Why Test your Biomed and Biotech Products ? And Why send them to QRA International ?

 

Why QRA ?  

Let me state the reasons :

QUALITY 

The "Q" states Quality. Quality in our mission, our ethics, our people, our products, our services, our procedures and our prices. 

Customers come to QRA for Quality. High Quality. For our :

a) Consultancy - we have over 30 years of testing and equipment distribution expertise and know how to advise most of your issues regarding reliability testing, accelerated aging, shelf life testing. We offer them with respect, and with humility so that both parties, you the client and we the vendor can get maximum leverage on cooperating with each other. 

b) Services - we provide prompt, cost competitive, and reliable service to every client big or small. Yes, we do have limitations in our resources, but we are nimble and try our very hardest to accommodate to each and every enquiry from all everywhere in the world. No client is too small for us to ignore. Our commitment to serve you is in our corporate DNA.

c) Products - we source the world over and select only the best, based on our 30 odd years of seeking, auditing and providing quality, assured. 

d) Reliability -  a quality of the products over their entire lifespan. That is normally a 10 year commitment. 

RELIABLE 

"R" stands for Reliability. Customers can rely on us to provide the stated test services, our repair services, our products and our people can stand up and be counted upon. We show up when the chips are down, on the table and up. 

ASSURANCE

We assure you of nothing but the best from us. Our products, our services, our people and our pride in giving you the assurance that you can count on us every time and at any time. 

That is the WHY QRA answered. 

Goodbye to a Friend.

                                                   Real Heroes never wear capes, RIP Michael

                                                                  1962 - 2025

Today, I received sad news that a school aquaintence, Michael Poore, passed away. It was sad sad news, and it set many of my school mates reflecting on the happy times each of us had with him.

I wasn't close to him, but I had heard many good things about him, especially his care and love for the disenfranchised youngsters at Northlight School. He was a teacher there for the last 15 years or so, and through my close friends, I heard how he had to relearn and review his outlook on his teaching methods, as his charges all had major issues. He had previously worked some 20 years in the Food and Entertainment industry so moving to teaching at 45 years of age, was a major shift, a paradigm shift in mindset.

The students have troubled backgrounds, many come from broken homes, abusive family environment, or have one or both parents in jail.  The students may also be involved in gang activities, take opiods and have run afoul of the law.   As they are juveniles, the system normally tries to reintegrate them into society and one of the institutions which is offered is this school, Northlight School.

Michael taught in this school and he posted on one of the school's websites the challenges he had as a teacher, a mentor, and also as a friend. I read and reread his Magnus Opus or life's story encapsulated in 5 pages. I was very touched. Police were almost always sent to the school for major disciplinary issues and external serious cases. The kids were not your traditional neighbourhood ones, nor even the usual bullies.  

Michael never gave up on them, and continued to motivate them, even as he sought to provide leadership and instill values to their broken young lives.  

My good friend Ajit told me, that Michael when they were both in Primary school, whenever Ajit forgot to bring his lunchbox or hadn't been given pocket money, Michael would generously share half his lunch sandwiches with Ajit.

This is the measure of a man. A measure of a man, is valued  not by what he created, an empire, a huge pile of money, many assets etc. 

A measure of a man, is how many lives he touched, helped and influenced for the better.

Rest in Peace, Michael Poore. 

A true hero.

A Saint whom I am proud to be associated with.

Carpe Diem.

What will my (or yours) mindset be when I am 85 (and hopefully still alive) ?

Pause if you will this Sunday 21st Sept 2025. Think about where you are. Now you may be in the prime of your life, your earning capacity is the maximum, your health is well and under control, you have ample reserves in your bank account and assets. If you are in this place, well and good, but think what or where you will be physically and mentally say 20 to 25 years on. 

What would you need to do, to think that you have had a good life at 83 or 85 years of age ?

This set me thinking when I watched a Youtube video about a Brit who has lived in Singapore these last 20 years, his first Japanese wife passed on just 3 years into their marriage when they were both living in Singapore and he decided to stay on, even though he was burdened financially and emotionally with 2 young toddlers. Very tough on him and crucial decisions which he made and he is now on Youtube telling his life story and what would make his life meaningful.

I strongly believe that if I use my dilligence, talents, and relationships I can and will make a difference to the lives of people that matter to me. 

My immediate family, my extended family, my company, my close friends and then on further afield to my alma mater, my school and business associated friends and then so on and so forth.

If I have made an impact, then when I am  85, I will be relatively satisfied to myself that I mattered to some people who meant so much to me.

My mindset would then be preparing for my next stage, death. I am not very religious, but I believe that God exists and He should be guiding me as I move on in life.

My ties with my Alma Mater remain ever strong

 

L to R : Chew Ping Nan, Andrew Lee, Fong Kai Yew (front), S Thedasidas (back),Gurdeep Singh (Glasses), Yours Truly, Charles Tay (with Mahjong tile), M Chandrakanth, Yap Tzin Haen (Hat with  7  Glasses), Hong Heng Chow (Blue Hat) 

Yesterday I attended the St Andrew's Alumni Annual Dinner held at the School Hall. I graduated from secondary school many decades ago, yet when I meet my school and classmates, I am talking with them like we were still in Secondary 4 !

We swapped stories about who got into trouble with the principal and got caned, who was the top boy of the school (Dux), and who recently became gradfathers. The lovely flow of life.

No airs, no expectations and best of all no comparisons. Just being in the present and talking about the past. 

It was such a lovely and august dinner, many thanks to the managing committee and the Alumni President Terence Han and his team for making this a dinner and a get together to remember.

Up and On !! 

Temperature Shock Tests

 

2 Zone Temperature Shock Tests from QRA International Pte Ltd.

QRA International offers very competitive prices with reports for 2 zone temperature shock tests at our Labs in Singapore. Temperature Ranges :

Typical Test Range from :

- 65 C to 150 C

Cold Zone : from - 80 to - 40 C

Hot Zone   : from + 70 to 200 C

Transition Time : approx. 10 seconds

Number of Cycles (settable) : 100, 500, 1000 

Cycle Duration (typical) : 30 minutes

For more information please contact : 

QRA INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD.

Website : www.qra.com.sg

Email    : mark@qra.com.sg

Why Use Test Laboratory Services ?

 

When your company is a small start up and it is time for Quality Assurance, there will be an internal management meeting, several key questions will come up :

a) Do we test in house of send them to outsource testing ? 

What are the Pros and Cons for outsource testing ?

Pro (For points) 

Outsource testing is very convenient, PROVIDED the Lab service provider is familiar with the types of testing.

+ On call (or social media)

+ On short notice (upon PO and availability of test equipment)

+ No service issues (they take care of the equipment)

+ (BIG) No rental of factory space (the equipment is in their Lab)

+ Reports provided (upon request and additional costs)

+ No big ticket CAPEX purchase (test chambers new costs USD 40K and above each) 

+ No need for trained staff or expertise to hire to ensure machine runs smoothly during duration of test.

+ (BIG) No need to pay increasing electricity bills.

Cons

-  Proprietary data is not exclusive

-  Machines may be booked till a long time later

-  No impressive machines on show to your clients.

Well these are the Pros and Cons as far as I can think for Laboratory Services

Dunning Kreuger - Height of Ignorance and Stupidity - My Own Experience.

 

Many of you would have heard of the Dunning Kreuger effect, or the height of stupidity. Essentially this is the peak of Mount Stupid. You do not even know what you don't know.

I know personally of people who are so ignorant and stupid, yet overstate their abilities until they fall flat on their face, that is when they receive a 'wake up' call that they are out of their league, and maybe then, they will learn from their mistakes.

I had a period where I thought, I knew everything there was to know in the environmental simulation industry and ventured in project management without the proper tools to weather

a) delayed deadlines

b) unfulfilled deliverables

c) very unreasonable customers

d) arrogant procurement 

e) rude top management.

In short, I was ignorant and rather stupid to believe that with a little knowledge and many years of experience, my team and I would be able to weather all the storms of project delivery and compliance.

I also trusted too much on outsource equipment suppliers without proper audit of their full facilities, so the result of the 2 projects which my company secured (each project worth was over S$ 1.2 million at the time of order) was :

> 1 delivered on time, specifications met and slight delay in payment

> 1 delivered on time, specifications not fulfilled, numerous redesigns, numerous meetings and thrash outs, many sleepless nights and liquidated damages, resulting in lower profit margins, weight loss and some mental distress for several months.

That was my Mt. Stupid period (2015-2016). I went to the valley of despair ( end 2015-mid 2016), my other business units were all shut to focus on settling the major project, else, the result would have been catastrophic and business closure, possibly company bankrupcy. 

We made out of it scarred but unbowed. The experience was put to great use, and we went on as a company to deliver many more such systems worldwide.

The slow climb up was arduous, but it was necessary - for me as a person and also for the company.

The lessons learnt ?

Never ever think you are invincible and know more than everyone. Now, I use these strategic steps ever so often in my daily work :

>Under Commit 

- Never give the whole performance away, if its at the edge of the technology spectrum, always talk through the expectations with the customer and try to lower them. It sounds counterproductive as technology always is pushed to the boundaries thats where the legends in tech are made. 

- Can I as the business owner afford to take this risk ? Well the decision above is my answer.

>Over Deliver

- Deliver better than what you promise. Then everything will be 'hunky dory' 

The other way around where 90% of suppliers do is a sure fire way to failure ;

- Over commit on their specifications 

- Under deliver on their deliverables.

It is a sure fire way of failure and the subsequent consequences of that failure will follow. 

>Do multiple Risk Assessments of the Potential paths to take, playing out possible end game  scenarios with realistic expectations of each and every outcome.

Slowly and surely ; 

Up and On.