Southport manufacturer Lattimer has driven turnover to £10.6million after ramping up sales by 30pc in the last 12 months.
The firm is a global leader in precision engineering – predominantly for the glass container manufacturing industry – with a twin facility in Vineland, New Jersey, USA.
Latest audited reports show a 31pc increase in UK sales and 34pc increase in US sales. Exports now account for a total of 92pc of turnover, with 17pc of this coming from European markets.
The group reported a £7.7million turnover in its last financial year and £9.9million the year previous.
The UK operation now employs a total of 72 staff following a number of new appointments in the last year, with three new apprentices starting in the 2015/16 financial year. The US operation, which buys in ‘turned parts’ from the UK and machines its own large castings, employs a total of 42 staff.
Lattimer Holdings CEO Stephen Waterhouse said the overriding majority of work is being delivered within the glass container industry and Lattimer’s specialist knowledge of this niche market is proving invaluable.
“This rapid growth has been driven by combination of factors including opening up a new business stream with a major customer in northern Europe,” said Mr Waterhouse.
“In addition to this the Lattimer team has made a huge effort to drive brand profile overseas for a number of years and this work is now coming to fruition. We embarked on an ambitious export business development plan around three years ago involving consistent site visits to overseas territories and distributors.
“Another key decision was made to replace a 30-year working arrangement for the German and eastern European markets including Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Croatia and Austria with a specialist ‘in-house’ team benefiting from unique understanding and expertise in these areas.
“Lattimer’s largest overseas markets include Australasia, the Middle East and Africa. And in the first half of 2016 we have already matched last year’s overall sales total for the Ukraine and Russian markets, so growth is consistent and continuing.
“However, after many years exporting we understand it is a long-term process. To succeed you have to invest in site visits and building relationships in order to educate and inform customers of the benefits of our products and services.”
Lattimer was originally founded in 1937 as a general engineering company. For more than 30 years it has been at the forefront of design and manufacture of components and assemblies for the glass container industry.
In the last 12 months Lattimer has manufactured more than 3,000 different types of component parts for customers. It’s broader product range includes more than 20,000 products broken down into 14 groups, made through a number of different machining processes – milling, turning, mill-turning and grinding.
Within the glass container industry Lattimer has two key targets – the glass factories and also the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) who sell into the factories.
Despite initially starting out as a competitor to the OEMs Lattimer is witnessing growing demand from OEMs due to the high performance quality of its products and fast manufacturing turnaround.
It is currently involved in a cutting edge project with two North West partners and an OEM to deliver an automatic mould lubrication system for the bottled glass manufacturing industry. The pioneering project is being driven by new health and safety standards placing pressure on industry.
Lattimer UK managing director Mark Hailwood said the firm has seen a sharp rise in demand for small batch specialist parts required at short notice. It has delivered more than £500,000 worth of small volume orders, many of which are one or two specialist parts.
“Lattimer’s ability to deliver high-precision parts in low volumes at high speed is a key selling point to the market,” said Mr Hailwood. “This form of engineering sees the development of hundreds of unique complex products over the course of a year. It requires world class technology, manufacturing expertise, inspection and quality control. Every team member on the shop floor engaged in the manufacturing process must be able to exercise first class quality control.
“Many of the products Lattimer manufactures have either never been made before or at least not for many years and often require input from our in-house design experts who can interrogate designs to drive efficiency as well as problem solve and troubleshoot.
“The recent upturn in work has resulted in the formation of specialist cells managing key accounts. These include elite teams of highly experienced precision engineers and designers who have worked at the firm for decades.
“As a global leader in precision engineering within our sector we require highly-skilled staff with passion and enthusiasm for the business. We have 30 years of experience and a highly committed team able to produce unique products to exact specifications anywhere in the world. This level of industry experience and expertise is invaluable to the business.”
For more information contact Mark Hailwood on +44 (0)1704 535040, email mark.hailwood@lattimer.com or visit the website www.lattimer.com.
Notes to editors
Lattimer background
Lattimer is a globally renowned precision machinist. It designs and manufactures more than 20,000 component parts predominantly for the glass container manufacturing industry. The main sector it operates in is bottled glass manufacturing. It is effectively a one stop shop for IS variable equipment. Lattimer employs 120 people across two manufacturing facilities located in Southport North West England and in New Jersey, USA overseas sales account for 92pc of all sales. Turnover for the group is circa (£10m * subject to change). It is understood to be Southport’s largest manufacturer. Lattimer was originally founded in 1937 as a general engineering company. For more than 30 years Lattimer has been at the forefront of design and manufacture of components and assemblies for the glass container industry. Deals in 2014 saw Lattimer expanding its presence in the Southeast Asian market, with particular success in the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. Europe remains a strong trading market with further sales success in the Americas and China.