Irish Enterprise Awards 2021

66 EU BUSINESS NEWS / 2021 Irish Enterprise Awards , Mass Calibration Laboratory of the Year - Island of Ireland Ireland has gained a reputation within the research and development industry as the place to be, and this has resulted in a number of specialist organisations starting up to support these various companies to achieve the remarkable. We take a look at Metrology Systems and Services Ltd to see how their precision in the calibration of test weights has been a boon to industries of all shapes and sizes across Ireland. Feb21118 Since the 1980s, Ireland has grown into a hub of p h a r m a c e u t i c a l research as well as product development and manufacturing. This growth has pushed the demand for Accredited Laboratories in an array of calibration and testing activities to provide a level of service commensurate with this level of product and process development and manufacturing. Established in 2002, Metrology Systems and Services was an answer to this demand from industry. For the last eighteen years, the small team at Metrology Systems and Services have been providing an invaluable service to organisations in industries such as Bio Pharma, Bulk Pharmaceuticals, Finished Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals, Medical Devices, Food Ingredients and Food Processing. All of these have bases in Ireland, making a local provider of calibrated test-weights an invaluable part of the process. Of course, none of these multi- national organisations could have utilised the calibration services offered by Metrology Systems and Services had they not been accredited to the highest international standards. In 2005, the team received its initial I.N.A.B. Accreditation, thereby ensuring its compliance with the mass calibration requirements of the F.D.A, H.P.R.A. and all the pertinent Quality Management Standards including ISO 9001 and ISO 17025. This commitment to quality provides a guarantee that the measurements performed and undertaken by the Metrology Systems and Services team are repeatable, reproducible and traceable. Currently, this firm is the only accredited laboratory in Ireland with ISO 17025:2017 Accreditation Status for the calibration of test weights encompassing the weight range, 1 milligram to 1,000 kilograms inclusive. In the field of mass calibration, no two clients have the same specific needs, and so an individual customer focussed approach is required and adopted. To ensure consistent quality of measurement, the firm’s technical director is charged with this role, identifying the specific requirements for each calibration, so that it can be agreed and delivered upon with the least possible fuss. The result is a client-centred calibration service thereby ensuring a solution which aligns with a company’s stated and inferred requirements. Metrology Systems & Services can boast a year on year customer retention level exceeding 98%. Such a high quality service reflects well on the very committed team who make up Metrology Systems and Services. The firm is small, with a staff of five, but they have a wealth of experience as they provide their mass calibration service in a peaceful and charming setting, nestled in a rural, agricultural community in the eastern section of Cork county. The company’s average staff retention rate exceeds thirteen years, a record made all the more impressive by the firm’s eighteen year lifespan. To ensure that new approaches are explored and the experiences of the laboratory are disseminated, each year a number of students are invited to join the company as part of their work experience. These students, drawn from local second level schools and third level institutions are treated as employees for the duration of their work experience and are welcomed as part of this successful team. With such a strong record of success, the future of the firm really reflects the triumphs of the past. The team will continue to appraise and develop its measurement capabilities, growing a client base to match the demand for the unique standard of service that they offer. This demand will no doubt see the need for an increase in personnel and facilities, but what is certain is that the needs of people, both within the business and clients from outside, will always come first. Company: Metrology Systems and Services Ltd., Technical Director: Donal O’Leary B.Sc. C.P.I.M. Email: [email protected] Web: www.metrologysystems.ie Metrology Systems & Services