Lantek, a ‘pioneer of the digital transformation of companies in the sheet metal industries, says that at the recent Blechexpo exhibition — the company’s first trade show appearance after the Covid-19 outbreak — a high level of interest was shown in the latest features and enhancements developed for its software portfolio.

At the event, Alberto López de Biñaspre — Lantek’s CEO — also shared details of the company’s expansion plans following the new partnership with high-tech company Trumpf.

On the first day of the show, Christoph Lenhard — Lantek’s sales manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland — said: “We were very much looking forward to welcoming our visitors back to a trade show after such a long absence due to Covid-19 — and to present the innovations of Global Release 2021 to them in person.

The pandemic was a difficult time, but we came out of it stronger because we learnt a lot. Our customers have developed new needs, such as the increased requirement for compatible solutions for both remote and office working. This new situation reinforces our decision to develop a range of cloud products to service these new realities.

“To meet these needs, Lantek has recruited many new specialists with the necessary expertise. This has been necessary as, compared to the development of software for desktop applications, the cloud requires different programming skills and in-depth knowledge of infrastructure and services.”

Double-digit organic growth
Alberto López de Biñaspre confirms that this development pace will continue. “We have been experiencing double-digit organic growth for years, and at the end of the third quarter of this year, sales were 30% higher than last year.

“We have traditionally invested large proportions of our income in R&D, and through our new partnership with Trumpf — the largest industrial group in the machine tool sector — we now have the necessary resources to increasingly pursue this path. In 2022, we intend to make the largest investments in our company’s history.

“We want to increase our commitment to R&D by 70%. To do this, we plan to grow our workforce by 50% over the next 12 months from the current 260 employees worldwide, with a clear emphasis on R&D and our international customer support team. Lantek is thinking long term — with a growth plan that extends into 2025.

“This year, Lantek celebrates its 35th anniversary, the 30th of the opening of our French subsidiary and the 25th since the inauguration of our German one. Our expansion plan not only strengthens our brand positioning but also enhances our international structure, bracing and expanding our current international organisation and footprint.

“Both Trumpf and Lantek are family-owned companies, so we share values and business principles and a common vision for the future: to turn companies in the sheet metal industry into ‘Smart Factories’, making them more efficient and more competitive.”