In this age of on-demand, one of the biggest challenges for businesses is meeting customer expectations of absolute immediacy. The calibration landscape is no different. AML Instruments (an industry-leading provider of on-site calibration services for more than 30 years) has seen a surge in demand for on-site calibration services, as well as our express off-site calibration services (24-48 hours, and Calibrate While You Wait).
However, opting for these expedited turnaround times isn’t just a matter of convenience for lab leaders, quality managers, and calibration coordinators. It’s about streamlining their calibration schedules and limiting operational disruption to align with modern operational models focusing on creating and capturing value for customers first.
Let’s see why on-site calibration stacks up for so many industries when it comes to ensuring compliance, customer satisfaction, efficiency, integrity, precision, and safety in their measurements.
Why is on-site calibration becoming increasingly popular?
Precision testing equipment drifts over time due to factors like environmental changes, operator handling, sensor ageing, and general wear and tear. Even equipment marginally operating outside their optimal parameters can lead to major discrepancies in the final results.
For critical applications like aerospace component testing and vaccine storage requiring the lowest measurement uncertainties, the slightest deviation can have a profound impact on the efficiency, profitability, quality control, and safety of operations.
Measuring instruments operating outside of the ‘specified accuracy’ can mean:
- Delays in research and testing schedules.
- Key components and parts failing compliance checks.
- Rejected production batches.
- Wasted materials.
Traditionally, calibration labs were the answer, but minimising downtime is becoming paramount, hence the rise in onsite calibration numbers. Onsite calibration removes the requirement to send your equipment out for calibration, which can disrupt your productivity, create bottlenecks, and lead to makeshift, ineffective workarounds.
Instead, you receive the personalised support of on-site calibration. AML’s team of fully qualified and friendly engineers will travel to you, equipped with portable standards and advanced calibration tools, so your assets are calibrated in their actual operating environment.
Benefits of onsite calibration services
- Reduces need for spare equipment
Arguably the main benefit of onsite calibration is removing the costly need for spare or redundant equipment while its away for calibration. Your test equipment remains at your facility and is often back in action the same day following calibration. On the other hand, shipping instruments to an external laboratory typically results in a longer turnaround time, meaning you’ll need spare assets on site to maintain operation and production.
- Minimises downtime
As your test equipment doesn’t need to be removed from its working environment, the time of a possible production shutdown is minimised or even eliminated. Sending your equipment out for calibration can mean anything from a few days to a week or so without your assets.
On-site calibration means you can get back up-and-running immediately after calibration. If your equipment needs to be taken out of action, your loss of tool and time will again be curtailed.
- Calibrated in real-world conditions
On-site calibration gives a true picture of performance as your instruments are calibrated within the specific work environment and conditions they’re typically used. This provides increased accuracy and reliability of measurements, as engineers have access to your set-up and can conduct tests in the operational setting in real-time.
While in-lab calibrations are controlled, they’re also artificial, as they don’t take into account environmental factors like temperature and humidity that the instrument(s) may be regularly exposed to.
- Convenient scheduling
Rather than being dictated to by a laboratory’s schedule, on-site calibration can be scheduled at a time that’s convenient for your business (think off-peak hours or when operations are at their quietest), ensuring minimal disruption to operations.
By having one of our professional engineers come to your location, you can be certain they’ll bring the proper tools and knowledge to calibrate your equipment correctly. And all on a date and time that suits you.
- Compliance and audit-readiness
Onsite calibrations helps businesses meet ISO 17025, UKAS, and industry-specific standards in a convenient and efficient manner. Maintaining compliance with regulations demands robust calibration processes at speed in an operational context while still delivering accurate measurements.
You’ll also receive traceable, accredited certificates instantly, so your compliance records are always up to date.
- Cost-efficiency
Multiple instruments needing calibration? On-site calibration services will make your money go further, as multiple assets can often be calibrated in a single visit. Additionally, when you move the costs of downtime, shipping, handling, and investing in spare equipment just to avoid downtime, your bottom line will look much rosier.
Onsite engineer checking the temperature of electrical installations using a handheld infrared (thermal) imaging device.
The strategic value of onsite calibration services for your lab
Calibration isn’t just a box-ticking exercise. It’s about creating resilience to help maintain efficient R&D and production operations, while limiting disruption. Along with contextual precision , on-site calibration contributes to:
- Asset lifecycle management – Effective asset lifecycle management helps quality managers determine optimal calibration intervals, while our engineers can predict potential failures before they occur and turn into expensive problems.
- Continuous accuracy and improvement – Manufacturers can count on test equipment that delivers peak efficiency and accuracy, as well as gain valuable insights that drive continuous improvement.
- Operational safety – For regulated industries where safety margins are tight like pharmaceuticals and aerospace manufacturing, onsite calibration ensures the precision and dependability of measuring devices.
Ultimately, onsite calibration lends itself for better control over the calibration process. A certificate of calibration is issued right away, and you have access to real-time adjustments and advice from a calibration professional to keep your operations running as smoothly as possible.
Even though onsite calibration is unquestionably proving to be the calibration model of the future, offsite lab calibrations still excel at ultra-high accuracy calibrations requiring access to specialised equipment and a greater controlled environment for unerring precision. They’re also ideal if turnaround time isn’t a critical factor, and in some cases, can be more economical by reducing travel expenses and allowing for batch processing.
For businesses within a 35 mile radius of our facility (Postcode LN1 2WE), a local calibration collection and drop-off service is also available, ensuring your operations remain compliant, convenient, efficient, and eco-friendly.
What types of calibration can AML carry out on-site?
AML Instruments have been providing leading on-site calibration services to businesses across the UK and beyond for over a decade to ensure integrity and precision in their measurements.
We specialise in a wide range of disciplines, calibrating a broad range of precision instruments from tensile testers to thickness gauges and torque wrenches.
How much does on-site calibration cost?
Unfortunately, there is no one-price-fits-all when it comes to onsite calibration. We have to factor in travel time for our engineers, the number of items being calibrated, and the complexity of the calibration.
AML offer a free, no obligation quote for all on-site calibration requests and our team is always happy to discuss your bespoke requirements. We can also provide a free site survey and consultancy on calibration or test equipment — simply call us on 01522 789375 or request a quote online.
When does onsite calibration make sense?
While off-site calibration can be scheduled without the constraints of technician travel, allowing for more flexibility, some situations demand on-site calibration. Request for our expert calibration technicians to come directly to your facility if you have:
- High-value equipment that’s too risky to ship to our lab in Lincolnshire.
- Critical operations (aerospace, healthcare, etc) that need minimal downtime, immediate support, and same-day results.
- Test equipment sensitive to movement, specific environmental conditions, or requiring calibration under load. Large, bulky instruments can also be troublesome to move and are better calibrated in situ.
- Multiple instruments that can be serviced in a single visit.
AML Instruments — Making onsite calibration work for you
The rise of companies choosing to calibrate their measuring equipment onsite isn’t solely based on convenience. It’s about gaining a competitive advantage, but this can only be achieved by building a proactive calibration culture. Consider the following:
- Bundling assets together for cost-effective and efficient onsite visits.
- Planning calibration windows around production cycles to minimise disruption.
- Speaking to our engineers about your equipment’s condition, potential calibration needs, and suggestions for optimising performance.
- Storing your calibration certificates in a secure location or calibration management system. Scheduling reminders is also useful, but we’ll always contact you ahead of time when it’s time for your equipment to be re-calibrated.
For calibration professionals like AML Instruments, it also represents an opportunity to evolve from service providers into strategic partners. This means taking the time to understand your test equipment and process requirements, so we can provide the best possible long-term support to keep your operations efficient, compliant, and future-ready.
Onsite, on target, and on time — contact us at AML Instruments to find out more about onsite calibration and our other services.
