Duncan Stanton, Managing Director share the story on LinkedIn:
5 years ago today, my acquisition of Lamonde Automation Limited was completed. Hot on the heels of the Brexit vote I was in the driving seat, terrifying, exciting, stressful, and fun, all in one. Do I regret any of it? Not in the slightest.
Its been a roller coaster ride at times, however, the upward trajectory that started in 2016 has continued, 2021 has been particularly strong, in spite of challenges such as the dreaded “C” word, & the component crisis, the strategy planning I did in the early days with Chris has well and truly paid off. Thanks, Chris.
We gained ISO 9001:2015 in 2017 with kind help from Alan, and Gary, thank you both for your assistance with this. The extra credibility gave us a stronger foothold with blue-chip customers.
A return to printed ads, returning to the exhibition circuit & face to face meetings with clients, old and new helped fuel sales & growth. A particular highlight was finally meeting Alexander after years at the end of the phone & e-mail, he became my expo-buddy – with his enthusiasm for the products he’s used and the applications he’s worked on- a walking case study!
Existing supplier relationships have been reinforced, in particular, with AutomationDirect and Weintek Labs., Inc. our sales have grown, & continue to do so.
New Products Added
New product lines have been added to our growing portfolio, first up, Control Techniques, UK based #DriveObsessed manufacturer. More recently, we’ve partnered with TEKNOKOL Support Arm & Control Panel Systems giving great “value add” to our HMI range. In September 2021, we partnered with Teltonika Networks for LTE Routers to bolster remote access and connectivity options for our HMI & PLC products.
Moving an Office
Moving to Manor Royal BID at the start of 2020 was a great step-up from the rabbit hutch I’d moved us to in 2015 ahead of my buy-out. It’s a great location for us and has supported our growth with space for customer meetings, more space for stock & easy loading access for palletised deliveries. We have great neighbours here; FASTSIGNS Crawley helped us with signage, former neighbours CK Interiors & Construction carried out much of the refurbishment, along with Innovation Fire & Security doing what they do best. And of course, The Real Pizza Company for fuelling us every now and then!
There are many I’d like to thank for their help, support, encouragement, coffees etc. In particular, Maria, a Lamonde stalwart has been a massive support. Gavin has been fully supportive and helped massively with work on the website and much more. Michael found Merlin Business Software to replace Sage50 – Stuart from Merlin did a great sales job, fantastic software that has supported our growth. Audrone ran our accounts until recently, & was just as much a part of the story so far as anyone else. Naomi brought a wealth of experience with her which has helped immensely.
Thank you, everyone: colleagues, customers, and suppliers. Here’s to the next 5!