Lantek, finalists for the “Business Excellence Recognition Award” at the 19th Toribio Echevarria Awards

Vitoria, 17 December 2008- Lantek, world leaders in the development and marketing of comprehensive CAD/CAM and ERP solutions for the machine tool sector, was one of the six finalists selected from a total of 30 candidate companies to compete for the "Business Excellence Recognitions Award" at the 19th Toribio Echevarria Awards for Innovative Entrepreneurship in the Basque Country, held in the town of Eibar.

Established in 1990 by the Eibar Consistory and the Gipuzkoa Berrilan Business and Innovation Centre, the Toribio Echevarria Awards were created with the aim of encouraging and acknowledging initiative, innovation, entrepreneurial skills, creativity and business development, particularly focusing on technological innovation in Basque companies.

The Toribio Echevarria Awards, considered the longest-standing awards in the Basque Autonomous Community and those with the highest prize money - over 100,000 euros - highlight the work of the companies competing for each of the awards, "as these are companies working on highly matured projects, with a major technological and innovative component, with enterprising teams of professionals and long-term technological sustainability", the members of the organising committee explain.

One of the main new features of the 2008 Awards, which coincide with the Year of Innovation, is the creation of a new category: the "Business Excellence Recognition Award", complementing the traditional awards for Business Ideas/Projects, New Companies and the Technology Area.

Lantek’s nomination for the recently-created award shows that it fulfils all the requirements and complies perfectly with the profile of these companies, due to its professionalism and desire to promote and disseminate Basque technology worldwide, having become the main developer and supplier of CAD/CAM/ERP software solutions for the sheet metal cutting and forming markets.

The proof is in its network of 19 own offices in 16 countries worldwide, with over 8,500 companies working in 90 different countries. In addition to its entrepreneurial leadership capacity, other important aspects that played a decisive role in Lantek being chosen as a candidate for the “Business Excellence Recognition Award” are its social commitment, its ability to create highly qualified employment, its high growth rate, its presence on international markets and its contribution to modernising one of the Basque Country’s most strategic industrial sectors: the metal forming industry.

“For Lantek’s team of over 200 people, our first-time nomination for these awards is a great honour. Although we did not win the award, it is an acknowledgement of over twenty years of good work and we are very grateful indeed that the effort we have made and our faith in research, development and innovation have been valued, even more so against the present background of market uncertainty and difficulties”, comments Alberto Martínez, the Manager of Lantek Sheet Metal Solutions.

An innovative, successful project

Lantek was founded in 1986, and since its market launch it has grown constantly on a global level with the aim of becoming a world leader in the development of comprehensive CAD/CAM and ERP software solutions for the metal sector, satisfying customer needs at all times.

Its development vocation and commitment to innovation - an area to which it dedicates between 18 and 20% of its annual turnover - together with continuous improvement of its solutions and services, have enabled Lantek to achieve this objective.

Aware of the importance of the international challenge, Lantek has maximised its presence on other markets right from the start. As a result of this internationalisation, Lantek aims to be present in all the areas in which its products are marketed, and to be closer to its customers, providing them with added value, an optimum after-sales service and technical support in their own language.

At present, Lantek has offices in the USA, Germany, Argentina, Italy, the UK, South Korea, France, Spain, China, Japan, India, Poland, Mexico, Turkey and the Czech Republic. It also has a large worldwide network of distributors.

Another of the multinational’s strong points, apart from its technology, is its team of people: a solid, continually expanding structure made up of over 200 professionals specialising in different business areas (Engineering, IT, Economics, Marketing, etc.) and with long-standing sector experience, providing coordination and efficiency for each of Lantek’s projects.

Lantek’s exponential growth since it started out is a solid guarantee of quality and continuity for its customers.

About Lantek

Lantek is a leading multinational company in the development and marketing of comprehensive CAD/CAM and ERP solutions for the machine tool sector. Its capacity for innovation and its firm faith in internationalisation have enabled Lantek, founded in 1986 in the Basque Country, to become a world reference with its Lantek Expert sheet metal cutting and punching solutions. Today, the company has over 8,500 customers worldwide, its own offices in Spain (Vitoria-Gasteiz), the USA, Germany, Argentina, Italy, the UK, China, South Korea, France, Japan, India, Poland, Mexico, Turkey and the Czech Republic, and a network of distributors in over 90 different countries. In 2007, 80% of its income derived from its business abroad.