The Hyperlight Story
The arrival of Hyperlight has a long backstory. Pioneered with lessons from different systems, scenarios and types of customer, Hyperlight is a culmination of 7 years of planning, effort and adaptation.
2018
Wanting Better
We recognised that our existing machine-programming approach was inefficient and highly susceptible to user error. It became clear that true scalability would require us to leverage automation to streamline and standardise the entire process—something our software at the time simply could not support. Over a six-month period, we collaborated closely with a leading CAD/CAM provider to architect a bespoke system that could interface with their platform and deliver fast, consistent, repeatable outputs. A gap analysis during this phase revealed potential vulnerabilities in stock control, prompting us to begin developing an in-house inventory management solution. This broader initiative ultimately became known as Workflow — the platform that now runs our entire organisation and powers the Hyperlight system.
Following the initial go-live, we committed ourselves to mastering every nuance of the machine-programming workflow. We dissected each component, mapped its dependencies, and translated subjective human decision-making into precise rules and algorithms capable of executing at speed and scale. Over the subsequent months and years, we continuously refined these algorithms to handle virtually every scenario.
The result was a fully automated machine-programming ecosystem that dramatically increased throughput while driving error rates down to an exceptionally low level.
March 2020
Covid Arrives
When global trade came to an abrupt halt during the Covid pandemic, it became clear that Lasershape would face significant risk unless we acted decisively to reduce costs and boost efficiency. This period became a defining demonstration of our adaptability. Our Finance Director focused on safeguarding the company’s financial stability, our Managing Director assumed responsibility for production and sales during a time of collapsing demand, and our Technical Director turned to technology as the path forward.
At the time, we relied on an off-the-shelf ERP system—a generic solution that offered only generic performance, required heavy maintenance investment, and depended on costly onsite support. In a bold and transformative decision, we chose to replicate our previous software success on a far larger scale: we expanded our in-house platform into a fully fledged ERP system, engineered by us and tailored precisely to our operational needs. It was at this stage that the system officially took on the name Workflow.
The methodology behind this project became a cornerstone of its success and remains fundamental to how we operate today. We recognised that the greatest expertise already existed within our own teams; every department had specialists who understood exactly how their ideal tools should function—how they should behave, look, report data, and simplify processes. By collaborating closely with these departmental champions, we built the modular, highly intuitive system that now underpins our business. The solution was so well-designed that we deployed it without requiring a single formal training session—every user had either contributed throughout development or found the system immediately intuitive. Delivering software that performs complex operations beneath the surface while appearing effortless to the user has become another pillar of Workflow’s ongoing success.
Feb 2022
Russia invades Ukraine
The invasion of Ukraine triggered a surge in energy costs, severe disruptions in material availability, and unprecedented volatility in material pricing. Once again, Lasershape faced the potential for significant operational challenges. And once again, we responded as we always have—by rapidly identifying the risks and using our experience to adapt, innovate, and strengthen our systems.
Stock control instantly became mission-critical. In response, we enhanced our internal platforms to deliver forecasting capabilities far beyond anything we had previously achieved. These advancements enabled us to adjust stock levels with pinpoint precision, protecting both ourselves and our customers from unpredictable price swings and supply shortages. Today, we can confidently state that our stock-control technology ranks among the most advanced in the subcontract manufacturing sector worldwide.
In an industry defined by its fast-paced, continuously shifting demands—where accurate stock management is notoriously difficult—we’ve made it remarkably simple.
2025
Looking to the future
Lasershape had reached a position of considerable strength and stability, yet future growth was beginning to plateau as further improvements became incremental rather than transformative. Our first instinct was to scale by simply expanding our existing operations, but it quickly became clear that businesses like ours do not scale efficiently through duplication alone—and doing so could jeopardise the exceptional quality and reliability that define us. That was a risk we were unwilling to take.
With this realisation, we once again turned to technology. The question became: How do we unlock and expose the vast automation capabilities within our facility in a way that delivers extraordinary value not just to us, but directly to our customers?
The answer was Hyperlight....
2026
Hyperlight!
After 18 months of intensive development and rigorous testing, we are proud to unveil Phase 1 of the Hyperlight project. In doing so, we have built on the successes of our previous innovations, applied the disciplined practices we’ve refined over the years, and once again delivered on what has become our hallmark—transforming extraordinary complexity into elegant simplicity.
Hyperlight enables customers to upload their CAD files and receive fully-validated, highly accurate quotes in seconds. But this is far more than a typical online quoting tool. Hyperlight is directly integrated with over 750,000 lines of code developed since 2018, allowing it to validate files, optimise material utilisation and cutting strategies, and apply our proprietary algorithms to produce quotes that match the precision of Lasershape’s traditional methods—only now delivered instantly, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Once an order is placed, Hyperlight communicates seamlessly with our internal systems to automatically prepare the job for manufacture. And it doesn’t stop there: throughout production, our systems continuously feed updates back into Hyperlight, giving customers complete visibility from start to finish. You’ll always know exactly where your order is and what’s happening—eliminating the need for a single phone call.
