Complete Laboratory Solutions (CLS) has been awarded ‘Exemplar’ status by InterTradeIreland. The award recognises exceptionally high levels of innovation and collaboration between a company, their graduate and an academic as part of InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme.
Complete Laboratory Solutions is one of five SMEs recognised as Exemplars of Innovations. The Companies report sales of over £1.5M and savings of over £65,000 for the duration of FUSION projects.
CLS employs 130 people across its two facilities in Ros Muc and Tuam. CLS is a leading provider of sampling and analysis to the food, environmental, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. It was one of five SMEs awarded ‘Exemplar’ status by InterTradeIreland at an event held at Carton House, Maynooth. These small enterprises reported combined sales of over £1.5M for the duration of the FUSION project and have projected £5.75M in sales over the next three years. The companies also achieved savings of £65,000 during the FUSION projects and over the course of the next three years savings are projected at £466,000. The companies; Tyrone Fabrications, Copper Industries, Novegen and Aspira were nominated as companies that had successfully embraced innovation to drive their businesses forward with considerable results.
High caliber graduate
InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme, partners companies north and south with a third-level institution providing them with the specialist expertise of a high caliber graduate for a period of 12 -18 months who works directly in the organisation to deliver a new product or process improvement project. Through the Programme, CLS has benefitted from the services and support of Queen’s University Belfast and graduate, Maria Nevin. Through FUSION this collaboration has helped the company develop a new technological approach to the analysis and forensic interpretation of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in soils and water aimed at the environmental industry.
Caecilia Terloh, Director of Environmental Services at CLS explains:
“We found participation in the FUSION programme extremely rewarding and believe that while we are strong in clinical and analytic expertise, we wouldn’t be where we are today had it not been for the programme, as we didn’t have the in-house skills or knowledge to measure the method for value add aspects, such as risk assessment modelling and forensic interpretation elements by GCGC-FID. Due to the support from academia and the full-time graduate resource, this became possible.
“This innovation has made the company more profitable and has secured CLS’s standing as a leader in its field. Thanks to the project’s success, we hope to increase revenue streams and grow our market share across the board. We are also focusing specifically on growing this side of the business and launched the service at the end of summer 2016.’’
Speaking at the event Margaret Hearty, Director of Programmes and Services for InterTradeIreland said:
“These ambitious SMEs are a testament to what can be achieved through enterprise and innovation and North-South collaboration. It is important that we recognise their success which we hope in turn will encourage other SMEs to participate in the FUSION Programme, to improve their productivity, increase their revenue potential and to create real jobs for graduates. I am delighted to congratulate CLS on their achievements and I wish them every success in the future.”