Lantek focuses on integrated solutions

Lantek's UK business grew by 24% during 2012 - it now has more than 500 customers, across the country, using its world leading Lantek Expert CADCAM software for the sheet metal and fabrication industry and is now focusing on integrated solutions. Companies within the sheet metal and fabrication sector understand the need for dedicated software, linked to their CADCAM system, to run all their business processes, from quotation through to dispatch, says the company. Worldwide, Lantek has responded to this trend by appointing specialists to focus on the need for business integration and management. In the UK, Edward Waddington is the new Solution Sales Manager. He has an extensive background in ERP implementation, support and account management and he will be using his experience to help existing Lantek customers achieve a step change in business efficiency. Additionally, he will be developing new opportunities in the steel fabrication and processing industries. The Lantek Integra suite of software integrates with Lantek's full range of CADCAM software and offers customer relationship management, purchasing, sales management, including costs and selling prices, inventory control, and banking. The Lantek Manager and Lantek Wos systems keep track of manufacturing progress in real time, offering tools for managers to optimise production processes and compare actual events and times with those that were planned. Included with the systems are modules that make it possible to maintain part traceability and history, providing valuable information for the optimization of future production. For the structural steel industry, the company offers Lantek Steelworks (see video). It integrates with leading Building Information Modelling systems, such as GRAITEC. It uses the shared data to build a project plan, including budgets, financial forecasting, purchasing, production control, certification and reporting, allowing managers to have full visibility of the key phases of a project. Says Mr Waddington: "Lantek's ERP solutions are geared towards particular market sectors and will offer customers the specialist functionality needed to excel in these industries, functionality which is simply not available in generic ERP systems." Already, Lantek has some major users, such as C. Brown and Sons, which process in excess of 100,000 tons of sheet and plate each year and which uses the system to manage all its activities from nesting and customer relationship management to subcontracting and the identification of new business opportunities. Lantek has offices and partners worldwide and its new initiative of offering a special focus on solution provision will enable international companies to leverage the benefits of dedicated ERP in all their manufacturing plants, wherever they are located.