Michel Vuillemin has been managing the franchised real estate diagnostics firm Diagamter Aléa Contrôles de Chemillé Cholet in the Pays de La Loire region for 15 years. With an increasing volume of lead diagnostics, the firm decided to upgrade its equipment, switching from the XLp lead analyzer to the FEnX 2, the new lead device designed by Fondis Electronic and released in 2021.
Portrait: Michel Vulliemin and Cabinet Diagamter Chemillé-Cholet
Before starting out in the property diagnostics sector, Michel Vulliemin worked in the building products industry. Looking for new challenges, he entered the property diagnostics field in 2007, joining the Diagamter franchise network. His firm now has a team of eight people.
Over the past year, the firm has expanded its activities to include asbestos and lead testing prior to construction and demolition, under the brand name Aléa Contrôle (the group’s second brand).
“There are a lot of buildings in our region that were built before 1949, so CREP (lead exposure risk assessment) represents a significant part of our business. We carry out lead exposure risk assessments (CREP) every single day. We have been regularly carrying out pre-construction/pre-demolition lead inspections for several years. Initially, demand was sporadic, but since then it has increased to two cases per month, compared to four cases per year previously,” says Michel.
The difficulties of lead testing
The manager of Diagamter points out that the time required to complete the test can double with a slow device, especially when performing a CREP and inspecting older properties, and when there are many diagnostic units (UD) to measure.
“With a recent machine, it’s much faster. As professionals, we have set time limits that cannot be reduced. When we are limited by a somewhat slow device, there is no human way to speed up the measurement. Indeed, if the inspection takes longer than expected, the schedule becomes more complicated to manage as a result.”
Switching from XLp to FEnX 2
Since it began operating, the company has been equipped with a Niton XLp X-ray fluorescence analyzer (the model preceding the Niton XLpS). This machine is now over 15 years old. When it broke down, the question of upgrading to a newer device arose, and that is how the firm came to choose the FEnX 2 lead analyzer.
“We can really see the difference with the FEnX 2; it is a much more maneuverable and lightweight device. It’s truly a new generation of lead analyzer. It’s an effective piece of equipment that our team of technicians accepts without question. Their opinion is very important because they are the main users. They easily mastered the device thanks to the video tutorials, and they find the FEnX 2 easy to use, lightweight, and fast.
We chose to rent because it’s more flexible for us and the after-sales service is a factor, because if there’s a problem with the device, it completely disrupts the schedule. Now, I’m sure I’ll have a lead machine on loan. Everything is included in the package, so I won’t have the pressure of finding a replacement machine.
Fondis Electronic after-sales service: your guarantee of quality service
Fondis Electronic’s after-sales service team consists of more than 10 people who take care of lead analyzers and respond as quickly as possible to requests from real estate diagnostics professionals here in France. “I naturally turned to Fondis Electronic without really thinking twice. I already had the XLp and it was working very well; I haven’t had many problems with the device in 15 years. When something did happen, the after-sales service was very responsive. Even sourcing parts has always been quick. What Fondis ultimately gives me is peace of mind.”
A leader in its market, Fondis Electronic has been supporting real estate diagnostics professionals for over 20 years. Our teams develop and supply X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers for detecting lead in paint. Come and meet our teams at the annual convention of the Diagamter franchise network to discuss the latest industry news and discover our range of lead analyzers.
