Calx - Business of the fortnight

 
Calx

CalX provides calibration management and instrumentation sales solutions to clients across a wide range of industries in Ireland and abroad.

Question 1. Can you describe your business? CalX Instrumentation Services Ltd was formed in 2019 by the merger of two smaller calibration companies, Eurotech Calibration Services Ltd and Trefoil Controls Ltd. We are an instrumentation and calibration company, which means we work in a branch of engineering that deals with observation, measurement, and control. CalX works with some of the world’s biggest Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Dairy Processing, Food and Beverage and Manufacturing companies while also being Ireland’s largest provider of fuel verification services on behalf of the Legal Metrology Service (NSAI). The bulk of our business involves calibrating existing instruments that our clients use to measure or control variables such as flow, temperature, pressure, weight etc. Essentially, we make sure their instruments (e.g. temperature probes) are providing accurate readings within an acceptable margin of error. When a calibration is carried out we provide the client with a Calibration Certificate which is essential for meeting regulatory standards. Some of our largest clients include Glanbia, Lakeland, Alexion, Takeda, and EES Airtricity. We also supply new instruments as required. As an NSAI approved verifier we are Ireland’s largest fuel verification service and every day we verify petrol, diesel, kerosene and Adblue dispenser pumps in filling stations across Ireland to make sure consumers get the amount they’re paying for. At CalX, we are driven by our values of Respect, Excellence, Integrity and Innovation to meet and exceed our client’s expectations with products and services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Question 2. What are the advantages of being located in Meath? We are very close to the M3 and can access Dublin within a short time frame. There is a large population in the greater Dublin/ Leinster region which is important for recruitment. We are also in a good location to be able to access much of Ireland within 3 hours. We have customers nationwide and our location is a benefit. We are also member of Meath Chamber which is very active and supportive to us a business.
Question 3. How long have you been located/operating in Meath? CalX has been located in Kells Co. Meath since its foundation in 2019 through a merger between Eurotech Calibration Services and Trefoil Controls which were also both Meath based.
Question 4. Why do your customers choose to do business with you? CalX have a highly qualified and proactive engineering and quality team ensuring exceptional service and all our calibrations are traceable to national standards using ISO 17025 UKAS or INAB certified test equipment. Our engineering team is also backed up by our experienced admin, quality, and financial team with years of experience in their specific roles. Our aim is to reduce our client’s workload with automated calibration management notifications and a paperless system while continuing to meet ensure complete regulatory compliance and client confidence. Our business has three components: 1. Calibration Management and Service This involves the scheduled maintenance of instruments, which is managed using Compucal Calibration Management software. Our reference calibration equipment, procedures, quality systems and training ensure the needs of the client are met every time with minimal disruption to their operations. Access to the vitally important Calibration Certs is available to clients via their secure online Customer portal. Documentation and records are readily available when needed in one central location to support with audits. 2. Instrument Sales We provide tailored instrumentation solutions and test equipment to contract clients and industry at large. CalX has distribution agreements with leading instrument manufacturers into Ireland and offer high quality reliable products specific to client needs. 3. Verification We verify fuel dispensers at filling stations around Ireland on behalf of the Legal Metrology Service. We are the largest fuel verifier in Ireland covering 75-80% of all pumps. CalX is also the only verifier for dispensing the Adblue additive at filling stations which is a requirement for all new diesel cars. CalX director, Kevin Davis, was a consultant to the NSAI during the process of setting up the new procedure for this. The provision of labour through Calibration Management and Servicing accounts for 72% of our business, Instrument Sales account for 21% and Verification accounts for the remaining 7%. In all of the above, we offer industry leading response times, an on-call service, full audit support and a comprehensive consultancy service to achieve optimum efficiency and 100% compliance. We have regular client review meetings allowing for detailed and timely feedback which influenceshow we provide our services going forward. Our Team: We know that the success of our business goes hand in hand with the strength of our team of engineers, trainees and office staff. Since the creation of CalX our focus around our team has been two-fold. Firstly, retention of employees from the two previous companies was essential. When such big changes take place, we were concerned some people might feel they wanted to move on. We worked hard to ensure that every existing team member felt they had a role to play in the development of the new company and that we were always available to address concerns. As a result, we’re delighted that we have 100% retention of staff from Eurotech and Trefoil. Secondly, as we grow, we have an almost continuous need for new personnel across all areas of the business. Acquiring new talent is highly competitive in a niche industry such as ours. Achieving success in this area requires attracting qualified persons able to fill technical roles that exist today as well as investing in training to be able to deal with future growth. • To attract suitably qualified persons, we offer market-leading salaries with the potential for future development. • To attract trainees, we offer highly competitive rates of pay as well as a strong and supportive environment. Initially we relied on an Instrumentation Apprenticeship programme but now we also have placements who are currently studying for engineering qualifications with the Technical University Dublin.
Question 5. Why did you join County Meath Chamber? We joined the chamber as a networking tool to meet and support other businesses in our area. We have found the peer to peer support very beneficial to our business and have been supported very well by the chamber staff. The online webinars have been very worthwhile and are well organized and topical to what is going on at the time.
Question 6. Have you any future developments in the pipeline? We envisage substantial growth in the years ahead. Our aim is to make the name CalX synonymous with excellence, reliability, and quality in the field of Calibration and Instrumentation. Achieving this is reliant on three main areas. Staff Development:We could not have grown to where we are now without the amazing team of people, we have working at CalX. Continuing to understand and recognise that is hugely important for our future development. Business growth is dependent on having the employees to meet our clients' needs. This requires a high level of retention and filling new roles. So far, we have 100% retention of staff. This has been achieved through creating a supportive and happy working environment. Our team members know they can always approach management with any issue. We’re also very focused on providing opportunities for growth and development. This is not just focused on Instrumentation apprentices and students but also includes members of our engineering team who are currently enrolled in courses in Leadership and Management, Instrumentation & Automation, and Validation. Members of our office staff are also doing apprenticeships in Sales and Accounting while others are undergoing training in Lead Auditing and Customs Clearance. We’re also in the middle of a LEAN programme to assist with the continuous improvement delivery exceptional value to our clients. We recently implemented a recognition and awards programme for our employees where a client or manager can award points to a team member for their performance. These points can then be redeemed as gifts available online. New technician trainees are also important for future growth. As a less well-known branch of engineering, Instrumentation needs to be promoted more as a fruitful career opportunity for young people with different routes to qualification. The majority of our trainees are Instrument or Electrical Instrument Apprentices, but we currently have three trainees with us through college placements from Technical University Dublin (TUD Blanchardstown) and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and this is an area we’re keen to develop in the future. Having a diverse and welcoming workplace is important to us and achieving a gender balance across our workforce, but particularly in engineering roles is something we’re working hard to achieve. Recently one of our Instrumentation trainee female college placement students came second in her year and regularly receives outstanding feedback from our clients. To ensure students are properly equipped for the industry they’ll be entering, CalX director Willie McMahon is advising on course development at Carlow IT to assist with the development of more courses to further enhance the existing framework of courses in place. Growing Product Sales: Currently product sales account for 21% of our business. This is an area where we see huge potential for growth. At present we are recruiting for a full-time field salesperson to develop this side of our business while also negotiating exclusivity deals with suppliers in Ireland and abroad. As mentioned above, one staff member is also completing an apprenticeship in sales. As a number of suppliers are based in the UK, we’re currently sourcing alternative suppliers within the EU to pre-empt any issues caused by Brexit. Expanding In-house Services: We also have plans to create an in-house laboratory to calibrate equipment on-site rather than getting it done externally. This will mean we will be accredited to 17025 standard which is higher than our current accreditation.
Question 7. Do you have anything you would like us to promote on your behalf? Could you promote our recruitment & training in terms of Calx having a great, supportive culture in a company that is growing rapidly. There is immense potential for growth in our industry in the months and years ahead. This growth is dependent on having the right personnel. Assistance from Meath Chamber in promoting CalX as a great workplace for both people seeking to start their career in instrumentation, or other roles we advertise from time to time, through apprenticeships and college placements, as well as to qualified and experienced persons seeking new opportunities. We recently carried outan anonymous NPS Survey to our staff. We were delighted with the positive feedback that came from it. See some comments below: “Friendly and helpful coworkers and management, everyone is part of the team” “Excellent company to work for. They look after everything such as accommodation if staying away a night and dinner etc. All staff and directors are friendly and always approachable.” “The work is very interesting, and no two days are the same and I am constantly learning. I work with a great team and always treated with respect and kindness.” “Great atmosphere,, great opportunities for all staff, no problem ever too big, always very well looked after.”
Question 8. How do you add value to your customers wants and needs? We are in constant communication with our customers and are available to answer all queries in order to assist wherever we can. We have quarterly reviews on all our contract customer sites and that enables us to iron out any issues in a timely manner. We provide a paperless calibration management service which is efficient and kinder to our environment. The calibration cert which is the most important item for our customers is always available in our customer portal and easy to access. Results of a recent NPS displayed the following comments so we are confident that we are giving customers value for money: “Very efficient service from booking calibrations, work carried out on site and supply of certs” “Staff very friendly and easy to work with.New portal system for checking certs seemed slow at beginning but will probably get better and is very straight forward to use.” “CALX provide a completely professional service and have always provided me with competent engineers, they have a support structure behind them that's first class, CALX are a new and welcomed company into an extremely demanding industry, their presence as a 100% instrument/calibration company has become a one stop shop for all my needs as an E&I lead ENG, well done guys keep up the good work.” “Very reliable and very good standard of work.”
Question 9. Any advice for new businesses starting up? We would advise any start up to read up and research all supports, mentoring and grants that are available to you. Ask plenty of questions and make sure to network as much as possible as there are a wide variety of great companies in Meath willing to share their knowledge and expertise.
Question 10. How has Covid - 19 affected your business and what steps have you made to go forward? Our business was initially affected with a reduction in business of 28% for Q2 and we availed of the TWSS from Revenue Commissioners. In particular, the verification side of the business dropped as the NSAI inspectors were not allowed onto sites to audit them. Our business has recovered well in Q3 in terms of turnover, but our costs have increased significantly as a result. For example, we have had to hire temporary vehicles to ensure social distancing rules were adhered to and also an increase in PPE, home phone and broadband and extra cleaning costs along with the purchase of a new portacabin for extra work space and canteen. During the above we have not let any staff go and have instead redeployed members of our admin team into sales instead and have seen a steady increase in equipment sales as a result.

Calx

Calx

History

CalX Instrumentation Services Ltd was established in May 2019 and is the result of a merger between Eurotech Calibration Services Ltd and Trefoil Controls Ltd.

By merging both companies we have made a much bigger, stronger and more efficient organisation that specialises in both calibration and instrument sales. We have a proven track record as Eurotech Calibration Services Ltd and Trefoil Controls Ltd and combined, we have 18 years of calibration and instrument sales experience.

During this time, we have been providing our services and worked alongside some of the biggest Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Dairy Processing, Food and Beverage and Manufacturing companies in the world. We are also Ireland’s largest provider of Verification Services on behalf of the Legal Metrology Service (NSAI) to fuel retailers.

Our directors and colleagues are committed to providing our clients with 100% compliance. We are constantly striving to achieve and maintain excellence in all aspects of our business and our client base is a testament to the services we provide.

Dependability and affordability are key to any business in today’s markets. To this end we are very conscious of providing our clients with a top-class service that is affordable and viable.

Our directors and all the team look forward to continuing as CalX for both existing and new clients and we are very excited for what the future holds. We would like to thank our existing clients for your continued business, and we look forward to meeting new clients in the future.


What We Do

We provide total Calibration solutions and class ourselves as being a one stop shop providing a completely managed calibration service for our clients.

We provide our calibration services to many Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Food and Beverage, Manufacturing, Retail, and various other types of companies and organisations nationwide as well as many pharmacies and hospitals. We are 100% Irish owned.

CalX is also a single source supplier for quality Instrumentation Products products and a nationwide distributor for A Hock valves, positioners and all associated valve equipment. We are an Irish agent for PCI who are a bespoke manufacturer of speciality seals and gauges for pressure and temperature applications.

Business categories: Engineering Services
Contact name: Aoife Keaney
Address: Unit 34A Kells Business Park,, Kells, Co. Meath. Ireland A82 X4H5, A82X4H5, Ireland