

Operations Director

Phil started in 1981. After fulfilling various roles in operations he became Operations Manager and created a multi-skilled team that for much of the time are self determining, planning and executing their own work. Over the years he has become more of a man-manager and after the MBO he became Operations Director moulding a team that is reliable, able to think for themselves, work safely and uphold standards.

Phil Constantine - Operations Director