LPW Technology celebrates 10 years of Additive Manufacturing
May 15, 2017
LPW Technology Ltd, Runcorn, UK, this month celebrates 10 years of developing, processing and supplying metal powders and software solutions to the metal Additive Manufacturing industry. Established in 2007 by Dr Phil Carroll, the company began life as a one-man operation, but now employs 74 highly skilled staff, having created 54 new positions in the last two years alone, as well as a popular apprenticeship programme.
“In the last decade, LPW has seen rapid growth,” stated Carroll. “We value our ability to think ahead. The company has developed a comprehensive range of products and services, including the development of new alloys, and of PowderLife, an innovative suite of hardware and software systems that control risk in critical manufacturing processes for industries including aerospace, automotive, biomedical and energy.
“We’ve undertaken a program of continuous R&D so that we can better support our clients, and as our knowledge continues to increase, so we’re benefitting from the growing market for an innovative, customer-focused powder supplier that is always anticipating the future needs of the industry.”
The company has won multiple awards in recent years and entered the Sunday Times Lloyds SME Export Track 100 in 2017, debuting at No. 29, and the Northern Tech 100 2017 league table at No 28. In 2016, the company was included in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and was awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
Later this year, LPW reports that it will move to a £20 million purpose-built ‘factory of the future’ in Widnes, Cheshire, UK. The company expects to recruit to up to 120 new team members by mid-2019.
“The last ten years have seen Additive Manufacturing growing from a technology sector producing mainly prototype modelling, to a production industry engineering challenging and intricate components for serial production in major industrial verticals,” added Carroll. “With analysts forecasting the global metal AM market to grow to over $2 billion by the year 2020 at double digit CAGR, we’re looking forward to the next ten years!”
