Integrity, focus, commitment and innovation
A leader in the design and manufacture of heating and control products…
Amember of the Bibby Scientific group, Electrothermal is a market leader in the design and manufacture of laboratory heating and control products. Incorporated since 1943, Electrothermal is based in Rochford, Essex, employs 50 people locally, and develops and manufactures a huge range of products on site.
Along with the other Bibby Scientific brands of Stuart, Techne and Jenway, Electrothermal provides a wealth of equipment for the global scientific community. Its diverse customers include: major pharmaceutical, industrial and chemical companies, alongside educational establishments and governments worldwide. Electrothermal is a market leader in heating, cooling and stirring equipment for universities, schools and industry. It manufactures all its products on the Rochford site, working mainly with local UK suppliers to provide a full spectrum of equipment: from world-leading electromantles to highly accurate and state-of-the-art reaction stations. In fact, many drug trials in the pharmaceutical industry rely on the STEM Integrity 10 Reaction Station to assure them of certain safety characteristics, guarding against rogue polymorphs that alter the physical properties of a drug.
As can be seen from its website, Electrothermal provides a wealth of laboratory equipment, and with sufficient business justification, it can make tailor-made products. While most of the business is off the shelf, Electrothermal also continues to make bespoke apparatus.
One of the more unusual products on offer is used by the military to ensure that our troops get a hot drink and meal whilst confined to the very cramped quarters of a tank, supply lorry or helicopter. The Water and Ration Heater heats water and meals ready to eat (MREs), whilst keeping a low thermal signature to protect against detection. This product is very popular with both the UK and US armed forces, so much so that the US forces have affectionately renamed it as the ‘Morale Booster’ – quite an accolade for any product.
Electrothermal is totally committed to continuous improvement; this applies to all areas of its business, whether new innovations, applications territories or collaborations. Despite being a mature business, Electrothermal is aiming for 30% growth this year and early indications show that this will be achieved.
Electrothermal will be present at all the major shows for its industry, such as Achema and Arablab, and will also be present at various international conferences, as it has an academic reference group of professors and doctors who are currently using its equipment. As General Manager Peter Day says: “It’s always good to hear of these professors’ work using our products – not only because it’s good for our business to have this level of product endorsement, but it’s also making a genuine scientific contribution to the world.”
He goes on to add: “Electrothermal operates a very customer focused approach to business. We recognise that satisfied customers tend to be loyal customers, so we work in a customer-centric way. Our open culture promotes immediate focus on any challenges to the business and we engage everyone by using clear visual tools to overcome barriers and reach our goals. All employees receive practical process improvement (PPI) training and are engaged in both major and minor projects. We also use daily quick bite meetings (SQDIP) in each department to ensure an agile response to challenges we face.
“Transparency is key in maintaining quality at Electrothermal, and we have a balanced scorecard approach to running the business, which is linked to simple visual metrics. I think our best measure that this works is given by our longstanding customers, not by internal measurement, and also the growing number of new customers that are now using our products and services.”
Quality is not just a concept at Electrothermal, and it reaps the benefits of this approach; it is a company that is reversing the current trend of imports into the UK, and it exports most of their goods – even to China and India. In the words of Day: “We do not have any tag lines or exhortations, but we do live and work by our values: integrity, focus,
David Overfield
Development Marketing Manager
Electrothermal Engineering Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1702 303350
Web: www.electrothermal.com