Read about how CalX Calibration Engineer Mark started his career in Instrumentation and what his average day is like at CalX.
What led to you pursuing a career in instrumentation?
I’ve always had an interest in how stuff works, playing with technic Lego or being straight in with a screwdriver when anything in the house broke as child. I further grew on this with an opportunity to go to sea most summers as a teenager, this gave me a strong understanding of various plant and machinery and the knowledge to repair, as we could not call on contractors while at sea.
I had my sights on becoming a Marine Engineer but had a change of mind and did a Diploma in Electronics and then a Degree in Product Design and Development both at DKIT. I then took on a role as a technician in Eurolec Instruments where I spent 17 years designing, manufacturing and calibrating multiple temperature and pressure instruments.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I started in field service with CalX and I love the variety of the sites and the processes that we get to see on a daily basis. I am currently working as a resident technician doing commissioning calibrations at WuXi in Dundalk. This involves a fair amount of fault finding and configuration. I come across calibrations I haven’t done previously and enjoy learning how to do them or finding ways to indirectly calibrate them.
What’s your average day like?
We have an informal daily briefing first thing in the morning where we discuss any issues / outstanding calibrations from the previous day. We are then issued our workload for the day; this is generally an area or a skid covering every parameter, including analog and digital I/O, recording both local and HMI values including alarms and fault conditions. I can be pulled of my tasks quite frequently to fault find or provide product support for any team members.
What is it like working at CalX?
CalX is a great place to work with a strong team both in the field and office. The support network is amazing with a real team culture. The constant investment in people and equipment really shines through. The craic on the nights out / company days out is always great with every team member being included.
What advice would you give to someone starting their career in instrumentation?
I never planned on a role in instrumentation but having an interest in how stuff works or how things are made, I find that it is a really varied and interesting career choice. The team at CalX will provide the knowledge and guide you towards the training required. The team members come from both college and apprenticeship routes which CalX have strong ties with.
Interested in engineering roles at CalX?
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