When ESH closed in 2003 Darren and Vicki set up Phoenix Calibration & Services Ltd which became Phoenix Materials testing Ltd in 2017.
In 2010 they added another new business, Merlin Powder Characterisation Ltd, offering sub-contract testing of powders and pharmaceutical formulations for tabletting.
The couple sold Phoenix and Merlin to Rubery Owen Holdings Ltd in 2016, finishing full time work with the business in Oct 2018, followed by a period of something completely different…..
Winter 18-19, travelling around the Austrian alps in a motorhome snowboarding, with Vicki qualifying as a snowboarding instructor.
July 2019 signing a lease and setting up a brand-new live entertainment venue “Red by Night” at The Waterfront, Brierley Hill. The venue opened in Oct 2019, just in time for COVID.
In Dec 2020 Vicki and Darren decided to set up a small engineering company called Darvick Ltd, to support long standing customers with small jobs, where Phoenix did not have the capacity to take them on.
The combination of Red by Night and Darvick led to a unique opportunity in 2022 where Darvick designed, built and operated the hydraulics for the movable platform in the opening ceremony of The Commonwealth Games at The Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
Oct 2022, after Rubery Owen decided to sell and close down the various businesses in their portfolio, Darren and Vicki decided to buy the materials testing equipment and building and focus on what they are really good at.
In 2023 Darvick gained UKAS flexible scope accreditation (Lab 26942) and has specialised in developing materials testing technology and services ever since.
In 2024 Darren and Vicki expanded their business portfolio by buying back Merlin Powder Characterisation, with the addition of Elaine Stone as a Director. They also set up a brand new business called Zephyr Permeation Ltd, with Dr Francesco Fanicchia from Cranfield University, designing specialised equipment to measure gas permeation under various conditions.