Established in 1949, and headquartered in Hillerod, north of Copenhagen, Ellab's mission is to reduce time-to-market and mitigate product loss risks for global biotech and pharma companies. This mission is achieved through a comprehensive offering, including onsite validation and calibration management, monitoring systems, consulting, and a continually expanding portfolio of products. 

Since introducing their first thermometers in the 1950s, they have developed an extensive product range, from wireless data loggers to thermocouple systems designed for thermal validation processes and environmental wireless monitoring solutions. 

In recent years, onsite services have gained increasing importance for the company.

Direct presence

Ellab's slogan, 'Global Knowledge with Local Reach', perfectly encapsulates its strategy of establishing a direct presence in key markets through successful mergers and acquisitions (M&As).  

The company began establishing its presence in Ireland in 2020 with the acquisition of Co. Meath based instrumentation products and services supplier, Instrument Technology Ltd, and Cork-based thermal qualification and validation service provider, QualUs.

Its presence was further expanded in 2022 with the acquisitions of Autocal, a Dublin-based validation services provider and CalX, a calibration services provider, based in Co Meath.   

The fact that the owners of the four previous companies – Peter Keane, Gerard Collins, Paul O’Hare, Kevin Davis, Claire McMahon, and Willie McMahon –stayed on in leadership roles helped to both ensure a smooth transition and retain decades of industry experience and knowledge.     

As a trusted global partner to the world's top 20 biotech companies and the world's top 40 pharma companies, Ellab is well positioned in terms of industry-leading expertise and the company’s skilled validation and calibration engineers and technicians are making a significant impact across numerous sites in Ireland.

"2023 was a very busy year for us," remarks Paul O’Hare, managing director of Ellab Ireland. "We saw tremendous growth within the Irish market, and we successfully merged four separate companies into one cohesive unit."

Complete solutions provider

Ellab's standout offering in the Irish market lies in being a complete solutions provider, covering both products and services with an emphasis on managed services where they go beyond just performing required tasks.

For example, in the area of calibrations, Ellab don’t just perform calibrations as required, they also manage the entire process from notifying the client when calibrations are due to ensuring all necessary documentation is uploaded and available online at the touch of a button before their team even leave the site.    

Looking ahead to 2024, Paul O'Hare anticipates even more activity for Ellab Ireland, “we have plans to substantially expand our operations in Ireland over the coming years with a number of significant developments in the pipeline here”.

Amid this growth however, the dedication to maintaining the highest quality standards remains unwavering. Ellab is committed to offering top-tier equipment, employing the best engineers and technicians, and prioritising continuous training and development for its teams, to ensure clients receive the best possible service, both onsite and from support personnel. 

There appears to be exciting developments ahead for Ellab’s Irish operation.