n a year marked by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which triggered harsh restrictive measures that either ‘slowed or paralysed’ activity in the sheet metal industry, Lantek — it has a UK subsidiary in Malvern, Worcestershire — achieved a record turnover. In 2020, sales reached 21.3 million euros, slightly higher than the figure recorded in 2019.

The Spanish multinational developer of software, digital factory solutions and the digital transformation of the fabrication and sheet metal sector, has more than 220 employees worldwide.

During the toughest quarter of last year, with confinement measures affecting many of its international offices, Lantek suffered a contraction in sales of 10.4%, but rebounded as measures eased and sales returned to pre-pandemic levels. In December 2020, the company invoiced 2.1 million euros, an increase of 9.9% compared to December 2019.

The company also achieved a record figure in terms of the number of active users. In 2020, the company gained 2,247 new customers, bringing the total to 25,747 distributed across more than a hundred countries; the overseas markets now account for 88% of revenues.

By region, the impact of the pandemic was felt most in Europe, where the mobility restrictions imposed by governments were more severe than in other areas. However, in recent months Western Europe has ‘regained some traction’, while South Korea, China and the USA have been achieving ‘robust growth’.

Alberto Lopez de Biñaspre, Lantek’s CEO, said: “We have closed a really complex year, but we have been able to adapt, respond and mitigate it. Our activity has not stopped, and productivity has increased; and in the last part of the year our strong order book and maintenance contracts helped us recover lost ground and end 2020 with a turnover above that of 2019.”

Lantek recently opened a new ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Bilbao, which is in addition to the company’s headquarters in the Alava Technology Park. This new facility will be staffed by at least 40 ‘professionals’, mainly from the fields of engineering, physics and mathematics.