Electronic Test and Calibration Ltd
Testing the market
Operating as a trusted and fully UKAS accredited EMC Testing and Calibration business, Electronic Test and Calibration Limited is on hand to service clients across England and Wales, as well as internationally
Electronic Test and Calibration Limited (ETC) was established in 1992 as a small firm offering electronic Calibration services to local companies, before further moving into the field of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) Testing. ETC has enjoyed great success throughout its history, growing to move into is current headquarters in 1999 and subsequently enabling the business to incorporate its own EMC Testing laboratory. This diversification also allowed ETC to expand on its existing direct current low frequency (DCLF) Testing operations and move into the arena of more complex technical RF Calibration.
A further milestone for the business occurred in 2005, when ETC took full control of EMC Network (SW) – a venture that had previously been jointly established as a co-operatively managed business to provide regional companies with EMC Testing facilities including a semianechoic chamber and an open area test site (OATS). During the same year ETC further acquired two military-specified test chambers to enable the business to enter into the field of military qualified EMC Testing, while today the company continues to maintain a comprehensive range of EMC Testing and Calibration certifications that cover the entire electronic test and Calibration industry. This includes United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation through UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 Calibration and Testing certification, as well as UKAS Lab 39 status. This demonstrates that ETC operates a recognised quality system and is operationally competent to generate technically valid results that are contained within ISO/IEC 17025. This continued investment into modern Testing facilities and the maintenance of strict industry certification has allowed ETC to work with clients operating across several industry sectors.
“Within the Calibration side of the business our customers really include anybody and everybody from electricians to high security test laboratories and we subsequently calibrate a very wide range of electronic equipment, which includes everything from basic multimeters through to more complex RF equipment that is used in the electronic Testing departments of our clients,” elaborates Technical Manager, Becky Scott. “We operate our own EMC laboratory, which allows us to further specialise in the Calibration of EMC test equipment and we manage our own radio frequency (RF) standard laboratory for calibrating RF equipment. We also have DC standard room that is a climate-controlled area, which is suitable for the Calibration of high-end multimeters and other equipment.”
“An important consideration that relates to the fact that we specialise in calibrating equipment for use within test labs is that we use the equipment ourselves, which means that we have a very good understanding of what it is, how it works, and what the results mean for our clients,” adds Technical Sales and Administration Manager, Lawrence Webster. “We therefore also understand how taking this equipment out of circulation for any length of time can have a real impact on operations. This makes it vitally important that we are able to calibrate and return equipment to our clients quickly.”
Indeed, throughout all of its operations ETC promises to be able to collect or receive equipment, carry out the required service and return components to its clients within five working days. 
This rapid turnaround of service has been achieved by the opening of additional operational hubs within Slough during 2010 and Manchester in 2014, which has enabled ETC to extend its service across the whole of the England and Wales. Furthermore, as the company’s reputation has grown ETC has continued to receive equipment for Calibration and Testing from clients operating within more than 30 countries globally.
This expertise is further demonstrated within the EMC Testing side of the business, with ETC managing a sizable EMC schedule of work through its EMC test laboratory that tests commercial equipment that is deployed within an extensive array of operations, including IT, rail marine and general electrical applications. “Our experience for EMC Testing covers several industry standards and applies to everything from aerospace and commercial applications through to domestic products,” Becky reveals. “We also operate screened Testing rooms as part of the necessary requirements that allow us to undertake military Testing. Within this market it is also very important to be aware of the various British, American and NATO military accreditations, as well as those for military aircraft and other applications.”
While ETC maintains the highest standards in adhering to several electronic Calibration andEMC Testing accreditations, the company also draws strength from the fact that it places great emphasis on delivering a strong culture of service and support to its customers. For customers working on site to test their equipment, ETC engineers are on hand to provide problemsolving support while monitoring and advising on EMC Testing and Calibration operations. This commitment to customer service and professionalism is reflected across the business thorough on-going training opportunities and apprenticeship programmes. “This support is provided at no extra cost because clients book time with us per day and have access to our engineers and facilities throughout that period, while the work that is undertaken throughout the day can be entirely led by the customer,” Becky says. “We are ready to do what we can to help customers to get what they need and if they have a problem we will work with them to see if we are able to resolve the issue.”
“Many of these engineers have actually been with ETC since starting with the company as apprentices and we are fortunate in that we are able to keep them with us. We believe in investing in our staff across the board and also offer formal and recognised training for finance staff as well as professional Management and Leadership qualifications. In many ways our team is a product of ETC and the way it operates,” Lawrence concludes. “Through the expertise of ETC and our team we would like to expand our customer base across England and Wales in both Calibration and EMC operations and we would also eventually like to increase this service into Scotland. This will certainly be a target of ours during the coming three years to allow us to offer a truly UK-wide service offering. Our reputation is also growing across the world and we would like to see more customers from around the Globe sending work to ETC.”
Electronic Test and Calibration Ltd
Services: Electronic Calibration and EMC Testing