Greg Johnson, CBET, CHFM, and Boyd Campbell, CBET, CRES, CHTM, spent over 20 years in the hospital environment as biomedical technicians and managers. After seeing the need for demand in the alternate care market, Johnson and Campbell decided to capitalize on that opportunity. Southeastern Biomedical started as a part-time company, but as the demand kept increasing, so did this grassroots start-up. The duo’s company is now in a 16,000-square-foot facility headquartered in Granite Falls, North Carolina.
Since 1996, Southeastern Biomedical has been providing customers with a broad range of equipment-related services, including on-site test equipment calibration, asset liquidation, maintenance, repair and light/bili-meter calibration.
TechNation learned more about the company in a question-and-answer session with Johnson and Campbell.
Q: Can you tell TechNation readers more about your on-site test equipment calibration?
Johnson: Southeastern Biomedical is committed to providing convenient, cost-effective on-site calibration and repair service of test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment operated by biomed departments in hospitals. Our on-site test equipment calibration service will:
- Eliminate shipping costs and shipping damage;
- Reduce downtime from weeks to hours; and
- Increase productivity.
Our new high-end test devices provide us with a wide range of capabilities allowing us to calibrate and repair a wide variety of manufacturer’s test equipment.
Our calibration management software will:
- Allow us to identify and notify you when your equipment is due for calibration;
- Provide a history of calibration and repair services performed on your test equipment; and
- Provide online customer access to completed calibration certificates.
All calibrations are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Q: I understand Southeastern Biomedical also offers Fluke authorized service. Can you tell us more about that service?
Campbell: We are very proud to be an authorized Fluke Biomedical Calibration lab providing customers in our area the same level of technical service as Fluke Biomedical. All of the test standards and procedures are the same as those used at the Fluke Cal lab. Our technicians are also factory trained. This is a compliment to being a Fluke channel partner in the eight states in the Southeast, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin islands and also government specialists in various parts of the U.S. We feel it is important to be able to provide complete service after the sale.
Q: How do your repair and maintenance services benefit HTM departments?
Campbell: In addition to being a Fluke Biomedical Authorized calibration lab, we also offer our customers calibration on a wide variety of devices and manufacturers. A few of the things we are most proud of is the amount of devices we can calibrate onsite and our quick turnaround times for depot calibrations as well. As biomedical technicians, we understand the unique needs of the biomedical departments and the demands for uninterrupted service. As we like to say, “We have been on your side of the bench.” Another thing that sets us apart is that all of our calibration techs were first biomedical technicians. Our calibration technicians having an in-depth understanding of the devices we calibrate is part of what allows us to provide such superior services.
Q: What are your company’s core competencies and unique selling points?
Johnson: Our motto is, “Biomeds helping biomeds.”™ We focus on the biomed market completely, selling test equipment in the Southeast. We have a calibration service where we go in and calibrate that equipment, as well. We don’t just make a sale and leave it. We support and guide our customers through the entire purchase process. Something that makes us unique is that we hire experienced biomeds and train them in metrology. Our calibration technicians completely understand the job our customers perform because they have done that job previously. It gives us a better perspective and we feel it enhances our customers’ experience.
Q: What is on the horizon for your company?
Johnson: We currently service customers along the East Coast from New York to Miami and as far west as New Mexico in the south and Wisconsin in the north. We plan to keep expanding our customer base within this footprint and continue to move west as customer demand allows.
Q: Please share some company success stories with our readers – one time that you “saved the day” for a customer.
Campbell: We had a customer that had an upcoming Joint Commission inspection and their current calibration provider notified them that they would not be able to get to them in time and could only offer the customer their services if they would pack up all their devices and ship to them. We understood the critical nature of the customer’s needs and with a little over a week’s notice we were able to get a calibration technician onsite to complete their calibrations to ensure they stayed compliant with their Joint Commission requirements.
Q: I hear that Southeastern Biomedical has multiple ISO quality certifications. Can you expand on that for our readers?
Campbell: Our quality statement is, “Southeastern Biomedical Associates Inc.’s goal is to provide superior customer service, on-time delivery, and verified order accuracy. We are committed to continuously improve our company through our quality management system to meet or exceed our customers’ requirements.”
Our quality policy is not just something we talk about, but a way of everyday life at Southeastern Biomedical. Quality of service is of the utmost importance. We show our commitment to quality by maintaining both ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 certifications. As part of the quality service, we make sure that we do whatever is necessary to ensure that our customers are able to provide the highest level of service to their facility or customers. If you walk through our facility, you will see this posted in all our work areas as an everyday reminder that we never take shortcuts and always make sure the job is done right every time.
For more information, visit sebiomedical.com.
