洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普说：“制造行业正在发生变化，对于数据交换、连通性和公开标准的需求是该行业的基础。专有的、封闭的系统已经不能满足这些要求。现在，我们需要利用来自多台机器和多个来源的数据，为制造商提供更好、更高效的流程。我们Lantek已经从事软件开发35年，该软件几乎适用于所有机床制造商，因此数据交换和连通性的概念是我们的核心支柱之一。我们在使用新的数据共享和交换标准方面处于领先地位，并致力于帮助我们的客户开发智能工厂。”
1) Lantek将继续独立运营。
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 最重要的是，Lantek将继续独立运营，一如既往地为客户和机器制造商提供相同的产品和服务。然而，他们现在也可以从未来关键技术的密切交流中获益，如人工智能、数据模型和整体程序控制，在未来高度优化钣金制造业。
2) 您能解释一下协议吗？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 3月18日，我们宣布了关于LANTEK和通快建立合作关系的重要消息，这对我们的公司、团队以及客户来说都是激动人心的。两位技术领导者的联手完美结合了Lantek在软件方面的经验和通快在钣金制造技术方面的专长。
我们将能够结合自己的能力，开发更加开放的、以客户为导向的未来钣金生产软件。这对Lantek来说是一个难得的机会。我们将和一家拥有共同愿景的大公司一道，明确承诺为所有机床制造商提供中立、独立和开放的服务。我们将能够加快和扩大我们的软件开发，而这也将为Lantek的团队提供机会，发展职业生涯、获得新技能和经验。
3) 是什么让您接受了通快公司提议？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 – 钣金市场是一个非常活跃的市场，并且幸运的处于快速发展阶段。钣金行业对数字化处理的需求越来越大，这使得该行业的公司探索合作和共同发展的方式，并为客户提供全面的服务。来自通快的提议让两个目标相同的组织走到了一起，这是一种开放解决方案和技能互补的共同愿景。快速增长和加速发展的潜力将确保我们能够共同为通快以及我们的原始设备制造商（OEM）合作伙伴提供世界领先的数字转型解决方案，以应对日益苛刻、高度连通和全球化的市场。
4) 您认为此次收购将对Lantek的独立性产生何种影响？市场将如何看待这一点？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 – 必须明确的是Lantek仍然是一家独立公司，且公司结构不会发生变化。Lantek将保留目前位于西班牙维多利亚以及世界上其它地方的办事处和员工，继续维持目前的合作伙伴关系以及销售和支持战略。此外，Lantek将更加坚定地追求其增长目标。
Lantek的所有员工和管理委员会保持不变。我们对机器制造商的持续中立立场将确定这一定位。
5) Lantek的创新战略在多大程度上是由其合作伙伴和机床合作伙伴推动的？ 新的安排会影响这一点吗？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 从我们最初的冲孔创新到光纤激光器的最新发展，再到在同一台机器上使用多种切割技术的组合机，我们与合作伙伴的合作战略一直都是关键。这些创新成果来自于与制造商的密切合作关系，结合并调整Lantek的开放式解决方案以适应他们的机器。因为Lantek将继续独立运作，所以我们对这些合作关系的投入是不变的。
6) 更具体地说，新的安排会对您与单个机床制造公司的关系产生什么影响？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 我们与全球120多家机床制造商签订了合作协议。这些合作协议使我们能够为钣金行业提供全面的服务，否则机器制造商很难提供这种服务。我们的合作伙伴明白，我们之间的关系是积极且互利的，从根本上有利于客户和他们的竞争力。总的来说，Lantek有一个重要的战略方针：Lantek将保持其独立和中立的地位，甚至在某些情况下会与通快竞争，就像我们过去所做的那样。我们的多厂商战略是一种核心价值，我们将向原始设备制造商保证我们的中立性，并通过合同承诺来证明这一点，最终目标是为客户提供最好的解决方案。
7) Lantek将如何与其OEM伙伴合作？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 在实践层面，我们的销售、支持和研发以及特定的原始设备制造商开发计划将一如既往地开展，事实上会更快。单个技术开发计划将继续正常进行，并将在一对一的基础上，或作为我们的整体开放式开发计划的一部分进行。我们不仅致力于在整个销售渠道中保持中立，不阻碍任何供应商在公平的环境中竞争，而且致力于巩固这种环境。我们已经在Lantek建立了必要的程序，隔离且不披露第三方数据和技术，而且不将其传播到其他工作流程中。作为市场上领先的钣金解决方案软件公司，Lantek不仅将继续履行其协议和合同，而且将加强其战略，以加强与所有合作伙伴渠道的合作。
8) Lantek和通快将如何合作？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 两家公司有着相似的文化，目标都是平等地满足客户、员工和社会的需求-遵循这些共同的价值观，并渴望实现卓越和开放式技术的共同目标。通快和Lantek将通过工作组协调独立运作，以保持这种独立性。
让我引用一句通快机床开发部总经理汤姆·施耐德（Tom Schneider）的话：“客户的流程就是我们与Lantek关注的焦点，我们全面覆盖钣金流程链，甚至还包括来自不同制造商的机器。通过这种方式，我们又向着高效和联通的钣金生产迈出了一大步，并丰富了智能工厂解决方案组合。”
我们与通快的合作关系将使其能够向客户提供我们的技术，帮助他们在开放的环境中实现工业4.0和智能工厂。
9) 你认为Lantek的中立经营方式会带来更开放的市场吗？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 – 是的，非常肯定。客户将能选择最适合其应用和业务的机器。切割技术 - 激光、水射流、冲孔、氧切割、等离子等以及机器的制造和型号将不受限制。此外，我们的软件可以覆盖客户业务的方方面面，即它将改进每一个流程，包括管理销售、报价、分包和制造，甚至包括手动和非CNC活动。提供开放式软件，提高客户公司的整体效率，同时包括钣金制造的专业技术，这也是业界所希望的解决方案。这是Lantek、通快和我们的原始设备制造商的关键目标，而合作伙伴关系将大大加快其开展。
10) 您认为该行业未来将如何发展？
洛佩斯·德比尼亚斯普 - 我们正处于市场转型中，机器制造商和软件开发商明白，客户正在寻找全球性的，最重要的是开放式的解决方案。这支持了Lantek对开放技术的立场，并巩固了其在该领域的重要地位。目前Lantek与合作伙伴的合作模式正在取得令人瞩目的成果，在我们的扩展计划中，我们不排除与现有合作伙伴和新合作伙伴扩展合作框架的可能性。
此外，该行业正处于明显的中断期：正在到来的新技术可能会带来巨大的挑战。我们看到企业的市场整合，新的初创企业和新的参与者不断涌现。在这个时代，我们相信我们的经验和领导作用可以为业界所参考。
This is a unique opportunity for Lantek. We are joining a larger company with a shared vision and a clear commitment to neutrality, independence and openness for all machine tool builders. We will be able to accelerate and expand our software development and it will also provide opportunities for Lantek’s team to grow their careers and gain new skills and experience.
3) What has led you to accept TRUMPF’s proposal?
L de B – The sheet metal market is a very dynamic and, fortunately, in a rapid phase of development. There is more and more demand from the sheet metal industry for digitization processes and that makes the companies in the sector seek ways to collaborate, grow together and offer a comprehensive service to customers. The proposal from TRUMPF matched two organizations with the same objectives, a shared vision for an open solution and complementary skills. The potential for rapid growth and accelerated development will ensure that together we will be able to deliver world leading digital transformation solutions for both TRUMPF and our OEM partners in an increasingly demanding, hyper-connected and global market.
4) How do you think the acquisition will affect Lantek’s independence and how will it be perceived in the market?
L de B – It is important to make absolutely clear that Lantek remains an independent company and that there will be no change to the structure of the company. Lantek will keep its current offices and workforce in the Headquarters in Vitoria, Spain, as well as in the rest of its offices worldwide, continuing the current partnerships and sales and support strategies. Moreover, Lantek will pursue its growth ambitions with even more insistence.
All its staff and Lantek´s Management Board remains the same. Our continued neutral stance on machine manufacturers will confirm this position.
5) How much is Lantek’s innovation strategy driven by its collaborative partners and machine tool partners? Will the new arrangement affect this?
L de B - From our first innovations with punching to the latest developments in fiber lasers to combination machines which use more than one cutting technology on the same machine, our collaborative strategy with partners has been key. Resulting innovations come from a close working relationship with manufacturers, incorporating and adapting Lantek’s open solutions to suit their machines. Because Lantek will continue to operate independently our commitment to these relationships is unaltered.
6) Being more specific, how does the new arrangement affect your relationship with individual machine tool manufacturing companies?
L de B - We have partnership agreements with more than 120 machine tools builders worldwide. Our collaboration agreements allow us to provide a comprehensive service to the sheet metal industry which would otherwise be very difficult for the machine manufacturer to offer. Our partners understand that the relationship with them is mutually beneficial and that it is very positive, fundamentally benefiting customers and their competitiveness. Overall, there is an important strategic guideline: Lantek will maintain its independent and neutral position, even competing in some cases with TRUMPF as we have done in the past. Our multivendor strategy is a core value, and we will assure OEMs of our neutrality and demonstrate it with contractual commitments with the ultimate goal of offering the customer the best possible solution.
7) How will Lantek be operating with its OEM partners?
L de B - On a practical level, our sales, support and R&D and specific OEM development programs will continue as before and will in fact be accelerated. Individual technology development programs will continue as normal and will either be on a one-to-one basis or as part of our overall open development program. We are also committed not only to maintain neutrality throughout the sales channel not blocking any vendor from competing on a level playing field but to strengthen it. At Lantek we have established the necessary procedures to isolate and non-disclose third-party data and technologies, and not to spread them into other workflows. Lantek will not only continue serving its agreements and contracts but, reinforce its strategy to enhance the cooperation with all our partner channels as the leading Sheet Metal Solutions Software company in the market.
8) How will Lantek and TRUMPF work together?
L de B - Both companies have similar cultures with the aim of satisfying customers, employees, and society in equal measure - live by these common values and aspire to shared objectives for excellence and open technology. TRUMPF and Lantek will operate independently with coordination through working groups to maintain that independence.
Let me quote Tom Schneider, Managing Director of Machine Tool Development at TRUMPF. "Our customers’ process is our focus - with Lantek, we comprehensively cover the sheet metal process chain, even with machines from different manufacturers. In this way, we are taking another big step toward efficient and connected sheet metal production and enriching the Smart Factory solution portfolio."
Our partnership with TRUMPF will enable it to offer our technology to its customers, helping them to work towards Industry 4.0 and a Smart Factory in an open environment.
9) Do you think the neutral way in which Lantek operates will lead to a more open marketplace?
L de B – Yes most definitely. Customers will be able to choose the most appropriate machinery for their application and business. There will be no restrictions on the cutting technology – laser, waterjet, punching, oxy-cut, plasma etc. and the make and model of machine. Additionally, our software can cover every aspect of the customer’s business so it will improve every process including managing sales, quotations, subcontracting and manufacturing – even manual and non-CNC activities. Offering open software which improves the efficiency of the customer’s company as a whole while, including the specialist technology of sheet metal manufacture is the solution that the industry wants. Delivering this is a key objective for Lantek, Trumpf and our OEMs and the partnership will accelerate its deployment significantly.
10) How do you think the sector will evolve in the future?
L de B - We are immersed in a market transformation where machine builders and software developers understand that customers are looking for global and above all open solutions. This supports Lantek’s stance on open technology and reinforces its important position in the sector. Lantek’s current collaboration formula with partners is delivering impressive results and within our expansion plan we do not rule out the possibility of expanding the collaborative framework, with both current partners and new ones.
Furthermore, the sector is in clear disruption: new technologies are arriving, which may generate great challenges. We are seeing a market consolidation of companies, while new start-ups and new players are emerging. In these times we believe that our experience and our leadership role can be a reference for the industry.