First founded in Basque Country, Spain in 1986, the sheet metal software company opened its first UK office in 2000.
“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,” Powell said in a statement.
He 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.
The company said 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.
During Powell’s tenure as Commercial Director, Lantek UK has grown to 14 people dedicated to sales and customer support, providing the highest levels of service for its users.
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“2010 was a milestone for Lantek with the launch of the Integra ERP software,” he added. “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.”
Adam Ball, the company’s new Commercial Director, has over 20 years of experience in sheet metal machinery gained in senior roles in service, applications and sales.
“It is an exciting time at Lantek, software development is continuing at an increasing pace through AI and cloud applications, and it is a privilege to build on Rob’s achievements,” Ball said.
“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.”
