A Greater Manchester-based manufacturer and supplier of laboratory and medical equipment says it has ‘risen to an unprecedented challenge to assist in the frontline fight against COVID-19’, while simultaneously forging ahead with ambitious growth.
LTE Scientific, based in Greenfield, near Oldham, specialises in the manufacture, supply, and service / testing of medical and laboratory equipment including autoclaves (devices that use steam to sterilise), medical sterilisers, endoscope drying/storage and decontamination solutions, and a wide range of laboratory thermal equipment. It supplies equipment and ‘expert after-sales support’ to UK and international clients across a range of sectors including hospitals, pharmaceutical, biotech, research laboratories, universities, veterinary practice, agri-food, drink, and automotive. LTE recently successfully achieved a two-day turnaround to supply and install a specialist autoclave to allow the urgent commencement of COVID-19 testing at a laboratory at the Alderley Park science Park in Cheshire.
The company has kept up with demand and production throughout the virus outbreak to enable it to continue to supply its essential equipment and service to healthcare providers and laboratories UK-wide, and is ‘pushing forward with its investment and expansion plans to ensure it continues to be an international market-leader’. This is reflected in a number of key internal promotions across all departments and ongoing investment in training and recruitment. Externally LTE has appointed Zoe Turner – who brings over 20 years’ manufacturing works and operations management experience to her new role – to oversee its quality department. Current team members selected to enhance the drive for staff development and company growth boast a combined LTE employment history of over 130 years. Alison Fox has been promoted from Production Planning assistant to Production Planning manager, having been with LTE for over five years and honed her skills by working closely with outgoing Production Planning manager Sarah Gill, who has retired after 34 years with the company.
A new Service Management Team (SMT) has been created to further develop the rapid service growth experienced by LTE, with several employees transferred to it from other departments to address demand and bolster the capacity. Steve Neville, who has 19 years’ experience as a senior field service engineer, has been promoted to Field Service manager.
Other SMT members include Alice Higginbottom, who, with over 25 years’ experience, will remain as Service Administration manager, and Lee Kershaw, who has been with LTE for 35 years, and will continue as Technical Support manager, supported by another new SMT team member, Danny Brear, as deputy UKAS Technical manager. Also joining the SMT is Adam Pugh, who will continue his senior engineer role while taking on LTE’s Product specialist position to oversee third-party product knowledge, relaying his insight and information to the firm’s 15-strong team of service engineers.
Former Northern are Sales manager, Darren Bottomley, becomes Sales manager, with responsibility for coordinating the sales office, UK sales team, and export team, while
Sarah Clegg, who has been with the company for 33 years, will become Finance manager, in addition to her current IT and human resources management roles.
John Lees, LTE Scientific’s MD, said: “We are keen to promote staff development across all departments as the company continues to grow. We have enjoyed strong performances over the years, and built a leading reputation for excellent products, after-sales service, and building strong relationships with our clients. This year’s COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our outstanding products and service and the collaborative ethos between our different departments. Thanks to an extremely strong order book we have remained fully operational throughout the pandemic in continuing to supply essential equipment and service to laboratories and healthcare providers. We are extremely proud of our team’s resilience and dedicated performance during this uncertain time.”
