Laboratory Testing Inc. has a unique competitive edge in customer service — Tinius Olsen.“Location, location, location” proves to be an asset to more than just the real estate industry. Being a one-stop shop for materials testing, especially metals testing, is a goal that Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI), a Hatfield, PA-based services provider, achieves daily for its many global customers. “We are in the service business,” notes Glenn Derstine, LTI’s Destructive Testing Manager, “So any competitive advantage we can gain and offer those who use us is huge.” Testing to standards and specifications is what the lab services business is all about, so not surprisingly, LTI has lab accreditation from A2LA and PRI/Nadcap. Its procedures conform to a long list of ASTM, ASME, ANSI, AMS, and MIL specifications and it is approved as a test house by every major aircraft manufacturer and car maker, the latest being Rolls Royce. What LTI strives to do on behalf of customers is whatever testing and related services customers need. To that end, LTI offers a full line of destructive and non-destructive materials testing, plus metrology and machining services in support of all of its testing. This formula has enabled LTI to grow from a small testing shop in 1984 to a company with over 100 employees in 2007. The late Robert W. McVaugh Sr., a metallurgist/entrepreneur interested in starting his own lab testing business, founded the company. Today, Robert's son Mike McVaugh is LTI's President, his son Tom is Vice President and Facilities Manager and his daughter Joan Bentley is Director of Human Resources and Administration Manager. In 2006, the company generated $9 million in revenue, which represents growth of nearly 9 percent over the previous year. At least some of that growth can be directly attributed to LTI’s ability to react quickly and thoroughly to customer requests, and part of that responsiveness can be attributed to long-term involvement with a specific supplier. “In the destructive testing of metals, we have a competitive advantage,” notes Steve Bowers, Mechanical Testing Supervisor. “We have a very close relationship with Tinius Olsen, manufacturer of most of the metals testing systems and software used in LTI’s labs. By close, I mean we have had a solid working relationship for many years. And by close, I also mean proximity — Tinius is really only a short drive down County Line Road to Route 611. That comes in handy when you need same-day replacement parts or on-site assistance. It shortens our response time dramatically.” Like LTI, Tinius Olsen is headquartered in the Philadelphia suburbs; however, its materials testing lineage dates back to 1880 when founder Tinius Olsen invented the universal testing machine. Although the company makes equipment for testing all types of materials, from plastics to textiles to food, it has long held an industry leadership position in metals testing. This specialty makes for an ideal fit with a service-oriented company like LTI. “First of all, the metals testing machinery that Tinius Olsen makes is extremely reliable and with a long service life,” states Derstine. “On the rare occasion when we have a problem, we can count on their team to respond immediately with on-site technical assistance and parts. That kind of turnaround is something you can’t put a value on, especially when you’re trying to respond immediately to one of your own customers.” LTI tests all kinds of specimens from tiny fasteners to large diameter tubing and bolts, as well as unusual products such as tool joints for a well drill, a racecar’s roll cage, and even the chains and assemblies for the parachute systems of C130’s palleted supply drops. The company’s destructive testing lab has bench top machines from Tinius Olsen for testing with as little as 100 lbs of force to large-scale machines capable of 400,000 lbs. LTI recently added a second, state-of-the-art, 400,000 lb tensile machine from Tinius to accommodate larger specimens and higher strength materials. An impact tester is employed for running Charpy tests. The company has its lab set up with enough equipment so that operators can run tests continuously without having to stop to change set-ups. This added efficiency has paid big dividends in testing response time. Temperature is one of the parameters that LTI builds its tests around. “We have applications that require liquid helium cooling down to -452°F and others that require heating up to +2,000°F,” says Bowers. “When you’re dealing with critical parts for the aircraft or nuclear power industry, it is important to know what strengths metals and alloys are capable of.” Another service LTI offers is failure analysis to help customers identify the metallurgical reasons for a component that has failed. Steps in this process vary depending on the type of failure. For instance, macroscopic examination is undertaken for fractures to determine the type — ductile, brittle, torsion, or fatigue. Metallographic examination using high magnification optics is employed to identify any abnormalities at the micro structural level. A detailed report is provided, including recommendations for averting future failures. “LTI is one of the best equipped and most knowledgeable metals testing customers we have,” notes John Kraus, District Sales Engineer for Tinius Olsen. “Their people are active members of both ASTM and ASM. They really understand the science of metals and are always looking for ways to advance it on behalf of their customers. We are fortunate to be based so near to a materials testing company actively using so much of our metals testing machinery and software. They provide us with valuable feedback.” For more information, contact: Tinius Olsen, 1065 Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19044 USA, (215) 675-7100, Fax (215) 441-0899, www.TiniusOlsen.com, info@TiniusOlsen.com. Or: Laboratory Testing Inc., 2331 Topaz Drive, Hatfield, PA 19440 USA, 800-219-9095, Fax: 800-219-9096, www.labtesting.com, sales@labtesting.com. # # # #
Wayne Hayward, Marketing Manager, Tinius Olsen
Sharon Bentzley, Marketing/Advertising Manager, Lab Testing Inc.
Dan Ditzler, Newton Associates |
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