What C&M Scientific does

C&M Scientific is a UK-based laboratory equipment distribution and servicing company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Livingston, Scotland. As of 2026, C&M Scientific operates under the Labserve brand following its merger with Northern Balance, forming a single laboratory services business within the SLS (Scientific Laboratory Supplies) group. The company supplies laboratory equipment — including freezers, refrigerators, cabinets, balances, pipettes, and temperature-controlled units — and provides a comprehensive services portfolio covering UKAS-accredited calibration, Ph.Eur. and USP performance testing, equipment validation, preventative maintenance, breakdown and repair, equipment hire, and laboratory consultancy.

The business is built around on-site field engineering: locally based engineers deliver services directly to laboratory facilities across the UK, supported by ISO 17025 (UKAS), ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 accreditations, and by more than 450 years of combined engineer experience across the combined C&M Scientific and Northern Balance teams. The technology stack is predominantly physical and procedural — traceable measurement, audited documentation, and online calibration certificates — with no disclosed software or AI component.

C&M Scientific / Labserve generates revenue through professional services (calibration, validation, testing, maintenance, repair, consultancy) and equipment sales/hire, with quote-based, non-public pricing. It serves academia, biotechnology, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and beverage, and healthcare customers, with named enterprise relationships including Piramal Pharma Solutions, CPI's RNA Centre of Excellence, and the University of Bradford. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by a content-driven website (knowledge hub, case studies, accreditation badges) and sub-brands WeighAssured and BioStore extending the recurring-revenue service surface.

Name

C&M Scientific

Legal name

Labserve Ltd

Website

https://cmscientific.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

C&M Scientific is a UK-based laboratory equipment distributor and field-services company, now operating as Labserve under SLS. It supplies and services balances, pipettes, freezers, and analytical instruments, delivering UKAS-accredited calibration, validation, and maintenance to pharma, academia, and regulated industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Equipment Servicing & Calibration

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Maintenance, Service Contracts & Equipment Repair (Field Service, Parts) (HLAGAIAN)

Keywords

• Laboratory equipment servicing
• UKAS calibration services
• Equipment validation testing
• Preventative maintenance plans
• Laboratory repair services

Headquarters

HQ city

Livingston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Equipment Servicing & Maintenance: Professional laboratory servicing for consistent equipment performance including preventative maintenance plans and scheduled servicing contracts.
2. Calibration Services: UKAS or traceable calibration services with online certificate access for audit readiness. Includes pipette calibration for all makes and models.
3. Breakdown & Repair Services: Rapid-response repair services to restore equipment performance and minimise operational downtime.
4. Validation Services: Fully documented equipment validation for reliable performance and audit-ready compliance.
5. Equipment Hire: Short- and long-term laboratory equipment hire for temporary replacement or additional capacity during maintenance periods or unexpected downtime.
6. Equipment Solutions: Laboratory equipment solutions supporting custom build-outs, upgrades, and replacements.
7. Consultancy Services: Expert laboratory consultancy services for equipment decisions and preventative maintenance planning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

C&M Scientific (now operating as Labserve) is a UK-based laboratory equipment services company that provides servicing, UKAS-accredited calibration, validation, performance testing, breakdown/repair, preventative maintenance, equipment hire, equipment supply/solutions, and consultancy for laboratory instruments such as balances, pipettes, freezers, refrigerators, and monitoring systems. The company delivers services on-site through locally based field engineers across the UK, primarily serving regulated laboratory environments in academia, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, chemicals, food & beverage, and healthcare.

Product overview

Labserve is a laboratory equipment servicing company built on the combined expertise of C&M Scientific and Northern Balance. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including Validations, Calibrations, Testing, Breakdowns, Servicing, and Preventative Maintenance Plans, alongside Equipment Solutions and Equipment Hire. Additionally, Consultancy services covering Preventative Maintenance Consultancy and Equipment Consultancy support informed equipment decisions. The portfolio includes sub-brands WeighAssured and BioStore. With over 450 years of engineer experience, the company supports laboratories across academia, biotechnology/life sciences/pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food & beverage, and healthcare industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WeighAssured: Pipette calibration service brand
• BioStore

Products and services

• Validations Fully documented equipment validation service providing reliable performance evidence and audit-ready compliance documentation for laboratory instruments.
• Calibrations UKAS-accredited or traceable calibration services with online certificates for audit readiness, including pipette calibration for all makes and models and weighing calibration for laboratory balances.
• Testing Performance testing services for legal verification and compliance with Ph.Eur. Chapter 2.1.7 and USP Chapter 41 performance checks on laboratory balances.
• Breakdowns (Repair Services) Rapid-response breakdown and repair services to restore laboratory equipment performance and minimise operational downtime.
• Servicing Professional laboratory servicing for consistent equipment performance and regulatory compliance.
• Preventative Maintenance Plans Tailored preventative maintenance plans (combined with preventative maintenance consultancy) designed to extend equipment lifespan, reduce operational disruption, and minimise unexpected downtime.
• Equipment Solutions Laboratory equipment solutions supporting custom build-outs, upgrades, and replacements, including the BioStore equipment management sub-brand.
• Equipment Hire Short- and long-term laboratory equipment hire providing temporary replacement or additional capacity during maintenance periods or unexpected downtime.
• Equipment Consultancy Expert laboratory consultancy services supporting confident, compliant equipment investment decisions and preventative maintenance planning.
• WeighAssured Sub-brand program providing weighing equipment assurance, including pipette calibration, under the Labserve brand.
• BioStore Sub-brand program providing laboratory equipment management and storage solutions under the Labserve brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid-response breakdown services minimise operational downtime
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SLS (Scientific Laboratory Supplies)coreOthersLabserve is an SLS Company. Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS) is the parent company, providing laboratory equipment, consumables, and services to the scientific community. The Labserve brand combines C&M Scientific and Northern Balance expertise under the SLS umbrella.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: International testing, inspection and certification (TIC) conglomerate with laboratory calibration and equipment validation services across the UK; comparable in calibration, ISO 17025-accredited work and regulated-industry customer base.
• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection and certification company with substantial UK laboratory calibration and life sciences testing operations; competes with Labserve for regulated-industry calibration and validation mandates at enterprise scale.
• Avantor (VWR): Global laboratory supplies and equipment distributor offering instrument servicing, calibration and bioproduction support; comparable to Labserve's combined equipment distribution-plus-services model, though at far greater scale and across broader product categories.
• Element Materials Testing: Global testing, inspection and calibration services group operating UK labs; overlaps with Labserve on regulated laboratory calibration and validation work across life sciences, food and chemical testing, though at much larger scale.

Others

• Helmer Scientific: Manufacturer of medical and laboratory refrigeration and temperature-controlled storage; directly relevant because Labserve services Helmer equipment and recently hosted Helmer training sessions — represents the OEM counterpart whose service programmes compete with third-party calibration revenue.
• Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS): Parent company of Labserve and the UK's largest independent laboratory equipment and consumables distributor; comparable because it shares the lab equipment distribution channel used by C&M Scientific/Northern Balance and is the natural cross-sell counterpart for service contracts.

Emerging players

• Bibby Scientific (Stuart Equipment): UK-based laboratory equipment manufacturer and service provider (Stuart, Jenway, Techne brands) covering temperature-controlled units and analytical instruments; competes with Labserve in equipment supply while also being a potential service-partner or OEM customer.

Direct peers

• Transcat: US-listed calibration and laboratory instrument services provider with a comparable UKAS/ISO 17025-aligned business model focused on regulated-industry calibration and validation — a close functional analogue to Labserve's UK calibration and validation services.
• Camlab: UK-based laboratory equipment supplier and service provider combining equipment distribution with calibration and instrument servicing — a direct UK competitor with overlapping freezers, balances and pipette services.
• Trescal: Global pure-play calibration services provider operating across Europe including the UK, with direct overlap on UKAS-traceable instrument calibration, validation and field service — the most direct competitor to Labserve's calibration and validation offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cm_scientific

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C&M Scientific