A clever investment in additional laboratory equipment has steered Leicester based construction and regeneration consultancy Nicholls Colton away from recession woes and into a force to be reckoned with in its market.

The firm, which specialises in providing geotechnical and geo-environmental consultancy to UK construction companies, developers and local authorities, has invested over £60,000 in laboratory equipment from Holland that can test for the presence of chromium (VI), phenol and cyanide simultaneously.

This new equipment will enable the firm to massively increase its testing capabilities and will make it one of the most advanced laboratories in the UK for soil testing - an important process when examining potential sites for remedial work and new-build projects.  Importantly, it means that the company's offer can be utilised by many more organisations, reducing its reliance on a potentially volatile housing market.

MD's Ian Elliot and Alex Warwick made the investment as they correctly foresaw early on that new guidelines would be published that would effectively require new building sites to be routinely tested for the potentially cancer causing chromium (VI) as opposed to just 'total chromium'. Both substances are often found in and around former industrial sites.

Previously, their laboratory had the capacity to carry out 20 phenol analyses per day. Thanks to the investment, the lab can now carry out up to 300 tests per day, testing not just for phenols, but simultaneously testing for the presence of chromium (VI) and cyanide. These new tests are additional to the many others that the lab carries out with its array of specialist testing equipment. 

This investment in the laboratory equipment is the latest in many improvements that Nicholls Colton has made to increase its laboratory strength.

"Staying ahead of the competition and thinking strategically are crucial factors for future-proofing a business and this new investment will make 'customers' of our competitors, and give us a competitive edge without a major diversification," explains Ian Elliot.

"We have worked alongside Chris Darlington of RSM Tenon to help us position the business in this way, structuring Nicholls Colton in a practical and tax efficient manner, enabling us to invest further and even engage in more research and development activities, which strengthen our capabilities and industry credentials."

Founded in the mid-1960s, Nicholls Colton was the subject of a management buyout in 2005, when Ian Elliot and Alex Warwick bought the business and became joint managing directors.

With 53 employees based in the Frog Island district of Leicester City Centre, the business has three main areas of work: pavement and structures testing; laboratory analytics and geoenvironmental / geotechnical consultancy.