For another 35 years: the future is in our hands

Carlos García Villate, R&D director, Lantek

I invite you on a journey into the future: let’s imagine Lantek 35 years from now. It’s just around the corner! Will you join me?

Here we are in the year 2056 and there have been many changes in the industrial and, of course, Sheet Metal world. Lantek is, if possible, even more of a leader. Gone are those small workshops which, in the early decades of the century, were our clients, and whose level of digitization and technification was relatively low. In 2056, the industrial world is hyperconnected and automated to levels that we can hardly imagine, and globalization has taken over all areas. The economy is one of them. The price of raw materials has reached levels that are difficult to sustain with the production model that we were using in 2021. The population has continued to grow, and with it, the demand for all kinds of products and services in our sector. Value chains are fully digitized and optimized: there are no more emails, phone calls or written communications. So are distribution and logistics chains: ships, trucks and trains operate autonomously.

All of this is a consequence of the need to make the economy sustainable at a global level. People are the brain that controls and manages production processes, which have a very high level of automation, although there are still highly specialized jobs that require a great deal of qualification and can only be carried out with human intervention. In any case, these are rare in this system that demands extensive production, quickly and in the right quantity (stock hardly exists), maintaining customer proximity and a very high level of customization and quality.

Also, in 2056, Lantek is still fully prepared to face the challenges posed by our clients. Lantek brings them the complete end-to-end solution for their value chain: from quoting to delivery of the finished product. For them, we’re their key partner. Not surprisingly, after 70 years of work, we know the Sheet Metal world better than anyone, and we are able to offer a global and multi-manufacturer solution that combines the best services and technologies for the specific needs of each client.

The Lantek solution is seamlessly integrated into the value chain of the final manufactured product, that is, it coexists perfectly in this hyper-connected world in which B2B companies operate. This level of integration, which follows a true plug & play model, has only been possible thanks to the efforts made in the industry, which has made enormous progress in standardizing integrations between different platforms. And it’s also due to the concentration phenomenon that has occurred, where only a few companies remain.

Lantek’s key to survival has been knowing how to provide a high level of automation in the execution of industrial processes. The Lantek solution makes it possible to draw up quotes in an almost automated way, which in many cases doesn’t require human intervention and where only by setting rules it is possible to control possible deviations, thus avoiding risks that endanger our clients’ business.

Also, our CAD/CAM solution has a high level of autonomy: it only requires the participation of expert programmers at very specific moments. Our solution is also capable of generating the best manufacturing routes, maximizing our clients’ objectives and allowing them to meet the high quality demands and delivery times required in the current context.

We live in a world where everything is connected. Its parts react automatically to the constant changes that occur on a day-to-day basis. Factories are now true smart factories and are governed by machines and devices that have developed a very high level of intelligence, and that react to any change that occurs. Devices and software coexist in almost perfect harmony. However, the human factor remains key: scaling, control and supervision, as well as setting objectives, will be a task exclusively entrusted to people.

This is where Lantek’s proposal shows its value, providing workers with tools to supervise and control all of their processes, along with alert mechanisms when predictions exceed the objective values set by our customers.

Now that we’ve imagined it, all that’s left is to work on making it come true. I’m absolutely certain: The future is in our hands!