With almost two decades of experience across veterinary equipment and servicing, Glen Raines – head of veterinary at MQ Vet, part of diversified medical business Mediquip – has seen a lot of change. We caught up with Glen for some interesting insights…

From animals being increasingly regarded as family members rather than pets and their owners prepared to invest more in their wellbeing, to the growth of buying groups across the veterinary industry, and vets making their own oxygen, the past 19 years in vet equipment and servicing has been interesting, Glen said.

Glen joined Mediquip in 2004, bringing his wealth of experience in technical servicing. Since then, he has grown the veterinary unit of the business which recently branded as MQ Vet – offering complete equipment solutions, servicing, and advice.

“I love the technical challenges and enhancing clinic efficiency – as well as the great diversity across the veterinary sector: from the design and installation of gas scavenging setups, to oxygen generation and the building of custom anaesthetic machines, through to representing leading manufacturers from around the world in equipment distributorship and as service agents.”

Growing from an original base which was mainly in Queensland, the Mediquip Group now has around 90 employees across Australia, including a dedicated team of experienced technicians – servicing equipment including anaesthetic machines, infusion pumps and syringe drivers, medical gas equipment, oxygen concentrators, monitors, scavenging systems, sterilisers and lighting.

“We have technical specialists accessible 24/7, maintenance programs, and comprehensive records available via our online medical asset administration system MAAS, which supports hundreds of thousands of medical assets all over Australia,” he said.

MQ Vet also offers a broad equipment portfolio which extends across anaesthesia, dental, diagnostics and furniture, to gas equipment, IV therapy, monitoring, sterilisation, surgical, and more.

It has veterinary sales specialists across Australia and many of the team have worked in veterinary environments for years so understand the practicalities and demands of day-to-day clinic life.

“Our business has been supporting vet practices for over 35 years, and I think it’s our technical support, nationwide servicing team, and complete installation services plus project management capabilities that are our real point of difference.”

Glen said since MQ Vet / Mediquip introduced PSA oxygen supply systems to the Australian veterinary market in 2005, it has provided both small oxygen concentrators and large oxygen supply plants to over 500 vet clinics and vet hospitals.
“Making your own oxygen can be cheaper than renting cylinders, buying refills and paying for deliveries – and it also gives clinics peace of mind that they won’t run out of oxygen during a procedure or out of hours.”

Glen said in most cases, creating your own oxygen supply requires only a little more space than your cylinder storage. It also has the benefit of reducing potential for workplace injuries by removing the need for handling cylinders, and the compressors may be utilised to supply air tools, venturi suction, scavenge and medical air.

MQ Vet offers decades of experience in the removal of waste gases from veterinary clinics – from site analysis and scavenging system design to installation and servicing. The team’s engineering experience supports correct positioning and pipework for efficient, effective scavenging systems, with various options capable of running as many as 30 outlets.

Glen said an area they’re seeing increasing demand for is veterinary fit outs and project management, including medical gas reticulation, oxygen supply plants, medical lighting, scavenging and sterilisation solutions.

Our project team works with clinics, their builder or fit out company and other service providers and shares insights from our decades of experience in vet equipment fit outs. We talk though requirements, project scope, budget, and discuss potential solutions. 

The MQ Vet team has worked with countless clinics around Australia and understands technical requirements, equipment positioning and how to optimise installations for smooth and efficient ongoing performance.

“We’re discerning in who we partner with to bring quality solutions and have solid working relationships with plumbers, gasfitters and electricians around Australia.

“So much knowledge comes from experience and it’s the insights from our decades of veterinary fit outs where we add value, along with our technical training.”

Glen said at installation, sterilisers, oxygen plants, and theatre lights need to be set up properly for optimal function, so the MQ Vet team does calibrations and performance verification.

“In terms of fit outs, we’ve seen what configurations and placements work best, and we’ll raise considerations you may not have thought about. For example, you may need 3 phase power. We go the extra mile to help our partners with solutions for every challenge.”

MQ Vet and the broader Mediquip team are committed to quality, the company has ISO9001 quality assurance certification and adheres to Australian standards. 

“We pride ourselves on being accessible and easy to deal with,” Glen said.