Duckworth & Kent was founded on the 30th January 1959 as a small engineering company in the town of Hitchin, England. Shortly afterwards the company moved to the neighbouring town of Baldock, where it has remained to the present day. During the 1960s Duckworth & Kent was primarily involved in high-precision contract engineering work for the UK Ministry of Defence. Introduction to Ophthalmic Surgery In 1968 a London-based Consultant Eye Surgeon approached the company regarding it’s assistance in the manufacture of surgical instruments for cataract operations. This new development within the company remained relatively small scale until 1972. Following a meeting with a metallurgist, the company was advised to consider titanium alloy as the raw material, as used in the aerospace industry. It wasn’t long before Duckworth & Kent saw the substantial advantages of this material and moved away from manufacturing surgical instruments in stainless steel. The new alloy proved to be very well suited to the requirements for surgical instruments, offering advantages such as no oxidation, relatively lightweight and yet extremely durable.