Lantek, a leading multinational company that provides software solutions for the sheet metal, metal, and structural steel industries, has appointed Adam Ball as its new commercial director of its UK office. He will be taking over the reins from Rob Powell, who has been working in the industry for over 40 years.
Mr Powell said: “I joined Lantek in September 2000 with only one Lantek Expert system installed in the UK. It was hard at first to get the name known in the market but, once companies understood that Lantek was one of the best CAD/CAM systems for punching and profiling and backed this up with top class support, the business flourished with 20 systems installed by 2005 and around 1,500 in the field now.”
Mr Powell will continue as director of OEM Partnerships in the UK for the first quarter of 2025. This has been an area where Lantek has excelled with over 120 OEM partnerships with sheet metal machine tool manufacturers worldwide. Its Expert software has been tailored to optimise the particular strengths of each make and model of machine, covering laser, punching, waterjet, oxy cutting, plasma, tube cutting and combination machines all within one integrated system.
Milestone yearDuring Mr Powell’s tenure as commercial director, Lantek UK has expanded and now employs 14 people dedicated to sales and customer support, providing the highest levels of service for its users. He added: “2010 was a milestone for Lantek with the launch of the Integra ERP software. This was an innovative step, offering the industry a business system designed to suit the specialist requirements of the sheet metal industry. The demand for this software is taking off as the UK market is becoming more mature and it is set to be a major part of our offering, producing a step change for our customer’s operations.”
Mr Ball, takes up the role of commercial director with over 20 years’ of experience in sheet metal machinery gained in senior roles in service, applications and sales. His in-depth and diverse knowledge of machinery and manufacturing processes will bring a thorough understanding of every aspect of business to Lantek’s clients, providing them with real world solutions that will reduce costs and increase productivity.
He said: “It is an exciting time at Lantek, as software development is continuing at an increasing pace through artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud applications and it is a privilege to build on Rob’s achievements. Lantek is unique in the depth, capability and integration of its sheet metal software which enables manufacturers to choose the most suitable machining and cutting technologies for their company, integrating this with the administrative aspects of their business for maximum efficiency, productivity and profitability. I am really looking forward to the challenge and to playing my part in the continued growth of our business.”