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David Cameron visits LPRS as company celebrates its most successful year to date
It has been a year of dramatic change at LPRS, the UK based supplier of short range radio devices and sensors, from the launch of the company’s third generation of successful easyRadio modules to a complete review of the company’s cost base from manufacturing to marketing.
This on-going success has been noted and drew the attention of local MP and Prime Minister, David Cameron, who paid the company’s offices in Witney, Oxfordshire, a visit at the end of last month. Met by the company’s MD, John Sharples, Mr. Cameron was shown a demonstration of temperature and humidity sensors, being used extensively in museums and art galleries to monitor temperature and humidity as well as lux and UV levels as well as tactile room equipment that use LPRS’s wireless technology to help teach and stimulate disabled children.
confirmed that LPRS had recently been accepted by to the department’s “Passport to Export” programme and was “looking forward to working closely with the department.” Cameron urged that as a newly accepted
participant in this initiative that he’d be keen for any feedback LPRS was able to offer. He also went on to say that he would be happy to take SMEs with him, as well as large companies, when he toured abroad. “You just have to email me and ask to come along.”
After the visit Sharples said that he had been “delighted to receive our local MP and Prime Minister, David Cameron” and had been
John Sharples with David Cameron
Speaking to CIE before the visit Sharples explained that with the sales growth the company was experiencing it had been vital that it focused on becoming more competitive. “We have had to dedicate considerable resources into ensuring that we are competitive, have a reliable supply of components and are able to offer on time top quality wireless modules.” In response the company completely
outsourced the procurement and manufacturing process to Transonics and Danlers, respectively, which has enabled it to focus on product development and support.
As Sharples explained to Mr Cameron
“Working with our partners we’ve been able to free up valuable internal resources and are now able to manufacture competitive, world class products in the UK”. Certainly something that was welcomed by the Prime Minister. During his visit David Cameron spoke of the importance the government attached to small businesses like LPRS. “With the economic problems we’re experiencing at the moment a key question for us is what can government do to help micro businesses like yours?”
Sharples took the opportunity to highlight concerns he had over business planning “especially at a time when customers are scheduling at much shorter notice” and as a result he needed a more
4 December 2011/January 2012
flexible workforce which he felt was being hampered by employment legislation. That raised the question of recruitment and Mr Cameron was keen to find out whether the company had been recruiting and whether it was struggling to find the right type of employee.
Sharples said that because of the sales
growth experienced during 2011 the company had indeed looked to recruit an additional design engineer but that the best candidates had tended to come from overseas. “We needed a talented design engineer but couldn’t find any suitable talent from within the UK. We appointed an Indian graduate Srikanth Ganji, who had recently graduated from Glyndwr University with an
M.Sc. in Advanced Electronics. His expertise ranges from embedded systems electronics design and testing, RF systems, advanced control systems and advanced CAD to project management and research methods.” “We need talented people to continue
new product development and to get involved with customer projects,” said Sharples.
Mr Cameron agreed and suggested that the newly announced Queen Elizabeth Award would “help to stimulate a growing interest in manufacturing and engineering in the UK.”
Sharples went on to explain to the Prime Minister that with strong growth
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and a healthy 2012 order book the company would now be focusing on growing export markets in Europe, South America and Asia where they were actively seeking representation. In fact the company has recently appointed a distributor in Singapore and is about to appoint one in Israel. Mr Cameron asked whether LPRS had been using the services of UKTI. Sharples
“encouraged by his interest and understanding of the challenges facing SME’s, particularly with procurement and cost effective manufacturing in the UK.”
Sandie Sharples, the
company’s newly appointed Client Services Director agreed. “While we are a small company we have big ambitions and are building a talented and enthusiastic team. A visit from the Mr Cameron is obviously great for moral, but equally, we are pleased to be passing on a good news story which we hope will inspire other small businesses manufacturing in the UK.”
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