|
"Meets All Microplate Instrumentation Needs"
By Michael D.
Brush, 2010
"You have to be extremely good at servicing
instruments," says Larry Marcoux, president and founder of MTX Lab Systems
Inc. of Vienna, VA. "Otherwise, you create problems and then spend more
time fixing those than serving customers. Incompetence can really drag you
down."
Competence, of course, comes from
experience, an abundant commodity at MTX Lab Systems, an independent
company specializing in the sales and service of microplate
instrumentation. Marcoux's personal expertise contributes greatly to his
company's success. It developed during the 20 years he worked in the
satellite and computer industry before moving into the bio-medical instrumentation
field in 1982. "My training in electronics and engineering made for an easy
transition," he says.
After six years of working as the service
manager for Flow Laboratories handling a line of microplate readers and
washers manufactured in Finland by Lab Oy (better known as Labsystems, now
ThermoFisher), Marcoux started MTX Lab Systems in 1989. Electing to stay in
Flow's original hometown in Virginia when Titertek, an aspect of the company moved to Alabama as
part of a restructuring move, Marcoux maintained a connection with Lab Oy,
providing microplate instrumentation sales and service with a small staff
of technicians and engineers. At his own expense, he traveled to Finland
over ten years for training, becoming the only factory-trained
technician in North America certified from Labsystems, Titertek, Denley,
and ICN/FLOW. With millions of plate readers, washers, and pipettors under
these brand names in the field, MTX Lab Systems has grown steadily over
the years providing high quality service. Today, all of Marcoux's staff
of seasoned engineers and technicians boasts each 29 years
experience, collectively 81 years! Collectively, they have handled over 1,000,000 pieces of
equipment.
As an independent instrument service
company, MTX offers a pricing schedule and service options not always
available from the original equipment manufacturers. For example,
according to MTX's vice president Elizabeth Nealon, the company will
frequently repair an instrument that the original manufacturer no longer
supports. "Our service engineers have the expertise to repair rather than
replace a component, especially an electronic one, often at significant
discounts over the cost of new parts. We have expanded our sales and
service to include many different manufacturers to meet the needs of small
companies and universities," she says.
Microplate instrumentation sales are also
an important part of MTX Lab Systems' business. In addition to the sales
of new instruments, MTX sells demonstrator and remanufactured readers,
washers, and nearly 100 new or remanufactured hand-held single- and
multi-channel pipettors. Obtained from a variety of major manufacturers,
these instruments possess the same quality and warrantees as new
instruments. MTX also sells instruments that process 20-60 microwell plates
at a time. Sophisticated,
general-purpose plate management systems, these robot friendly instruments
supply
plate readers and washers with up to 20, or 60 plates automatically.
In 1995, MTX Lab Systems introduced a
revolutionary software package called Spectrosoft. This versatile,
state-of-the-art, feature packed program controls most microplate readers,
including the Molecular Devices VMAX, EMAX, Thermomax, and the Multiskan, among others.
Spectrosoft incorporates a built-in spreadsheet calculation capability in
addition to providing real time results and curve fitting and graphical
analysis functions. (Information on Spectrosoft and MTX's other products
is available online at www.mtxlsi.com/spectrosoft.htm)
Of course, the company's services are not
limited to just Microplate instrument sales and repairs. MTX Lab Systems
also offers service, on or off site technical support, custom modifications, fabrication,
installation services, and technical support.
With customers like world-wide
Universities, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Makerere Univ., Far
Eastern State Univ. Russia and USDA outposts and the smaller
start-up's, MTX Lab Systems strives to
maintain its position at the leading edge in its field. Part of that
effort included a move into manufacturing with the release of the first of its
own plate washer. "With our level of background, we are very aware of the
technical and service problems with microplate instrumentation. We have
the best in service and engineering to rely on in overcoming some of the
inherent instrumentation problems we typically see," Nealon says. In fact,
manufacturing has been a long time goal for the company. "My goal from the
beginning was to have our own product line." says Marcoux, "But we have
always been a good service company, we won't forget that."
|
|
|