CONCRETE & STONEWORK
LTP CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
This year , LTP is proudly celebrating its 40th anniversary . Since the company was founded by Anthony Robb in 1984 much has changed , not least the breadth of tile and surface care products now available and the company ’ s own reach . Today , LTP supplies over 700 stockists throughout the UK and Ireland and has become one of the major suppliers of sealing , cleaning and maintenance products to the tile and stone market . It also exports to countries including Bulgaria , China , Czech Republic , Ireland , Romania , Spain and the UAE . Turnover , during the last three years , has increased by over 300 % and much is planned for the future .
LTP ’ s history dates back to the creation of Wellington Tile ; a company founded by Anthony Robb to import terracotta from Portugal . Recognising the need for an ageing liquid to give terracotta an antique finish , Anthony mixed up a secret brew in his cement mixer , bottled it in one litre jerry cans and branded it LTP OLDTONE OIL . Why ‘ LTP ’? Because the terracotta was sold as Lionheart Terracotta , so the sealer – and subsequent treatments - became known as Lionheart Terracotta Products , or LTP for short . A few weeks later , the cement mixer was in action again , this time concocting a clear finish sealer called LTP CLEARTONE .
Today , production has moved to a specialist chemical packing company based in South West England – and the range now includes over 32 products formulated to seal , clean and maintain every type of natural and engineered tile and stone . In 2016 , LTP also launched its ECOPROTEC ® brand – a range of products specially developed for the contract sector .
On the ground , the five strong sales team , which is forecast to grow , is headed by Emma Lock . Director , Mark Atkins – the first person responsible for LTP sales – now concentrates on research and development , marketing , export and expansion into other markets including white labelling and ‘ own branding ’ its formulas for other businesses .
“ Over the past 40 years , the LTP range has been developed based on our first-hand experience of the tile trade and issues experienced by installers . And , despite our rapid expansion , close ties with our customers are key ; we remain a business that ’ s committed to offering a good after sales service and to developing products that customers need , rather than chemicals that we want to sell ,” commented Richard Osborne , LTP ’ s Managing Director .
In terms of formulations , LTP water-based products are gaining considerable traction . Extensive research and development into water-based formulations , coupled with increasing withdrawals of solvent based raw materials , has created a new breed of highquality products that are equal to or superior to their spirit-based equivalents . LTP now offers a water-based equivalent alongside all its traditional sealers , with sales continuing to grow year-on-year .
“ It ’ s taken some time but we ’ re now seeing an inexorable march away from spirit-based sealers ,” explained Mark Atkins . “ Our own goal , over the next five years , is for 75 % of our production to be of water-based , non-hydrocarbon formulations . The tile and stone industry still needs encouragement to support this strategy but the environmental benefits are irrefutable .”
Alongside the switch to waterbased formulations , other LTP environmental initiatives include the development of new PFA-free stone and tile sealers ( free from microplastics ), a reduction in waste disposal throughout its production and reusing of pallets ; the sourcing of cardboard packaging from FSC accredited suppliers and the use of recyclable bottles made from recycled materials .
“ What does the next decade hold beyond product development ? We ’ re dedicated to bringing along the next generation of LTP , through our apprenticeship scheme and recruitment . We ’ ll also be growing our export network and manufacturing partnerships . It ’ s been a fabulous journey to date and the future ahead , despite current economic challenges , looks very bright indeed ,” Richard concluded .
To find out more about LTP , please visit www . ltp-online . co . uk , call 01823 666213 or email info @ ltp-online . co . uk
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