Transforming Lanemark’s Design Capability for a Low‑Carbon Future

Lanemark Combustion Engineering Ltd manufactures burner systems for process industries, supplying solutions to heating ovens, liquid tanks, and petrochemical sites. Before the KTP, Lanemark relied on legacy Excel spreadsheets – originally developed in 1997 and last updated in 2005 – as the foundation of its design process. This approach failed to meet the sector’s needs for burner systems with low emissions and the ability to use low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen.

Together with Aston University’s academics Martin Rudofer (Computer science) and Muhammad Imran (Mechanical Engineering), Lanemark embarked on a strategic transformation journey to modernise its engineering and product‑development processes, ensuring the business could not only stay competitive but lead in the rapidly evolving low‑carbon burner systems market. What began as a need to replace legacy tools soon grew into a full organisational uplift – technically, culturally, and commercially.

Objectives

The overall aim of the KTP was to help transition burners to use low carbon fuels such as hydrogen or biogas to meet new environmental standards. Aston University has shared its expertise to create a single software package to calculate the impact of using different fuels and to integrate these into existing designs. The programme is capable of analysing factors such as exhaust gases, flame length and heat transfer, and ensure equipment remains agile and competitive in a changing market.

Project Overview

Modernising an Outdated Design Process

Lanemark’s engineering team had long relied on multiple disconnected Excel spreadsheets, limiting accuracy, speed, and knowledge sharing. The Associate led development using MATLAB for mathematical modelling, which has since become central to Lanemark’s design methodology. The project replaced this fragmented system with an integrated, advanced and bespoke software platform incorporating specialist engineering expertise and computational modelling. This shift not only streamlined workflows but also significantly reduced design lead times and enabled the optimisation of heat exchanger and burner designs to cut material usage and production costs.

Embedding Future‑Ready Fuel Expertise

A major component of the transformation was the integration of new fuel knowledge – particularly hydrogen and low‑carbon fuel blends – into both the software and the team’s skill set. With emissions legislation tightening worldwide, this newly acquired capability positioned Lanemark to innovate sustainable burner systems that meet emerging performance and environmental standards.

Upskilling the Workforce for Tomorrow’s Challenges

A comprehensive programme of training designed and developed through the KTP – covering software development, engineering modelling, and modern design methodologies – equipped Lanemark’s technical staff with the skills needed for future market demands. Best‑practice software engineering, paired programming, and regular cross‑team workshops cemented this capability and deepened knowledge transfer across design, engineering, and commercial functions. To safeguard new capabilities and ensure continuity, the KTP project created a “Knowledge Bank” embedded within the new design tools.

Accelerating Innovation and Market Growth

By modernising tools, embedding advanced modelling, and building internal capability, Lanemark can now rapidly develop and launch efficient, low‑emission burner products tailored to future fuel and emissions requirements, meeting industry net‑zero goals. This positions the company to expand into new markets, meet growing global demand for low‑emission technologies, and increase both revenue and profitability.

The KTP delivered a transformational impact across operations, innovation, and commercial growth, reducing burner design lead times using the new engineering design software platform by an impressive 40%, improving responsiveness and accelerating delivery. Material use in heat exchangers was reduced by 15% through optimised design and streamlined outputs, helping to ease regulatory pressures. Demand for new products is forecast to rise by 10% within the first year.

Turnover grew significantly during the KTP, increasing from £3.32M to £5.14M – a remarkable uplift of around 55% enabled by improved efficiency and successful new product development. The partnership enabled Lanemark to enter the hydrogen‑ready burner market, forming key new commercial relationships and supporting the wider transition to low‑carbon technologies. Beyond the financial gains evident in the company’s accounts, the KTP helped establish a culture that effectively integrates technical capability with strong market awareness.

The partnership is proud that all original challenges and objectives were not only met but exceeded. For Aston’s academics this opened new pathways to developed frameworks and skills for managing interdisciplinary research (programming, mechanical engineering, thermal sciences), enhancing capacity for future joint initiatives.

Project’s talented former KTP Associate, Tarun Kumar, has continued his professional journey with Lanemark Combustion Engineering Ltd, where he now excels as a Technical Engineer (Modelling and Simulation). Additionally, Aston University’s Computer Science placement student, initially engaged through the project, has now been employed by the Company – demonstrating the KTP’s lasting impact on knowledge transfer and strengthening the organisation’s long‑term talent pipeline.

Lanemark’s journey demonstrates the effect of integrating computational modelling and sustainable fuel technologies into industrial heating solutions and shows the value of collaborative research between industry and academia.