Lighthouse Technology Services wants to be a guiding light for manufacturers in Buffalo.
The technology staffing company, founded in 2004, has maintained an impartial approach to the industries it services. Now CEO Randy Harris said he's seen an opportunity to service Buffalo’s manufacturing community.
“Now with new generations of leadership taking over post-Covid, there’s a growing need for technology enhancements and investments to grow these manufacturing companies,” Harris said.
The company has worked with some manufacturers in recent years by providing an IT infrastructure to better adapt to new technologies. In 2017, Lighthouse started an IT services division for project development, help desk services and managing IT environments.
“It seemed like manufacturing companies had been largely ignored by IT services organizations over the years,” Harris said.
That’s why he wants to build up the company’s presence in manufacturing, starting with a digital 2023 Guide to IT for Manufacturers.
For manufacturers, Harris said, the word “technology” has different meanings from ERP software and cybersecurity to machines on the shop floor and advanced robotics.
“These things all sit on a company’s IT infrastructure – their servers and networks and internet,” Harris said. “One thing we’re trying to do is be a catalyst for defining what technology means for the manufacturing community, and then help connect them to resources they need.”
About 10 to 20% of Lighthouse clients are manufacturers, Harris said, but opportunities started to open up more rapidly about nine months ago.
“There are a lot of people out there that are trying to do something to upgrade their technology, but they don’t exactly know where to go,” he said.
Lighthouse has 16 internal employees – four in the IT services division – and more than 100 external technologists to place with companies in need of tech personnel.
The plan is to stay impartial and still reach all the industries Lighthouse currently serves, Harris said. Buffalo’s large manufacturing population offers an opportunity to help upscale technology.
“Because we have a staffing and recruiting division, we have the ability to scale up by adding to our team as quickly as we need to,” Harris said. “There’s a lot of technology services companies in the area, but there’s not enough. There’s more demand than there is supply for technology help and assistance.”
