The LENS Consulting Group, Automation, & Control!

Domestic businesses with strong, professional work do not usually communicate too much with the outside world; you seldom hear very much about them. They often surprise the market by appearing suddenly as the owner of a product or a service that is unique both locally and internationally. The surprise is far greater when you realise that the company has been recognised for decades within its own sector. The following is a conversation with Gábor Megyeri, the head of the Lens Consulting Group.

Automation processes have been an important part of economic life for decades, but we have seen real progress in recent years. There is no question that the current crisis is also a game-changer for this area in the minds of decision-makers. What do you think about that?

Obviously, my answer in this situation has to have a very strong human side, as well as an equally strong business side. A tragedy is happening all over the world. Many helpless people are fighting against a cunning enemy. No matter how difficult business is or may become, that cannot outweigh the pain of human loss. I do not want to pretend that I am not worried about the health of my family, loved ones, and friends. And on the business side of things — how can I say exactly — despite how negative the human side is, the business side of things is equally positive. I did not want anyone to realise the importance of automation in such circumstances, but we do not control that now. It is certain that our profession will provide great benefits to companies in the future, and they will be a way more open to it than ever before.

Can you somehow measure the growth of this interest?

We can, for sure. For example, so far, the number of searches for relevant professional keywords. They have increased by 58% since the start of the crisis. Clicks on the words “automation”, “human resource efficiency” or even “control” are a good indication of what the future holds!

LENS is a new and unique player in the business world, offering complex, strategic, and operational consulting in automation and control. What kind of professional history do you have that gave you this specialised knowledge?

LENS is not yet well known among professionals, but the Profigram brand is more familiar. This year we will turn 22 years old, and from the beginning, our profession has been automation and control. It is also true that in the beginning, we focused on building and implementing systems. However, it has always been a high priority to keep our customer satisfaction rate high. Although I think this is what every executive says about their business. On the other hand, we are putting a lot of effort into providing our clients with additional services and consulting that they do not receive from other market players. In fact, LENS was born from this concept. In recent years this consulting has reached an increasingly advanced level with our partners, and in parallel, we have become manufacturer-neutral, or objective, in implementing systems, so that we really make the decision based entirely on customer needs.

So is LENS a continuation of Profigram?

No. That is not the case. LENS exclusively advises our partners at the strategic level; we prepare and present plans for operational implementation. At this point, however, its process ends, as good consultants do not perform the operational implementation. In some cases, Profigram might be one of the collaborating partners of LENS if they can provide the best operational implementation and project management for the development needs of that partner. But if another market player is better in that area, they will be our collaboration partner.

Who are the competitors of LENS? Is expansion staying national or going international?

The international market is in our focus, but of course, we will work and give advice in Hungary as well. As a standalone “automation and control consulting” company, LENS has no competitor at domestic or international markets. There are serious professionals who, like Profigram, provide this type of system integration service, but most of them are not independent, either selling their own products or integrating products from a specific manufacturer and, because of this, they are handling the concrete operational work; they cannot reach the strategic level.

Why is the strategic level so important?

To give just one good example: labour shortage/turnover rate management. This is a major strategic issue, and automation plays an important role in this. But to plan to what extent a business wants to reduce its exposure to the labour market, and the extent to which this uncertain operating factor can or will be replaced by systems/machines, this is certainly a strategic issue. At this level, the question is not which machines to choose and how they get into operation; this is about more serious principles and business objectives. LENS can get involved at this stage and shape the business ideas of the owners/managers with specific calculations, clear advice, and real support for their key decisions.

After 22 years of successful business ownership, what motivates you to start in such a new direction?

I’m a development-oriented engineer, so I always strive to “make things better”, even if it sounds a bit idealistic. I think this year will be important to us, since we have been working on LENS for two years now, and we’ll also soon be branching out to industrial IT.

Why now? What makes you think that 2020 is the year to launch in these new directions?

I didn’t think it was so set in stone! I am thoughtful, so I will only move in a new business direction if I am fully confident that we can deliver a high level of professionalism! Because of this, in many cases, I am slower than I expected. But for me, reliability is key, so a little later is better if quality is guaranteed. We have been working on LENS for many years, and last year we also built the background for strategic entry. In addition, everyone in the market is struggling with the issue of labour shortage, so we could not choose a better time. So, nothing is holding us back from stepping up the pace.

Few people know you, and the people behind the concepts and successful companies are important in business. Who is Gábor Megyeri?

First, a man who doesn’t like to say much. I never wanted to put myself out there, and were this not an important part of my company’s communication strategy, I probably wouldn’t be doing this interview. As an engineer, facts, systems, and projects have always been central to my life, but beyond these strict structures, I often feel idealistic. It is important for me to develop young people by creating an educational environment in which young people are educated on practical business and life. I believe that everyone, in their own way, must do their utmost to protect our environment. Of course, this is a very trendy topic today, and it’s good that it has finally become one, but I have been focussing on this topic for decades, and I work with several like-minded professionals. And those who know me know that I can’t exist without sports. I am a big fan of sports, I play sports regularly, and we have a sports community and our own sports club. I believe that sports make people better.

Gábor, Thank you for the conversation. When can we expect to hear more from you in the future!?

Thank you too. I really think that our professionalism will make us a bit more audible player on the market!