Employment minister Leo Varadkar has officially opened Calibration Technology Limited’s (CTL) new 1,100 sq. metre premises at Shannonside Business Park in Birdhill, Co Tipperary.
The building increases the company’s operational footprint ten-fold. An expansion plan will see employee numbers increase to 30 from 20 currently within the next five years.
CTL provides accredited calibration services for laboratory dispensing equipment.
The venture was established in 2005 and in 2008 teamed up with Eppendorf as an authorised Service Centre for warranty repairs and calibration services on all Eppendorf dispensing equipment in Ireland.
In November 2016, Eppendorf acquired its Irish partner.
In Association with
Based in Hamburg, Eppendorf SE says it has played a leading role in the management of Covid-19 in Ireland since the onset of the pandemic.
Eppendorf pipettes, calibrated by CTL, are used by laboratories to test PCR samples. whilst its refrigerators are used by the HSE to store Covid vaccines at low temperatures.
Minister Varadkar commented: “My goal as Minister for Enterprise is to help indigenous Irish companies to grow stronger, more productive and more resilient. It’s significant that this opening is taking place on the same day as the launch of our Regional Enterprise Plan for the Mid-West, as CTL is a brilliant example of a small start-up which has come a long way since its origins at InnovationWorks in the National Technology Park in Limerick.
“The company’s workforce has been drawn largely from third-level colleges across the Mid-West, a clear indication of the talent pool within the region.”
CTL managing director Brian Kelly stated: ““Today is a proud day for me as founder of Calibration Technology Limited. To see a company that started out in 2005 calibrating only auto-pipettes now having a diverse product range and capability, and a customer base across many sectors, stems from an entrepreneurial drive to scale to a company of significance.
“The decision in 2016 to become part of the Eppendorf Group strengthened our quality reputation in the marketplace, whilst our combined synergies have also enabled Eppendorf to expand its presence in Ireland, especially for customers in regulated areas. The move to this new custom-designed building will enable us to escalate our expansion plans.”
Eppendorf was founded in in 1945 and has c.5,000 employees worldwide, subsidiaries in 28 countries and is represented in all other markets by distributors. Annual turnover is in excess of €1bn.
Eppendorf’s Bas Poirters added: “We are grateful to CTL, including all its dedicated employees, and Brian Kelly in person, for their great contribution in the past years and we are all looking forward to serving the Irish market even better with the customer in the centre of our activities.”
Photo: Leo Varadkar with Brian Kelly and sales director Georgina Hamilton-Logan. (Pic: Keith Wiseman)
