When Hamilton's Sports Lab talk about having a good track record they are referring to more than just the company's business success.

As specialist synthetic track and pitch designers, Sports Lab is fast becoming a name to be reckoned with in the sports industry.

The company was established in 1998 and offer a design and consultancy service for anyone wishing to build a track, pitch or playground, although the main bulk of their work is testing surface safety and performance.

One of Sports Labs' directors, Eric O'Donnell said: "When we started out, we were mainly acting as consultants, but the work has evolved to be more testing based.

"All sports facilities must adhere to British Standards and Health & Safety criteria which is where we come in. We will offer advice on products, act as a watchdog while the facility is being built and then go out and test the track or pitch for athletic performance as well as safety."

So how do they go about doing this? Well they have a number of weird and wonderful gadgets that act as synthetic athletes and will test for shock absorption, speed and wear. They've also got an artificial head which is set up to mimic an athlete falling and hitting his or her head on the ground.

Said Eric: "Our equipment will measure the impact of a body falling on the surface. We have computers attached to the machinery which tells us exactly what would happen to the athlete if they fell on the surface for real. This way we can tell whether the surface passes or fails the safety test."

Sports Lab is also currently in the process of expanding and recently moved to new premises in Clydesdale Street in Hamilton. They recently received a Business Loan from South Lanarkshire Council as working capital to help with the expansion and from South Lanarkshire Business Ventures Fund, a grant to assist with modifying the building to meet operational requirements.

Throughout their development and growth, the company has been assisted by Small Business Gateway Hamilton (formerly Hamilton Enterprise Development Company) who, while working in partnership with South Lanarkshire Economic Development, have been able to give assistance to the company.

"We have grown steadily, so much so, that we have become too big for our previous offices in Blantyre and have had to move to much larger premises in Hamilton. Thanks to the Business Loan, we've had the working capital to help with this preocess."

It's not just its physical size, the company has been working on - it has also been building a reputation for quality, earning it a client base which extends across the world. Not only have they carried out work for organisations such as Edinburgh University and Glasgow City Council, but they've done work in Australia, Eire and America. They are currently testing hockey fields in Hong Kong.

For more information on Business Loans, contact us on 01698 455153 or e-mail: info@sled.org.uk

Business South Lanarkshire - Winter 2001

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