A Poole-based metal engineering specialist is marking its 25th anniversary…

A Poole-based metal engineering specialist is marking its 25th anniversary by
setting its sights on expanding its capabilities to appeal to a wider range of
industries.
Lawton Engineering has been part of the British family-owned Lawton Tubes
business since 2001, when the American-owned Dorset Tubes was acquired by
Lawton Tubes and renamed.
Since then, it has become an important part of the wider business, supplying
bespoke copper and other alloy components such as copper nickel to
customers across a range of advanced manufacturing sectors.
Today, Lawton Engineering distributes around 1.2 million metal parts each
month to engineering customers, producing components used within
applications including automotive, marine, clean energy, distilleries and
electronics.
With demand for specialist copper components continuing to grow, the
business is now looking to expand its reach and is expected to open up new
opportunities with HVAC manufacturers, plumbing specialists and life science
suppliers, as well as other sectors where precision copper tubing plays a
critical role.
Over the past 25 years, the Poole facility on Thrush Road has undergone
significant transformation following the Lawton Tubes takeover. Internal
processes have been modernised, including improvements to the factory
workflow, the introduction of a modern enterprise resource planning system
and a renewed focus on workforce development and training.
These changes have helped strengthen the site’s manufacturing capabilities
while ensuring it can meet the increasingly complex requirements of
engineering customers.
Derek Bond, Operations Manager at Lawton Engineering, felt the anniversary
marked an important moment to reflect on how far the site had come and
where it could go next.
He said: “The transformation we’ve seen here since becoming part of Lawton
Tubes has been remarkable, both in how the factory operates and in how we
approach serving our customers.
“We used to be ‘busy fools’, but now we’ve streamlined the flow of work
through the facility, invested in systems that give us far greater visibility
across production and strengthened the skills of our team.
“25 years after becoming part of Lawton, we have a great opportunity to build
on that foundation allowing us to move into new markets such as HVAC,
plumbing and life science manufacturing, where precision copper and other
alloys components are essential.
“There’s a real sense of optimism about the future here. We’ve spent the last 25
years building a strong platform, and with new equipment and processes on
the horizon, we’re confident the next 25 years can be even more successful.”
Giles Lawton, Managing Director of Operations at Lawton Tubes, said the
anniversary was also an opportunity to highlight the long-term importance of
the Poole operation within the wider group.
“Lawton Engineering has become an important part of our engineering
capabilities over the past 25 years and it plays a key role in helping us support
manufacturers who need precision copper components,” he added.
“What makes the Poole site special is the depth of experience within the team
and the flexibility they bring to complex engineering projects.
“We’re excited about the potential as it will allow us to serve even more
industries and support customers with increasingly sophisticated
requirements.”