Our Sales Engineers Michelle and Natasha look forward to seeing you at TAC 2025
This week we’re at the TAC 2025 60th anniversary conference at the University of Surrey. Organised by the Thermal Methods Group in the UK, the meeting will feature presentations on the applications of thermal analysis, a manufacturers’ exhibition and poster presentations. We look forward to seeing you there!
Peter (third from left) pictured with other long serving Linkam colleagues (L to R), Dan, Production Manager, Rob, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Arnold, Company Owner and Founder, Ross, Managing Director, and Richard, IT Manager. The group has over 200 years’ experience at Linkam!
After over forty years with the company ‘Linkam Legend’ Peter Grocutt has retired. Peter was Linkam’s first employee in 1984 when the company was based in Arnold’s, our founder’s, converted garage. He was recruited to develop the electronics in our instruments, and soon designed our first microprocessor driven units. Peter has played a fundamental role in developing our products, which has helped the company to grow with offices in the UK and Holland. Throughout his time at Linkam, Peter has been an innovator, mentor and friend to the rest of our team. He hopes to spend his retirement enjoying his passions, (aside from designing electronics!), golfing and fine dining. All the best Peter!
Arnold gives a farewell speech to Peter surrounded by our UK team (above), and Peter pictured with colleagues on his last day (below).
Our Senior Research Scientist Dr Michael Schwertner presented a poster at the ‘Correlative and Multimodal Imaging in the Health and Life Sciences’ conference at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) last week. In addition to Michael’s poster (!), another interesting feature is the apple tree (on the right) planted in the courtyard of the NPL AQML Building. It is one of eight young trees from the pips from Isaac Newton’s apple tree that were blasted into space with British ESA Astronaut Tim Peake. Find out more about the special story of this iconic tree here: One of Newton's Space Saplings lands at NPL - NPL
We were delighted to welcome Dr Manfred Feustel from Resultec, our distributor in Germany for over 20 years, to our UK Headquarters in Salfords, Surrey this week. It was Manfred’s first visit to our Perrywood offices. He was given a tour of our facility and we had the opportunity to show him our latest product developments. We also discussed our future plans and strategies for expanding our product portfolio and reaching new markets in Germany.
Our team after successfully completing their challenges
Some of the Linkam team took the opportunity to showcase their skills in robbing banks, ghost hunting in the remains of an abandoned prison and preventing a murder last week. We visited Gatwick Escape Rooms to demonstrate our teamwork, problem solving abilities and to have some fun! We’re pleased to report we all escaped successfully from our challenges and are safely back in the office.
Our Senior Research Scientist Dr Michael Schwertner introduced our new Cryo-Correlative Microscopy Stage, the CMS196V4, to researchers at the Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging (CUI) at Kings College London as part of the ‘‘Imaging Bites" seminar series. The CMS196V4 enables fluorescence sample mapping for correlative methods with cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). In his presentation, Michael explored the skills and tools unique to cryo-samples and discussed applications within the Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, highlighting how cryo-correlative methods can enhance the study of biological samples. The seminar also explored how vitrified cryo-samples offer superior structural preservation of biological samples and are compatible with the vacuum conditions of the electron microscope as well as light microscopy methods, notably fluorescence.
At the end of the presentation there was an opportunity to view the CMS196V4 with accessories, including a short Q&A on how workflows directly connect with existing JEOL instrumentation at CUI, such as the CRYOARM TEM and the FIB SEM.
Ilknur and Clara pictured with representatives from Labindia at their offices in Chennai.
Our Sales Director Clara Ko and Sales Manager Ilknur Dereli visited our distributor Labindia in India at the end of February. During the visit, Clara and Ilknur discussed our latest product developments and future plans and strategies for expanding our product portfolio and reaching new markets in India.
A selection of the gifts on display by our Canteen Christmas Tree before being collected by I Choose Freedom.
Linkam delivered a range of Christmas gifts to I Choose Freedom to distribute to children and parents at a local refuge ahead of the Christmas break. The gifts were funded by donations raised from our annual Christmas Jumper day, (the amount raised was also matched by the company), along with several personal donations from our staff. Our gifts helped to ensure that every survivor and child at an I Choose Freedom refuge received a Christmas present this year. I Choose Freedom provide shelter, support and counselling for women and children who have escaped from abusive situations. Please visit their website for more information.
Our team took the opportunity to show off their festive fashion flair (?!) by wearing their favourite Christmas jumpers to raise money for charity. As you can see, a fantastic range of jolly jumpers and happy headdresses were on display! Last year’s winner Leo was head judge and after some tough deliberations, Hannah, our Accounts Office Assistant, was declared the worthy winner. Valuable funds were raised for I Choose Freedom, who provide shelter, support and counselling for women and children who have escaped from abusive situations.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the catwalks of London, Paris and New York had come to Linkam this week as we took delivery of new workwear. As you can see the collection has proven popular with our stylish staff who were keen to try out the range in full!
We held our annual staff event in London’s West End at the weekend. Our team got together for a night out at Boom Battle Bar on Oxford Street on Saturday evening to showcase our skills at several non-Olympic sports including axe throwing, augmented reality darts and crazy golf. After demonstrating our athletic abilities (or not), everyone enjoyed a tasty buffet and drinks and, as everyone knows, it’s taking part that really matters!
Hannah and Michael have a creepy cuppa!
Linkam’s canteen has become a Halloween Haven thanks to our Social Committee. Some spooky sights have made getting a cup of tea a more terrifying task for the next few days as our stunned staff demostrate!
Leo and Michael enjoy a spooky snack!
This week we’re at the Volume EM Technology Forum hosted by the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, UK. If you’re attending the event, please come and see our Senior Research Scientist Michael, and Sales Engineer Michelle at our stand today and tomorrow to discuss how we can help with your experimental requirements. We look forward to seeing you!
Michael giving a presentation at the event.
Linkam is one of the sponsors of next week’s inaugural Volume EM Technology Forum hosted by the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Oxfordshire, UK. We will be represented at the event by our Senior Research Scientist Dr Michael Schwertner and Sales Engineer Michelle Coffie.
The three-day conference includes technical presentations, posters, and panel discussions, as well as hardware and software demo lounges. We look forward to seeing you in Oxfordshire!
Javier and Brian tuck in!
Following our quarterly staff update when Ross, our Managing Director, and Helen, our Finance Director, spoke about the latest developments at Linkam, everybody enjoyed fish and chips from the local ‘Chippy’ to continue our lunchtime tour of the world’s finest cuisines! Many thanks to our Social Committee for organising.
Our MD Ross visits the JHT booth at JASIS 2024
Our MD Ross Browne, and Sales and Marketing Director Clara Ko visited our partners in Japan and South Korea at the beginning of September. Ross and Clara visited the JASIS Exhibition in Tokyo where they also met with some of our customers in the region. They visited the booth of our Japanese distributor, JHT, before travelling to JHT’s Head Office in Fukuoka to discuss our long standing and ongoing partnership. We would like to thank our kind hosts Mr Takamasa Iwasaru, Chairman, Mr Koichi Iwasaru, Managing Director, and the JHT team for their warm hospitality during the two days. Ross and Clara then flew to Seoul in South Korea to catch up with customers at Seoul National University and business partners VisionUs and Shinhan before returning to the UK.
The busy exhibition hall at JASIS.
Ross and Clara with JHT at their Head Office in Fukuoka. Representing JHT are Mr Koichi Iwasaru, Managing Director, Mr Shinichiro Kanatsuki, Sales Manager and Mr Shigeru Kakuchi, Account Management who also provided translation.
Linkam’s UK staff celebrated Summer in the best way possible by demonstrating their intellectual prowess, fashion flair, athleticism and ability to eat great amounts of pizza and strawberries and ice-cream! Our Social Committee, led by Quiz Mistresses (?) Hannah and Natalie organised a fun quiz followed by a game of Corn Hole outdoors to make the most of the sunny weather.
Thinking heads on during the quiz.
Can they fix it? Yes they can!
We’re delighted to have taken possession of a new 3D Bambu Labs X1 carbon printer which was expertly installed, along with a sturdy table for it to rest on, by our R&D Team (after carefully reading the manuals). The new printer will enable us to produce jigs, prototypes and packaging in several colours and at a faster speed than our old one which will go to auction and hopefully provide many more years of great service.
Join us at M&M 2024! Look out for more updates here on our website and on our social media over the next few days. We look forward to seeing you in Cleveland!