Member Article

Lambert announces best ever November

One of Yorkshire’s fastest growing manufacturers celebrated its most successful November ever after securing four major industry awards and its biggest ever contract.

Lambert, a leading provider of automation systems, equipment engineering and precision components, claimed the prestigious ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ title at the recent TMMX Awards hosted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The Tadcaster-based company beat off the challenge of more than 100 rivals from across the UK, with the high-profile judging panel announcing it as the best-all round ambassador for UK manufacturing and a role model for its peers.

That was not the end of the winning for the ambitious firm, with three more awards - Customer Focus, Leadership and Strategy, Innovation and Design – secured and now on display at its facility in North Yorkshire.

It came on the same day that the company announced the best 24-hours of sales in its 42-year history, with £9m of new business agreed.

“I don’t think we’ll ever have another day like it,” explained Matthew Cox, Sales Director at Lambert.

“To gain one TMMX Award is an achievement, but to walk away with three titles and the main ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award has surpassed our wildest dreams.”

He continued: “We involved 30 of our people directly in the judging process and many more across the business when completing the applications. It was a real team effort and highlights how passionate our employees are in delivering world class innovation to our customers.

“The TMMX Awards are a great marketing tool and we’ll be using them to open doors with potential customers and for attracting new members of staff. We’ll also do our bit to promote manufacturing in the UK and will be more than happy to hold best practice visits so other firms can take a look at how we do things.”

2015 has been a significant year of growth for Lambert, with its determination to bring the next technology step change to market helping it land a number of new business partnerships.

The recent £9m order success will be delivered over the next 18 months and involves a new modular manufacturing platform for medical devices that will eventually be installed in Europe and South America.

This work gives the company a fantastic foundation to achieve its ambitious plans to turnover £28m by the end of 2016, an ambition that will require another 25 staff, including four apprentices.

“Automation is such a popular topic at the moment, with even the emerging countries looking at how they can take labour out of the equation to improve productivity,” explained Warren Limbert, Managing Director.

“A lot of our work is to strategically help our customers and their production lines work smarter by developing highly innovative, affordable automation solutions.”

He continued: “Working with some of our key supply partners, we have developed technologies that truly differentiate our customers, elevate them beyond their competition and help make them Number 1 in their respective marketplaces.

“2015 was a major milestone in our development as a business and marks the start of our 5-year strategy to increase turnover by 90% by 2020.”

Lambert, which currently employs 185 people, exports nearly 85% of its sales to more than 25 countries across the world.

Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP in Yorkshire are proud to have been advising the company for the last eight years.

Jason Whitworth, M&A Partner and Head of Manufacturing at BDO in Leeds, concluded:

“Manufacturers in the region and across the UK play a critical role in rebalancing our economy and driving long-term sustainable growth.

“Lambert is a great example of how manufacturers that have the confidence and foresight to invest in innovation, technology and customer service can reap the rewards in both domestic and international markets.

“To win three awards and be named ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ is testament to the hard work and leadership of the management team and their skilled workforce.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .