Calibrating the Future: Interview with Darren O'Sullivan

In September 2022, Transcat acquired Ireland-based company, Complete Calibrations, bringing on board its founder, Darren O’Sullivan as Head of Robotics, R&D and Deployment. Complete Calibrations is an ISO: 17025 lab, accredited for mass calibrations and utilizes robotics and automation to optimize the process and reduce human error.?

Tell us about your professional background and what your new role will entail.

Before starting Complete Calibrations in 2006, I earned an honors degree in Applied Physics and Instrumentation and worked in the pharmaceutical industry as an automation/calibration engineer.?I’m also self-taught in computer programming, robotics, and PLCs (programmable logic controllers). My new role as Head of Robotics, R&D, and Deployment for Transcat will involve firstly, deploying mass calibration robots, which have been developed by Complete Calibrations over the past several years, to Transcat’s labs in the US. I will also be automating other parameters within Transcat through further R&D, and working closely with the NEXA team to deliver calibration services to their clients in Ireland.

What inspired you to start Complete Calibrations??

I always planned to start my own company, and when I saw an opening in the Irish market to provide temperature calibration services and products to the food industry, I jumped at it.?As the business grew, I noticed other opportunities in the market for mass calibration services in other industries, such as pharmaceutical and hospitals. Over time my interests turned to making the calibration processes more efficient while reducing the uncertainties within them—hence I started creating calibration robots through R&D.?

Explain the value of the Transcat acquisition, and collectively, what it will provide to its existing and new customers.

We will revolutionize how calibrations are executed by Transcat given Complete Calibrations' advanced robotics technology, with calibrations being able to run 24/7.?As the calibration robots are deployed to Transcat’s labs, customers will benefit from faster turnaround times and competitive prices with their calibrations being executed in “laboratories of the future”.?Moreso, Complete Calibrations' existing customers and future customers will benefit from the combined expertise of Transcat’s and NEXA’s expanded suite of services.?The synergies created between the Transcat family of companies will ensure all of our customers receive state-of-the-art calibration services, as well as more efficient and effective asset management solutions.

What’s in the future for Complete Calibrations in terms of new technologies (i.e., robotics) or advances you and your team are planning???

I’m very excited about the future to deploy the current calibration robotics in Ireland and the U.S., and to expand our R&D efforts to bring the benefits of robotics technology to all parameters within Transcat...creating the calibration laboratories of the future.??