In the year that Lorien Engineering Solutions reported its best-ever performance across a range of industries from brewing to pharmaceuticals, it also continued to bolster its long-held reputation in the food sector. The specialist project management company, which is based in Lichfield, works alongside market leaders in every area of food production, from confectionery and dairy to baked products and canned foods, providing high-tech manufacturing facility design and project management services.
Lorien’s Business Development Manager Peter Jones says the company’s food-based projects constitute almost 50% of its overall turnover, and the sector continues to be a real growth area:
“In the current climate we are seeing clients putting extra emphasis on increasing efficiency and maximising resources in every way possible, from fuel costs and waste to raw materials and transport. This in turn of course has positive ramifications for their carbon footprint.
“Such is our knowledge and experience of the food sector, we can work closely with clients on projects which address these concerns and ultimately ensure their productivity and efficiency is as high as it possibly can be.”
Having started out from a brewing base some 23 years ago, Lorien has since diversified into all forms of food, beverages and pharmacy products production, as well as developing specialisms in sustainability and health and safety consultancy. It now employs 70 people from its Lichfield base in the rural heart of the Midlands.
Projects Director Roy Klek comments: “2007/8 has been an exceptional year for us, seeing increases in both our turnover and profitability on what was a very good 2006. We have also seen our client retention level climb to a best ever 90% (from 82% in 2006), with clients commenting that Lorien’s commitment to client partnering and the quality of our people are the features they value above everything else.” (Data taken from Lorien’s client feedback report 2006/7).
Klek believes that it is the people who make the business ‘different’: “The complexity of projects we deal with is quite stunning, and it takes a special type of professional engineer to quickly grasp the needs of clients engaged in businesses as diverse as producers of butter and lager to asthma treatments,” he said. “We have been lucky in finding some really excellent people, some of whom have wanted to broaden out, and others who have found a specialism while they have been working for Lorien.”
The latest development for the business has been a substantial increase in the number of staff dealing with both health & safety issues and environmental sustainability consulting work.
Roy Klek concludes: “Bearing in mind the current slowdown, ‘business is booming’ stories are becoming less common. We believe that the future of this business is assured however. The diversification of the business as well as successfully selling our skills to the international market helps, but it really is how well clients appreciate our staff that will ensure our immediate growth.”
Lorien Engineering Solutions
Tel: 01543 444244
www.lorienengineering.com
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