We invest heavily in new systems & instrumentation to remain at the forefront of analytical technology, spending over half a million pounds each year to equip our laboratories with the best technology:

Photometric analysers

We have three of the latest Aquakem 600 Photometric Analysers. Their improved speed & capacity combines with low reagent & sample volume to increase efficiency and reduce cost & waste.

Cryptosporidium

We use Filta-Max xpress® technology to improve the speed & quality of our analysis, delivering improved recovery, consistency & reliability, whilst saving time & labour.

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS)

We use Thermo TSQ8000 Triple Quadrupole GC-MS/MS systems to determine herbicides & pesticides. These reduce the need for sample preparation, allow for lower detection limits in dirty sample extracts, and increase productivity by reducing analysis times.

Purge & Trap

We use the latest, fully automated purge & trap GCMS systems for the analysis of volatile organic compounds such as THMs and solvents.

Bar-coding

All samples are registered on our Lab Information Management System (LIMS). Each bottle is assigned a unique bar-coded label which acts as a chain of custody at all points of sample transfer.

Field data capture

Mobile computers capture all field data during sample collection. They combine bar-codes & GPS to identify sample bottles, record date & time of sampling, and record the location of each sampling event. Integration with our LIMS expedites sample registration and provides robust chain of custody for each sample’s lifecycle.

Direct data capture

Data from our analytical instrumentation is transferred automatically to our LIMS, saving time and reducing risk of transcription errors. The system also flags sample and quality control results against target values & consent limits, thereby enhancing quality control.