How Much Laboratory Centrifuge Repair Owners Make: $95k Salary, $11M EBITDA

Raise the Effective Hourly Rate

Measure realized hourly rate, not just posted price. Use a trip charge, diagnostic minimum, and emergency premium so short calls still cover travel and diagnosis. Quote the job before dispatch, then compare booked rate to billed rate by service line each month.

• Test rates by job type.
• Watch conversion and renewals.
• Bill parts separately.
• Cut unpaid quote time.

Protect PM Margin

Track active contracts, PM mix, realized hourly rate, travel time, paperwork time, small parts, and callbacks. Use PM to fill routes between emergency jobs, not to absorb unpaid time. When the schedule is tight, the real win is steadier cash and less pressure to chase new work.

• Measure hours per PM job.
• Price parts and follow-up separately.
• Watch callback frequency by contract.
• Forecast cash from the PM backlog.
• Keep route gaps billable.

If PM share climbs from 75% to 95%, schedule stability improves, but only if emergency work still fills the gaps. That mix keeps the owner’s draw safer than relying on one-off repairs alone.

Map Routes Before You Add Headcount

Track drive time, billable hours, and revenue per tech day by zip code. If a market is sparse, push more preventive maintenance into clustered accounts and set route minimums so each trip covers its cost. A clean target is simple: more on-site hours, less windshield time.

• Measure miles per billable hour.
• Limit low-density same-day dispatches.
• Hire only after route fill is steady.
• Document training and QC checks.
• Watch callbacks, insurance, and owner time.

Price By Skill, Not By Hope

Track job mix by complexity, not just hours. Separate work by emergency, calibration, and regulated-lab scope, then compare each job’s billed rate against the technician’s actual training. One clean rule: no qualified tech, no quote.

• Approve jobs by certification level.
• Log rework and callback cost.
• Review margin by customer type.

Use that data to raise rates only where the market accepts the risk and documentation load. The goal is simple: keep high-complexity work profitable, not just busy.

Control Parts, Then Control Rework

Track parts cost as % of revenue and callback rate by job type. Set markup rules before quoting, and review any exception that would push a repair below target gross margin. For a lab service shop, the right question is not “Did we move the equipment?” It’s “Did we finish it once, with the right part, at the right price?”

Keep critical stock tight and documented; the launch inventory cap is $35k, so each shelf item should earn its place. Forecast fast movers, limit slow parts, and require a clear parts policy on emergencies and warranty work. If callbacks rise, owners lose both cash and labor capacity, which slows the path to paying themselves.

Track Finished Hours, Not Just Calls

Measure booked jobs, completed billable hours, and nonbillable time by technician and job type. Here’s the quick math: if active customers climb from 65 to 85 billable hours per month, the same customer base can support more revenue before adding headcount. Protect owner income by capping daily dispatch, cutting callback work, and watching response time and contract renewals.

Use a weekly scorecard for travel, diagnosis, paperwork, and parts waits. If nonbillable time starts taking a bigger share, profit drops even when bookings look full. Keep enough slack for emergency calls, because one late response can hurt both cash flow and long-term contract retention.