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Interface Acquires LCM Systems

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Interface, Inc. is the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement products. We are pleased to announce that we have recently acquired LCM Systems Ltd, a market leader in specialized load measurement solutions utilized across industries by customers worldwide. 

The acquisition of LCM Systems accelerates Interface’s growth in global test and measurement by adding critical engineering and manufacturing expertise with an international presence. Interface has been a long-time partner of LCM Systems. Working together to supply high-accuracy and quality measurement solutions to Interface customers, we both understand that the market is growing and dependent on LCM’s expertise and manufactured products, including load pins, load shackles, tension links and specialized measurement sensor solutions.

We are stronger together. Interface and LCM knows that we can open new markets, while expanding our offerings to meet current and future customer demand. READ THE FULL NEWS RELEASE HERE

“LCM Systems is an established and recognized leader in the design and manufacture of specialized load cells and instrumentation, and we are proud to officially welcome them to the Interface family. Adding their quality, proficiency and long history, the LCM team further bolsters our global capabilities in meeting the rapidly growing demands for exceptional products including their load pins, load shackles, load cells and other sensor technologies.”  – Greg Adams, CEO at Interface

LCM Systems was founded in 1984 to provide the yachting industry with precision load cells and readout systems. The load management solutions company grew rapidly over the years to provide engineering and design expertise to market sectors including energy, civil engineering, maritime, aerospace, heavy lifting, and process engineering. The company manufactures a comprehensive range of standard and ruggedized load cells and instrumentation, with a considerable proportion of its market share coming from the supply of customized products tailored to meet customer’s specific requirements. LCM Systems also manufactures load cells suitable for Zone 1 and 2 hazardous area applications including standard ATEX/IECEx certified load cells, load pins, load shackles, load links, instrumentation and accessories. LCM Systems is based in the United Kingdom.

“Joining Interface, a company with a world-renowned reputation and 55 years of experience in the load measurement industry, is an incredible opportunity for the continued success and future growth of LCM Systems. Interface and LCM are long standing partners and have been our exclusive distributor for the US market since 2018. Our combined experience, the unmatched expertise of our teams, and a shared continuous improvement culture will make our integration into Interface seamless and highly beneficial not only for both of our companies, but also our customers and employees.”  – Steve Sargeant, Managing Director at LCM Systems

Interface and LCM Systems have partnered together for several years. As the needs of the market and our customers evolve, we will continue to evaluate every opportunity there is to utilize our engineers and manufacturing resources to develop custom and new products. LCM has long offered engineered-to-order sensor products, including load pins and load shackles. These products are often designed to meet specific use cases and precise requirements. We will both continue to meet those demands and provide solutions that match the needs of our customers.

“The acquisition of LCM Systems gives Interface a major manufacturing and engineering center of excellence in Europe and expands our product portfolio with specialized load and weighing solutions. LCM is very reputable in the force measurement solutions industry for providing innovative solutions for complex measurement challenges and we are very excited to be working in collaboration to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.”  – Ken Bishop, Custom Solutions Senior Director at Interface

The strategic acquisition bolsters both capabilities and market solutions. Through our collective market analysis and understanding, we believe that together we have more to offer and can support the growth and demands of the products we design, manufacture and sell. We have more resources working together to exceed customer expectations and deliver exceptional experiences.

Interface and LCM Systems are growing companies. We will continue to expand and operate to meet these demands. We do believe that working together, we will continue to offer great service and products.

As a customer, there are no changes to how you engage with Interface or LCM Systems. The impact of this relationship is beneficial to customers, partners, and team members as we can meet the growing market opportunity and continue to build and supply exceptional products. Our respective sales distribution networks and channels for each company remain the same, while we continue to find synergies across channels and opportunities to expand our offerings and services for Interface and LCM products around the world.

Our distributor and representatives (Global Sales Network) will remain front-line for direct regional sales and support. Interface and LCM Systems will continue to directly support all incoming requests and work together, along with our global sales network to ensure quick response and support to all incoming inquiries.There is no change to the current contacts that our customers work with today and in the future.

Additional Questions and References

Will there be any changes to Interface or LCM Systems brand?

Interface and LCM Systems will maintain their existing brand names, marks and creative identification as two entities. Both companies have strong brand recognition and loyalty with respective partners and customers.

Will Interface or LCM change the current offerings?

No, we don’t anticipate any changes to pricing or products at this time. We will continue to engineer the products we have been offering, while looking to the future to meet demands for new products and challenges we can solve with our customers using our complete lines of measurement solutions. We do not foresee any short-term pricing changes. All pricing is subject to our material and supply chain resource availability and at this time we are not anticipating any immediate change that would be reflected in pricing adjustments for products sold by LCM Systems or Interface.

Will Interface and LCM change any support for the product?

Interface and LCM Systems will respectively continue with current support of all products, including customer service, sales, services and calibration, technical support and online support materials. We will work in coordination to provide the best support for all our customers and global sales networks around the world. 

Will my warranties still be in effect?

All products and services will continue to carry the full warranty and guarantees. Each company stands behind the quality and accuracy of our products. Our services teams will continue to support all RMA, calibration and warranty requests. 

Interface Warranty Info https://www.interfaceforce.com/support/#warranties

Will service quality and policies change?

No. Interface and LCM Systems will continue to manufacture products that meet precision-level specifications, supported by industry standard certifications and calibrations. These policies and quality standards are expected and will not waiver.

Will the quote you gave me still be honored?

Absolutely, the quotes provided by Interface and LCM Systems will not change. Every quote is provided with terms and those terms will be honored as defined in every quote.

Who do I call if I have a problem or concern?

Please direct all your questions as you’ve done in the past directly to Interface or LCM Systems. All information related to inquiries and contact can also be found on our respective websites, www.interfaceforce.com and www.lcmsystems.com.

Interface, Inc.
7418 East Helm Drive, Scottsdale, Arizona, US 85260
Email: contact@interfaceforce.com
https://www.interfaceforce.com/contact-us/ 
Interface Mailing & Shipping: 7401 E Butherus Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Toll Free: 800-947-5598 Phone:480-948-5555

LCM Systems Ltd
Unit 15, Newport Business Park, Barry Way, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom PO30 5GY
https://www.lcmsystems.com/contact-us
International: Tel +44 1983 249264  Fax +44 1983 249266
United Kingdom:Tel 01983 249264 Fax 01983 249266

What is the legal name of the new organization?

There is no change to the legal name of either organization at this time.

Where and to whom should invoices be sent now?

Please submit all invoices, payments and requests through the same established contacts at LCM Systems and/or Interface, Inc. There are no changes.

Interface is the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement solutions. Our clients include a “who’s who” of the aerospace, automotive and vehicle, medical device, energy, manufacturing, test and measurement and industrial automation industries. Interface engineers around the world are empowered to create high-level tools and solutions that deliver consistent, high-quality performance. These products include load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors, wireless telemetry, instrumentation, and calibration equipment. Interface, Inc., was founded in 1968 and is a U.S.-based woman-owned technology manufacturing company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Interface Announces Hiring Push to Meet Growing Demands for Products

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In recent news, Interface shared our plans to add 25% additional team members to support the growth and demands for our products and services. The company released an announcement that we are adding several new jobs to maintain our market position as the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement solutions.

The current plans include hiring up to 50 new Arizona-based staff members by the end of 2021. The open jobs include positions in operations for machinists, calibration and soldering technicians, as well as professional opportunities in engineering, finance, customer service and support roles.

Interested applicants that want to join our team working at the headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, can apply on the Interface career page.

“Despite disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2020, we continued to meet our customers’ product needs, as well as launch new solutions and expand our manufacturing and global sales,” said Greg Adams, CEO, Interface. “As a result of our steadfast focus in managing through this unprecedented time, we created innovative ways to grow our product lines and internal capacities to deliver best in class measurement solutions. I am proud of the 53-year legacy that Interface has built in quality, accuracy, and reliability and we are excited to expand our team to meet the growing immediate demands and new opportunities on the horizon.”

Interface provides test and measurement solutions to the aerospace, automotive, energy, industrial automation, infrastructure, agriculture, and medical industries. Interface standard and custom OEM products can measure from grams to millions of pounds in hundreds of models and physical sizes. Interface has been operating in Arizona since 1968.

“At Interface, culture is incredibly important, and we pride ourselves on being a diverse and driven team of experts across multiple functions,” said Lilian Gaithe, CHRO. “Our people are passionate, curious, agile and engaging. We are looking for more than just the right skill set, we are looking for the right team to help take Interface to the next level.”

Read the entire news release here.

Quality is Top Reason Customers Choose Interface

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In our latest customer feedback survey, we asked those that rely on Interface why they buy from us. The overwhelming top response was product quality. One of the trademarks of Interface is ensuring that our products meet not only the demand of what is needed in the market for measurement sensors, but that the precision, accuracy, and quality of everything we build is market leading. Best in class.

Our customers drive Interface innovation. We are continuously looking at trends, special requirements and future outlooks to determine what solutions can meet today’s requirements and those in the future. It was noted in the survey that customers depend on Interface for this expertise and experience. That is why it is central in our business strategy and key for Interface’s success to ask, listen and learn from those that rely on our force measurement solutions in their businesses.

A hallmark to our semi-annual survey is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question that is designed to measure loyalty. We asked again in this latest Spring 2021 survey, “How likely is it that you would recommend Interface to a friend or colleague?” Respondents are then asked to rate their response by selecting 0-10 with 10 being extremely likely and 0 not at all likely. The percentage of those that select 9 or 10 are considered promoters of the Interface brand. Anyone that scores 6 or below is considered by NPS standards to be a detractor. The percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors are gives you an NPS score.

We are very excited to announce that Interface’s current Net Promoter Score is +73.

The founders of NPS note that outstanding companies in their class average between a +30 to +50. We are honored by the recognition coming directly from our customers.

“This is a great result! We appreciate the recognition of our team member’s hard work to generate such customer satisfaction and loyalty. Global brands recognized around the world and who are famous NPS power users rarely report scores as high as Interface. We are honored to have such loyal customers, as seen in an outstanding +73 NPS. Remarkably, this came during a period where the customers’ most recent experience likely was influenced by the pandemic strain.” Greg Adams, CEO

We learned from our customers when we asked, “What are the most important reasons why you choose to buy from Interface?”, that product quality matters most, followed next by calibration and repair services, accuracy specifications, experience working with Interface and brand reputation. We also looked at trends in future product demands and the ability to buy online through our QS48 online shopping service.

Our customers were very forthcoming in their preferences for technical support, with phone and email taking top positions. This was followed by using our technical library, video demonstrations and numerous product and technical manuals.

We also gained great insights from our customers when we asked, “How can we improve your overall experience working with Interface?”  All feedback matters to us. It’s what we gain through this transparent and open process that we know where we can look to improve. In fact, we are determined to look at every opportunity presented in the survey to make operational improvements that benefit our customers in all areas from design to shipments.

“Our team performance demonstrates the winning position we are all committed to at Interface. Customer experience is central to what we do and it’s our focus to continuously exceed expectations. As great as this score is today, the better news is that we have the opportunity to improve further and define our future as the market leader by delivering the best for our customers.” Greg Adams, CEO

Our last question in the survey, we asked, “How satisfied are you with Interface and your customer experience?” and we learned that 98% of our customers are satisfied and 83% are very or exceedingly satisfied. We appreciate all those that provided their candid responses in our Spring Customer Satisfaction and NPS Survey. Our work continues to make sure what we do goes above and beyond and delivers on our promise to exceed expectations.

 

Interface Promotes Key Leaders to Expand Services, New Markets and Innovations

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Interface, the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement solutions, announced this month key leadership changes within the organization. Ian James was promoted to chief operating officer (COO), Brian Peters was promoted to vice president of Global Sales, and the role of Mark Weathers, vice president of Interface’s Mini and 1923 Wireless products, is now leading advanced manufacturing and OEM solutions. These executive promotions are key steps to drive Interface’s sustained growth across multiple product lines, as well as its expansion into new markets and industries.

“Ian, Brian and Mark represent our breadth of leadership within our organization,” said Greg Adams, CEO, Interface. “In alignment with our entire Interface team, they are instrumental in growing our position as the leader in premium, accurate, and reliable force measurement solutions. Our company is fueled by our dedicated employees and I am honored to be part of their continuous efforts and commitment to provide the high-quality products and an exceptional customer experience for all of those we serve.”

Despite disruptions caused by the global pandemic in 2020, Interface continued to find new ways to help customers across multiple industries. The company launched one of its most innovative load cell products to date in ConvexBT, and expanded manufacturing and global sales of its international G Series SI-based load cell product line. Interface also expanded its automation and high volume, engineered-to-order production capabilities, and added manufacturing representatives GenTek and Hill and Company to improve in-market sales support in the U.S.

Ian James is a seasoned senior executive with a background in manufacturing and systems. After spending the early part of his career in the UK military, he held a series of senior roles in GE before founding two successful startups. He has worked with Interface since late 2017, most recently as vice president of sales. In his new role as COO, James sees his primary challenge and opportunity as leading the transformation of operations to a new and robust manufacturing model that will help the company serve its customers with world class products supported by an unbeatable customer experience.

Brian Peters served as a successful regional sales manager before his promotion to vice president of Global Sales. Peters is now responsible for the worldwide sales network for Interface, including U.S. manufacturing representatives and international distributors. Stepping into his new role, Peters looks forward to bringing over a decade of direct experience to steer Interface’s continued efforts of industry leading customer support and targeted market growth in the test and measurement, industrial applications, and OEM markets.

“As we navigate the current dynamic landscape, it’s critical that we remain agile to stay in front of changing market demands and customer requirements,” said Peters. “Our diversification across a wide range of industries has provided us both stability through the pandemic and wide-reaching insight as markets are recovering. Interface has already experienced ramping growth in early 2021, and our ability to outpace and out service our competition will be vital to Interface maintaining the gold standard expectations set by our customers and the force measurement industry as a whole.”

Mark Weathers has extended his leadership role in Interface’s focus on automation and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) business solutions. His expanded role is a result of his continued achievements as vice president of Interface’s Mini and 1923 Wireless production groups, where he has been able to cut lead times for some of Interface’s higher volume products by 50% or more. This title change reflects the company’s new strategic priorities of growing its higher-volume custom OEM business, and the closely related improvement of its technology and manufacturing processes to improve cost and performance.

“The VP of Advanced Manufacturing and OEM products is an extension of my former role as VP of Mini and 1923, which are largely OEM products. My role will be to prepare us to be more competitive by innovating in both product and process, resulting in cost positions that allow us to move into higher volume OEM applications,” said Mark Weathers, vice president of advanced manufacturing and OEM products.

NEWS ARTICLE: Interface Promotes Three, Expanding Roles for Innovations, Services and New Markets

PRESS RELEASE: Force Measurement Solutions Leader Interface Announces Executive Promotions Supporting its Continued Growth and Expansion

Interface Outlook for 2021

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Interface CEO Greg Adams shares his outlook for the coming year.

Never in our collective lives have we faced so much uncertainty and turmoil! The year 2020 will make history, that much is certain. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and a year of political strife for the ages, I think we’re all ready to turn the chapter on the start of this decade.

Despite the challenges we’ve faced in 2020, I’m still very optimistic about our future, and for Interface. My optimism is fueled by the amazing people we have here at Interface.

As a family, we’ve gotten through this together and are only growing stronger. I couldn’t be prouder of our people for their resilience and hard work in the past year. We have continued to provide the same excellent service our customers appreciate. In fact, our Net Promoter Score® remained above 60 again in our latest 2020 Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Additionally, product quality is higher than ever and we even had a few major product launches this year, including ConvexBT, our most advanced load button load cell ever, and the G Series, a new international Mini™ Load Cell product line. And most importantly, we’ve done all of this by ensuring that the health and safety of everyone is our number one priority.

Our ability to remain successful in the past year is a product of how diversified our end markets remain. We continue to serve a wide variety of critical technology-focused industries including aerospace and defense, automotive, medical, industrial, T&M and more. We have benefited from global diversification as well, stepping up our focus on market leaders around the world. It’s also a testament to our engineers who continue to be future focused on innovation. We’ve developed new and groundbreaking ways to serve customers, and we’ve identified trends to keep us at the bleeding edge in our industry and continuously moving forward.

The last point I’ll make on the year 2020 before looking ahead is that we’ve also taken some of the downtime to improve our internal processes and dedicate time to skills training for our team. Not only have we improved our product lines and capabilities, but we’ve also ensured that our skillsets remain strong going into the next year.

And as we finally make the turn to 2021, I’ve spent some time looking ahead to what I believe the next year will hold for our industry and for Interface:

A heightened focus on pre-sale and post-sales service is one thing that we’ve heard from customers in the last year through our semi-annual surveys. We’re upgrading our sales process to ensure our engineering teams are more involved in assisting the customer select and configure the products and systems that are right for their application. Enhancing our after-sales service will include capturing and distributing instructions, guides, and other technical services into a more accessible and easier to find outlets like our robust website.

Another trend we’re seeing requested from our customers is a desire for force measurement providers to migrate from components to systems. World-class components will always be important, but our experience working with customers to provide total system solutions that meet their specific needs is critical. In addition, the demand for higher performance and more customization options continues. One of the biggest improvements Interface has made in the past year is updating our production lines to include more automation capabilities. This allows us to provide high-performance, customized products at high volume while still being able to offer competitive costs. This change is helping us expand our sales with the OEM customers.

Finally, a big trend we’ve been following is miniaturization and the desire to pack more sensor technology into a single load cell or torque transducer. We’ve already begun to address this in some of our products by designing accelerometers into load cells. In industries like automotive, we often use a torque transducer to measure rotation with components like car engines. By adding an accelerometer, we can measure both rotation and acceleration through a single device.

As this desire for more data and less convoluted test systems grows, Interface will continue to find ways to customize our load cells and add more sensor types like temperature and humidity. We’ll also do this by using electronic miniaturization manufacturing methods to improve capability without increasing the overall size of the package.

In conclusion, I’m extremely pleased with the level of talent, the strength of the brand and the depth of our commitment to customer satisfaction. We’ve overcome the challenges presented to us this year and remain stronger than ever. Our renewed focus on the future will also help us identify opportunities for innovation to serve customers in more unique and beneficial ways.

I hope that everyone in our community, from our partners to our customers and employees, has a wonderful holiday season and comes back in the new year refreshed. We’re not out of the woods yet with the pandemic, but there is light ahead and we are speeding to be the Interface you can always rely on.

Interface COVID-19 Update from CEO

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As COVID-19 continues to impact businesses and people around the world, I want to personally update you on the actions and planning we have taken to ensure Interface’s business continuity for all our customers, team members and partners around the world.

Based on guidance from the medical experts, the World Health Organization, the CDC and other US state and federal officials, we have strengthened our business continuity plans with specific steps to account for COVID-19 (coronavirus).

As a US-based manufacturer, we have taken steps to provide continuous cleaning and support for our team members to lessen any production impact at our Arizona headquarters.  We are continuously engaging with our distributors, representatives and supply chain partners around the world.  In our planning, we also have provided technical support and capabilities for our office teams to work remotely as a precaution.

Please rest assured, we are ready to maintain the high-quality application engineer support and customer service.  In the current situation, the health and safety of our employees, customers and partners are vital. We are limiting employee travel, both international and domestic. In addition, given many of our customers have implemented similar travel policies, we have instructed employees to leverage technology and conduct internal and external meetings virtually as much as possible.

This is an extraordinary time for everyone. We are monitoring the changing situation daily. We are committed to maintaining our business operations and ensuring you continue to receive the highest quality service without disruption.

Thank you for your continued trust in Interface.

Greg Adams, CEO at Interface, Inc.

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