A 62-year-old company that makes the self-service kiosks used in Argos stores and fast-food restaurants has secured funding to help it roll out the world’s first self-sanitising kiosk.
Hull-based Lazenby Group has secured £650,000 from NPIF II – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Debt as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), to help it expand production.
The funding will be used to build a new 8,000 sq ft facility at its Hull headquarters to house an additional assembly line.
It also plans to boost its 28-strong team with the creation of up to 30 new jobs in the next five years.
The firm’s kiosks are used for numerous day-to-day transactions at leading coffee chains; cinemas such as Odeon and Cineworld; at NCP car parks and for self check-in at airports.
Its latest innovation, the SafeTouch kiosk, uses UVC light to kill germs after each use. It is now set to be installed at airports worldwide after the business won a major contract from global airport services provider Collins Aerospace.
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Lazenby was founded in 1963 by Paul Lazenby as a sheet metal processor. Upon his retirement in 1995, it was acquired by businessman Bill Neale, who made gaming machines and used the business to manufacture his novel ‘coin mechanisms’.
Since Bill’s death three years ago, the company has been fully owned by long-standing employees in husband and wife team Neil and Dawn Sewell.
“Self-service kiosks are increasingly popular but have to be cleaned regularly by hand,” said Neil Sewell, managing director of Lazenby Group.
“Our SafeTouch technology kills germs automatically in just 38 seconds without any human intervention or harsh chemicals and has attracted international attention.
“The funding will help us increase capacity and work towards our goal to become the largest original equipment manufacturer of kiosks in Europe.”
Rebecca Pickering, investment manager at Mercia Debt, added: “Lazenby has gone from a small metal processor to a market-leading kiosk manufacturer.
“The company has a history of innovation and its latest product is set to disrupt the industry.
“We are pleased to help the company to step up production and roll it out worldwide.”