Makevale has been awarded the highly coveted Queen’s Award for Innovation, one of the most prestigious business awards in the United Kingdom. The award has been given for Makevale’s development of special acrylic polymers which are used in the repair of bones, among other uses.
Makevale has a long tradition of working with various teams from academia and industry to create new polymer materials and speciality monomer systems that help solve truly difficult real-life problems. The company’s special acrylic powders are used to repair bones in orthopaedic surgery, and the same materials have quite different but equally useful applications in the manufacture of cosmetic nails and dentistry, and in floor coatings.
Makevale’s current phase of research will lead to new 3D printing resins, novel cosmetic technologies, tougher polymers that can operate at extreme temperatures, greener processing chemistry and new composite materials to replace knee cartilage. These developments should enable manufacturers to make replacement hip and knee joints that will last for more years than is possible now, which will be critical as the population ages and people live for more years after receiving life-changing hip and knee surgery.
Makevale’s beginnings as a family business are still deeply seeded within the company’s fabric. The founders instilled a hard-working mentality supported by enthusiasm, no-nonsense courage and inventiveness. Today, Makevale is a strong global organic chemistry manufacturer, with a mission to touch the lives of everyone.
Dr Samit Ahir, pictured, scientist and CEO of Makevale, said: “The last year has been an extraordinary period for us. As the Covid situation was developing and possible lockdowns were being considered in early March 2020, all our teams in Hertfordshire, Blackpool and Asia were becoming understandably nervous: we spoke with everyone to reassure them that work would carry on and we would support them through Covid in every way we could. It is hugely rewarding for us to win the Queens Award at this time. It honours Dr Val’s (my father’s) legacy and acknowledges the incredible ongoing innovation of the global Makevale team. Dr Val’s constant push to try something new continues to fervently inform our values today. It is a huge win for Makevale and it also creates new opportunities for our business partners to grow their business. Winning back in 2010 and now again in 2021 demonstrates our sustained commitment to research and development. The Queens Award gives us even more inspiration, confidence and strength as we head into our next phase of growth at Makevale. It’s wonderfully exciting!”
