L-A-C Logistics Automation

What are your best-known products/solutions/services?

L-A-C are a diverse automation supplier and system integrator providing innovative solutions to our customers. We have our own high-quality conveyor product range, manufactured here in the UK. Software and robotics firepower, alongside strategic partnerships with several other leading technology providers, collectively meet our customers’ needs in the growing logistics automation space.

How is your industry sector performing at the moment?

As with many industries, the logistics market was a bit slow at the beginning of 2023, however despite the cautious start to the year, L-A-C have performed well and we have had another recordbreaking order intake year, which is a testament to the hard work of all the team at L-A-C.

Which industry sectors are your customers in and which ones are growing fastest?

Our customer base covers many different sectors with a mix of retail, manufacturing, 3rd party logistics, and spare parts. The manufacturing industry continues to grow with a driving trend to onshore materials and finished goods to overcome supply chain challenges.

Which areas of your business are the best performing?

We have invested in all areas of the business this year to ensure we maintain growth and strength. Our manufactured conveyor range has been re-engineered to ensure we can provide our customer base with fast lead times and robust solutions to their requirements. With this we have certainly seen an increased demand for conveyor systems and modules across all industry sectors.

Which areas of your business are the best performing?

We have invested in all areas of the business this year to ensure we maintain growth and strength. Our manufactured conveyor range has been re-engineered to ensure we can provide our customer base with fast lead times and robust solutions to their requirements. With this we have certainly seen an increased demand for conveyor systems and modules across all industry sectors.

What sets your company apart as a supplier in your category?

What sets L-A-C apart is our ability to service our customers with holistic solutions at a pace, with a personal feel. We pride ourselves on developing partnerships and long-term relationships with our clients and are committed to customer service excellence.

What are your most recent product innovations?

Alongside our systems integration projects involving conveyors, we have a strong robotics division. The team are always working on exciting innovations to meet the growing demand in this area; one in particular is a robotic solution in the insect farming industry!

What are the major trends and developments affecting your category and your customers, and how are you responding?

An industry-wide issue facing everyone in warehousing and logistics is the shortage of labour and is the biggest challenge our customers face. However, this is also one of the biggest and most positive drivers for investment in automated projects. The other key challenges our customers are facing are speed of delivery and order processing efficiency, both of which automation can facilitate.

Can you tell us about any recent customer contract wins or projects and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?

We are delivering a goods-to-person order fulfilment solution for one of the leading UK energy suppliers to enhance efficiency within their spare parts supply chain. One of the biggest challenges was meeting the strict cut-off times to enable their engineers to service end-customers. Our Solutions Design team worked closely with the client to devise the optimal solution, which involved deep diving into data analysis and exploring their projected future requirements.

How were business levels in 2023 compared to previous years?
We have seen fantastic growth year on year within L-A-C and 2023 has been no exception. We have a passionate and diverse team which has brought with it a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise, enabling us to dig deeper into our core industry sectors, offering solutions that utilise a combination of great technologies to satisfy our customers’ requirements.

What is your strategy for succeeding in 2024 and how do you plan to grow your business?

At L-A-C, our year-on-year growth continues to be strong. Our strategy is multi-faceted, but one of our key workstreams is focused on developing our software platform to give end-to-end control of our solutions. We are also proud of our hardware with our new standard conveyor range which enables L-A-C to offer a full turnkey solution for our customers.

Do you invest in staff training and skills development?

Our staff are the lifeblood of everything we do at L-A-C. We believe in providing all our team members with a level of training, but we are also firm believers that the most effective personal development comes through being empowered to solve problems and overcome challenges, with ongoing support throughout. We find that with the right type of mindset, our team thrive and learn quickly to the betterment of both the individual and L-A-C.

What is the company’s commitment to social responsibility?

At L-A-C we are passionate about giving back. We recently raised over £3,000 through the Business Fives football tournament for Hayward House, part of the Nottingham Hospitals Charity that we are active supporters of.

Are you helping customers boost the level of automation in their business?

Automation lies at the heart of what we do at L-A-C. For some customers, automation is a new area for their business, and we take time to work with them to highlight the benefits and ROI of automation investment for efficiency and long-term growth potential. For customers who already have a level of automation within their operations, we can either enhance, replace, or create a new bespoke system altogether, in line with their business needs.

Do you help customers maximise the use of their existing warehouse space?

This is one of the most significant areas where L-A-C can support our customers and is key in business case justifications. Our solutions for storage will typically offer the best cubic use of a building and each system is designed to be fit-for-purpose, ensuring the customer benefits from optimal efficiency with the agility to expand in line with their growth objectives.

Will you be investing in your premises over the next 12 months?

We continuously invest in our infrastructure and product offerings to support our ambitious plans for growth in the coming years. We have just completed an office refurbishment at our premises in Nottinghamshire, and we have also recently invested in a range of new equipment in our fabrication facility which will allow us to increase overall capacity for projects and installations.

How future proof and flexible are your solutions?

With such strong data-driven solutions and design teams here at L-A-C, we are lucky in the fact that we are not restricted by equipment limitations. We have standard technologies but have the flexibility to adapt and design specific applications and products to ensure we provide the right solution. This enables us to design and implement systems that can handle customers’ peaks and troughs and with the right data to hand, we can factor in for future growth.

What exhibitions can we expect to see your company exhibiting at in 2024?

We have several opportunities in 2024 to showcase L-A-C at events in the UK, including Tomorrow’s Warehouse in both Coventry and Manchester, along with the UKWA conference taking place in our hometown, Nottingham.

How would you sum up your company in three words?

Dynamic, friendly, experts.