Vickers’ starring role in film sector

CHEMICALS firm Vickers Laboratories, which provided fake chocolate for the 2004 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has been busy creating a range of visual effects fluids for the film industry.

Steve Foster, the Pudsey-based company’s managing director, confirmed that Vickers’ fluids would appear in a number of major films which will be released next year.

In 2010, Vickers was acquired in a management buyout, by a team which included Mr Foster.

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Yesterday, Mr Foster said that the company’s turnover had risen by eight per cent this year to £2.5m.

He added: “Trading has been good, although water companies are spending less, which affects the amount of work we do in relation to water testing.

“However, products we manufacture on behalf of Ensitech, an Australian company, which are used to clean welds, are taking off.

“It’s a product that cleans up the metal after welding in a safe and environmentally friendly way. The products and hardware are supplied by Engineering Utilities, which is another Leeds-based company.

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“It reduces the dangers to people operating the welding equipment.”

Mr Foster said 2012 was expected to be a challenging year.

A lot of the company’s supplies come from India, which is helping Vickers to maintain margins.

Vickers, which was founded in 1974, employs 22 staff.

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