Tuning the Equipment: QualiCal offers the best in calibration services

It’s about more than just the rig counts
September 27, 2017
Oil and gas future uncertain for some: Workers say they’re looking to move on from oil
September 27, 2017
It’s about more than just the rig counts
September 27, 2017
Oil and gas future uncertain for some: Workers say they’re looking to move on from oil
September 27, 2017

Everyone knows what a scale is and what it does.

But how does one actually know that a scale is working correctly once we step onto it?

Sure, it may say you weigh 170 pounds, but how do we know that the reading is accurate?


Of course, with a person, a small variance of a pound or two has little significance. But in the oil and gas industry, any imprecisions can greatly change the outlook of a job.

That’s where QualiCal, LLC, comes in.

Open since April 2011, the calibration company operates a climate controlled laboratory that can test the precision and accuracy of machinery used in the oil and gas industry.


The business operates off 7380 Main Street next to Terrebonne High School and is owned by Melanie Cagle and her husband James, who have both been working in the industry for several years – a journey which has taken them both around the world before settling into business in Houma.

“We have certified standards that we use to check your equipment,” Melanie Cagle said. “So, you bring us the scale, we place a few certified weights on them to verify it reads correctly, then we produce a ‘calibration certificate’ to state that it is, in fact, accurate. This process is extremely important when an industry is manufacturing to tolerances of .0001 and higher. We can calibrate anything dimensional, API thread gages, NDT equipment, torque tools, pressure gages and we even calibrate on-site at a customer’s facility when the need arises for things like welding machines, optical comparators and temperature controllers, among other things.”

QualiCal started in April 2011 – a time when life was changing pretty rapidly for the Cagles.


James and Melanie were both working in the oilfield in West Africa at the time – each on 28-on, 28-off shifts.

But at the time, Melanie was seven months pregnant with the family’s first baby, and the thought of being away from a newborn for four weeks at a time seemed unappealing to the new mother.

So the husband and wife talked it over and decided that going into business for themselves was a realistic option.


They came up with the idea for a calibration company because it fit their knowledge base perfectly.

“We both have extensive quality management-related experience,” Melanie said. “And calibration was always a part of it. We noticed a need for it in the area and got to work on a business plan to take to the bank.”

The got approval and the rest, as they say, is history.


The company originally started on Venture Boulevard, but they now have their new home next to Terrebonne.

“In our third year, we had outgrown the building we were in,” Melanie said. “We moved to another location in Houma, the one we’re in now next to Terrebonne High.”

That growth also led to a sister company.


Since QualiCal’s inception, the company has been asked multiple times to give training to other companies’ employees on inspection techniques, which led to the formation of The QualiCal Academy, which is a full-service training company – both online and in person.

“This new education line has been a game-changer at QualiCal, where it was all about calibrations, now we have workforce training added to our services,” Melanie said. “And it couldn’t have been started at a better time.”

In January of 2017, QualiCal and the QualiCal Academy became Government Approved Primary Training Providers under the Incumbent Worker Training Program (IWTP) – a grant which is available to all businesses in Louisiana that can cover training costs for employees.


Melanie said the grant is great for any business and she wants to aggressively get the word out, adding that with the current economic downturn, it’s a great time to get employees trained and ready for when the next wave will come.

To learn more, Melanie urged folks to visit the company’s website at www.qualical.net or email customerservice@qualical.net.

“Not many people are aware of this grant,” Melanie said. “We’re really trying to get the word out there, to help businesses train their employees – especially while the economy is the way it is. We are authorized grant administrators and can help any business that is interested in applying in going through the process.”


But it hasn’t all been easy.

Melanie said the company’s initial business plan accounted for three years without a profit – the standard for most startup companies.

In year three, QualiCal took off and got a lot of business in Lafayette. But as the successful run began, so too did the downturn in the price of oil, which limited the business the company could generate.


“How were we to know that that was going to happen?” Melanie said with a laugh. “I could have screamed. Our revenue went back down again and plateaued.”

Since that time, Melanie said the business stabilized and the third-year success proved to the business owners that it wasn’t their plan that was flawed, but it was just the economic climate which was causing the struggles.

“It was just bad timing,” Melanie said. “We’re starting to see a good trend upward, and customers are saying the same thing. It looks like we’re finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel.”


Looking ahead, QualiCal has continued plans to expand and grow in its training and calibration offerings, which Melanie said will make the company bigger and stronger for years to come.

“We are scaling up on our workforce training, adding new courses each month as need arises,” she said. “We also recently partnered with a safety company to host safety courses (soft skills) to help companies remain compliant with their safety programs. We will continue to focus on growth of this new division, however, in time, we will also be growing our calibration services. We have plans to expand, add new calibration standards to widen our score of capabilities and we’re even looking to begin testing services in the not too distant future. Thank goodness we can see a future, because things were looking dim there for a while, but things are coming around!” •

QualiCalCOURTESY


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