Malvern Instruments


Malvern Instruments is a Spectris plc company. Founded in the late 1960s, the company is a manufacturer and supplier of laboratory analytical instruments,
was influential in the development of the Malvern Correlator,
and remains notable for its work in the advancement of particle sizing technology. The company produces technology for materials analysis; principally instruments designed to measure the size, shape and charge of particles. Additional areas of development now include equipment for rheology measurements,
chemical imaging
and chromatography.

Business model

Malvern Instruments began with a focus on particle sizing. As it grew, this focus changed toward developing a "broad portfolio of analytical solutions". In 2014, the company's CTO expressed the company's focus as "We want to solve analytical bottlenecks".
In order to maintain agility and currency in product development, the company built an isolated internal division, the Bioscience Development Initiative based in Columbia, Maryland, which has an entrepreneurial character and freedom from corporate management constraints; the unit aims to rapidly develop technologies in partnership with scientists and engineers from the pharmaceutical and other industries and academia. This unit focuses on the biopharmaceutical sector, specifically formulation of drug products.

Operations

As part of the materials analysis sector, Malvern Instruments derives most of its revenue through sales of a range of particle and material characterisation instruments. These systems have applications across many industries including: pharmaceuticals, life sciences, metallurgy, mining, semiconductors, polymer science, protein science and food production.

Corporate governance

The company's managing director is Paul Walker. , the chief technology officer was E. Neil Lewis.

Products

In 1977, Malvern Instruments was recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering, jointly with the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, for developing the Malvern Correlator.
More recently, the 2010 list of winners of the annual Queen's Awards for Enterprise includes Malvern Instruments, in celebration of an instrument that measures particles in fluids.
2010: Queen's Award for Innovation
2006: Queen's Award for International Trade
1988: Queen's Award for Export & Technology
1981: Queen's Award for Export Achievement
1977: Queen's Award for Technological Achievement
1977: MacRobert Award for Outstanding Technical Innovation