A Royal Occasion for TG Eakin Ltd

Posted on

On 19th July Mr Tom Eakin and Mrs Esther McIlveen, TG Eakin Ltd’s longest serving member of staff, travelled to London to attend the Queen’s Awards ceremony.

At the prestigious event, held in Buckingham Palace, they were honoured to meet her Majesty the Queen and had the opportunity to chat with her briefly.

Speaking after the event, Mr Tom Eakin commented, „I was honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise on behalf of everyone at TG Eakin Ltd. The fact that we are also celebrating 30 years of the Cohesive® Seal this year makes the award even more special“.

R&D remains a priority at TG Eakin Limited

Posted on

TG Eakin Limited is currently undertaking two development projects worth over £1.5million, supported by Invest NI.

The first will create a new stoma care product which aims to enhance the comfort of patients and the second will dramatically improve the company’s process capability.

Northern Ireland’s Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster visited the company’s premises today, to view the progress and enhancements made to date. The Minister commented: “TG Eakin has grown from a small local company to become a global supplier in the industry. This major investment by a family run company highlights its longstanding commitment to developing new highly advanced products for global markets.” “With over 80% of sales to export markets, the development of this latest medical device will support further growth, demonstrating the value of investing in innovation and R&D in driving business success.”

Jeremy Eakin, Managing Director of TG Eakin Limited, said: “The support and advice received from Invest NI to date has been of significant assistance as we identify and implement technological advances to manufacture this new high quality product. Using our knowledge base in the industry, we are confident this innovation has the potential to increase our global sales.”

Celebrating 30 Years of Cohesive at WOCN/WCET

Posted on

Last week we travelled to Phoenix, Arizona for the first WOCN/ WCET Joint Conference as the two premier wound, ostomy and continence associations came together. with a ‘Universal Focus on Patient Care’.

In attendance were over 2000 nurses with representatives attending from across the world.

At the eakin booth we were launching eakin Cohesive® Slims® to the USA and Canadian markets which caused a great deal of interest. The nurses admired the new slim profile which leaves less residue on the skin yet provides the same great skin protection as the tried and tested eakin seals.

We are also delighted to be celebrating the 30th birthday of the eakin Cohesive® Seal this year and to mark the occasion we held a birthday party at our booth. And to make the day even more special Mr Tom Eakin, the inventor of Cohesive®, had flown out to join in the celebrations. Mr Eakin chatted to the nurses, describing how the Cohesive® Seal had been born and gave them a brief history on how it has evolved to the much loved product that it is today.

We were pleased to welcome our colleagues Gill Sims and Rachel Butson from Pelican Healthcare and Rone Sills from Manta Medical to our booth who assisted us throughout the Conference. Claudine Jardine, an Eakin competition winner and nursing professional from South Africa, also joined us on Monday and demonstrated her winning case study on eakin Wound Pouches. Please click to access the case study ‘Appendicitis to Fistula’.

A huge thank-you to all those who called at our booth to tell us how much you love eakin Cohesive® and the miracles it has worked for your patients. To view pictures from the event or if you had your photograph taken with Mr Eakin you can now download your pictures by clicking here.

For those of you who didn’t pick up a sample of the eakin Cohesive® Slims® at the Conference, the eakin Cohesive SLIMS® will be available from ConvaTec in the USA from 1st July 2010 and in Canada later in the summer.

Cohesive® Washers Available from Pelican Healthcare

Posted on

We would like to reassure you that this excellent product is very much still available and is now distributed by Pelican Healthcare Limited.

It has come to our attention that some of you have been advised by your home delivery company that Cohesive® Seals, also called washers or rings, are no longer available. We would like to reassure you that this excellent product is very much still available and is now distributed by Pelican Healthcare Limited.

Regardless of what type of letter you have received, or what you have heard from any other company representative, Cohesive® SEALS ARE STILL AVAILABLE and Pelican have ample stocks available to supply everyone. You do not need to change your prescription to any other product, nor should you let anyone persuade you that you have to change.

Cohesive® is manufactured by TG Eakin Limited, a sister company to Pelican Healthcare in the Eakin Group. The change of distributor to one of our own companies represents a kind of coming home for Cohesive® and everyone at Pelican is very excited about making the product available to you.

From the 1st May you will notice a change in the packaging of Cohesive®. Please be assured that these changes are to the packaging only: the product is exactly the same as you are used to.

If you have any difficulties getting Cohesive®, or have any queries regarding its use, please phone us on 0800 318282 between 8.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. We would love to help you.

TG Eakin celebrates their first Queen’s Award

Posted on

For the first time TG Eakin Limited has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.

We are extremely proud to have gained the most prestigious award for business success and will hold this award for the next 5 years.

The Queen’s Awards were inaugurated in 1966 and have since been honouring the highest achieving UK companies. TG Eakin Limited is one of only three companies in Northern Ireland to have been awarded this distinction in 2010.

Jeremy Eakin, Managing Director, commented on the latest achievement for the company. “We are delighted to received the Queen’s Award for International Trade – it is a great tribute to our company and the dedication of our work force and confirms our continuing success despite a challenging economic environment. Our turnover increased by over 30% last year and we anticipate further growth of 15% in the coming year. We are also planning the construction of a factory extension which will double the size of our premises, securing the future of more than 50 jobs and creating further employment.”

Later this summer, a presentation will be made to the company by the Queen’s representative, the Lord Lieutenant of the county.

Colorectal Cancer Event in Kenya

Posted on

During the South African Conference, Jeremy met with one of the key nurses Prilly Stevens, who has recently retired. Prilly had been working voluntarily in Kenya, helping to train some ET Nurses.

Last year alone, turnover grew by 20% and is on target to grow by an additional 30% this year. Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and member of the judging panel, remarked, “Companies in the SME Category are superb role models of the type of entrepreneurial, innovative and export driven business that Northern Ireland needs for faster economic growth. I am confident that these companies will go on to become industry leaders and thereby encourage others to follow the trails they are blazing”.

TG Eakin Ltd was also commended in two further categories in the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards. ‘Business Team of the Year ‘ recognised the people orientated approach to management and the excellent level of service delivered by the company. The commendation in ‘Exporting Achievement’ reflected on the company’s success since they began exporting in 1992. In the past 2 years exports have extended to seven new countries and in 2009 TG Eakin Ltd introduced its first “franchise” companies in Holland and Germany.

Both judging panels were hugely impressed by the success of TG Eakin Ltd as a whole. Among the key factors contributing to this success is the strong relationships built with their distributors, regular business planning, high employee morale, an innovative approach to manufacturing and an excellent service quality.

Best Small/Medium Business in Northern Ireland

Posted on

Receiving the ‘Best Small/Medium Company’ accolade in the Belfast Telegraph NI Business Awards, was a testament to business growth, profitability and overall success in the past few years.

Last year alone, turnover grew by 20% and is on target to grow by an additional 30% this year. Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and member of the judging panel, remarked, “Companies in the SME Category are superb role models of the type of entrepreneurial, innovative and export driven business that Northern Ireland needs for faster economic growth. I am confident that these companies will go on to become industry leaders and thereby encourage others to follow the trails they are blazing”.

TG Eakin Ltd was also commended in two further categories in the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards. ‘Business Team of the Year ‘ recognised the people orientated approach to management and the excellent level of service delivered by the company. The commendation in ‘Exporting Achievement’ reflected on the company’s success since they began exporting in 1992. In the past 2 years exports have extended to seven new countries and in 2009 TG Eakin Ltd introduced its first “franchise” companies in Holland and Germany.

Both judging panels were hugely impressed by the success of TG Eakin Ltd as a whole. Among the key factors contributing to this success is the strong relationships built with their distributors, regular business planning, high employee morale, an innovative approach to manufacturing and an excellent service quality.

One of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies!

Posted on

TG Eakin Ltd has been named as one of Ireland’s ‘Best Managed’ companies in the prestigious Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards.

As one of only twenty companies who were chosen, our efforts were recognised at an awards gala dinner in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, which was attended by the Irish Taoiseach, Mr Brian Cowen T.D., on Friday 5th March 2010.

Now in it’s second year, the Awards Programme is open to companies from all 32 counties on the island of Ireland and is the only awards body that considers a business’ performance from every perspective.

The independent judging panel reviewed a broad range of criteria including strategy, capability, commitment, financial performance and growth potential across all key functions of the business. Given the turbulent economic environment, the judges recognised that business and management success can no longer simply be measured by increased sales, profit or turnover. For that reason, a holistic view of the company, performance in relation to competitors, and the industries specific factors were considered in order to determine management success.

Commenting on the winners of the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme, Pat Cullen, Managing Partner, Deloitte said, “To be recognised as a Best Managed Company is a tremendous achievement. Our judging panel takes an in-depth look at each company – therefore to be chosen as a winner is testament to the sound management practices that are being implemented across the entire business.”

David Latto, Head of Corporate Banking, Bank of Scotland (Ireland), and judging panel member added that, “The 20 winning companies are an inspiration for all Irish companies by managing to show great focus and dedication in what has been a difficult year”.

As identified by the judges, among the key factors contributing to the success of TG Eakin Ltd is the strong relationships built with our distributors, regular business planning, high employee morale, an innovative approach to manufacturing and an excellent level of service delivered by the company. This award is a true reflection on the skills and efforts of the company as a whole.

Swedish Nurses visit St Mark’s Hospital, London

Posted on

Åsa Gustavsson and Christina Schulz visited St. Mark’s Hospital in Harrow, North West London, on a research trip earlier this month along with our Swedish distributor Maud Jägerman of M Care.

Åsa and Christina, who are both stoma nurses in Linköping University Hospital in Southern Sweden, are trying to create a Fistula Centre of Excellence within their own hospital.

During their trip, they attended the Burdett Institute at St. Marks Hospital which provides education and carries out research into GI disorders and is also a Fistula Centre of Excellence in the UK.

The visit to London was funded by TG Eakin Ltd and arranged by Julia Williams, a Senior Lecturer in Gastrointestinal Nursing at the Burdett Institute of GI Nursing with King’s College, London and St. Mark’s Hospital, Harrow.

Jeremy Eakin, who met with the nurses during their visit said, “We are extremely grateful to the Burdett Institute for their help and support in hosting this visit for the Swedish nurses. In particular I would like to thank Julia Willams for her hospitality and for organising this event.

I know that Asa and Christina found this visit to St Marks hospital extremely beneficial and they learned a great deal during their visit. I wish them well in their efforts to make the University Hospital of Linköping a Fistula Centre of Excellence”.

Pictured (L-R) are Åsa Gustavsson, Maud Jägerman and Christina Schulz outside St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow

Knowledge Transfer Partnership Awards

Posted on

In November Dr Grace McGroggan, Research Supervisor within our R&D Department, was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Knowledge Transfer Partnership Awards for Northern Ireland.

Grace joined TG Eakin Ltd in January 2006 and completed a 3 year research partnership together with Queen’s University Belfast after which she gained employment with the company. During this time Grace has developed Perform™ Solidifying Agent and more recently Surround™ Skin Protectors, as well as a number of other products that are in the latter stages of development.

The KTP Award was in recognition of the development of Cohesive™, which was launched in October 2008 and has been a successful addition to the eakin product range.

Congratulating Grace on her success, Jeremy Eakin commented, “This is an excellent achievement for Grace and extremely well deserved. Since joining the company, Grace has really embraced all of the challenges which have been handed to her and has been pivotal in helping with our new product development program. Already some of her new developments have successfully been brought to market and I am pleased to say there is much more in the pipeline, including one significant project which should come to market within the next 24 months.”

Also employed with the company through the KTP programme is Matthew Wilson, who is on his second year of the research partnership and doing extensive analysis into urostomy care. We will keep you updated on further developments and findings.

Dr Grace McGroggan (pictured above) from TG Eakin Ltd accepting her award from Carol Keery, Director of Innovation, Research and Technology for Invest NI.