Staff Expansion for Phoenix Calibration

A staff investment programme is underway at Dudley-based Phoenix Calibration, the UK’s most diverse materials testing specialists, following the recent acquisition by Rubery Owen, the family-owned group of businesses which has been operating in the Midlands since 1884.  Phoenix Calibration is a market-leader in high-quality, specialist test machines which are used across a diverse range of industries, from aerospace, automotive and academia, to power generation, pharmaceutical, geotechnical and petrochemical.

 Guy Burridge has been appointed as full-time Operations Manager and will take over responsibility for all design and manufacture of test machines.  Guy brings a wealth of product, application, territory and client experience, having worked within aerospace, defence and oil & gas within James Walker & Co and Trelleborg.

 Sam Shevyn, who has been with Phoenix for over five years and was runner up in the Black Country Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Apprentice/Young Person of the Year Award, will now have responsibility for all UKAS calibration and on-site servicing work.  

Vicki Wilkes, Phoenix’s managing director, says:  “This is a very exciting time for us as Guy has a wealth of experience in hydraulic systems, especially in sealing.  He comes from a larger business background and I believe will bring many positive ideas and knowledge to Phoenix.  We are delighted that Sam is one of our rising stars and he is very well qualified for his new role.  

Vicki Wilkes continues:  “Our success is based on extensive knowledge and collaboration with the hydraulics and materials industries, and we are enjoying operating within a larger group with possibilities for future investment. With fresh support from Rubery Owen and the injection of new staff, this is a time for us to hold on to the best of what we have and embrace new ideas to achieve the real potential for Phoenix.”

Darren and Vicki Wilkes will now focus on sales and business development for Phoenix and sister company Merlin Powder Characterisation which, along with Rotech Laboratories from the Rubery Owen Group, make up a significant materials testing facility in the Black Country.   

Founded in 2003 by Darren and Vicki Wilkes, Phoenix Calibration and Merlin provide customers across the globe with full in-house materials testing services, as well as bespoke design, manufacture and maintenance support. The combined laboratories are the only UK-based materials testing businesses to design and build specialist test machines and offer UKAS accreditation for testing and calibration.

Serviced from two Dudley laboratories, Phoenix’s customers include many blue chip organisations including JCB, Trelleborg and RAPRA. The team has also developed long-standing relationships with a number of academic institutions and universities, including Imperial College London, Cambridge, Birmingham, Swansea and Cranfield Universities. The Merlin laboratory in Dudley, with an established sales base in Loughborough, is recognised as a world-class independent centre.  It is equipped with the latest technologies and instruments and carries out work for major global pharmaceutical companies.