Lanner Group Ltd is a software company specialising in

simulation software Simulation software is based on the process of modeling a real phenomenon with a set of mathematical formulas. It is, essentially, a program that allows the user to observe an operation through simulation without actually performing that operation ...

such as

discrete event simulation A discrete-event simulation (DES) models the operation of a system as a (discrete) sequence of events in time. Each event occurs at a particular instant in time and marks a change of state in the system. Between consecutive events, no change in th ...

and predictive simulation, headquartered in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, UK. The business develops, markets and supports business process simulation and optimisation systems.Lanner Group Company History Page
/ref> The company has subsidiaries in the US, China, France and Germany and a distributor network selling the company's products in 20 different countries. Lanner Group was formed following a

Management Buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

of ''AT&T Istel'', a spin-off from the operational research department of

British Leyland British Leyland was a British automotive engineering and manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate formed in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It wa ...

where, in 1978, the world's first ''visual interactive simulation tool'' was developed. Lanner Group services automotive, aviation, criminal justice, defence and aerospace, financial services and contact centres, food and beverage, health, logistics and supply chain, manufacturing, nuclear, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and consumer health industries.

Company history

Lanner Group formed in 1996 after completing a Management Buyout from ''AT&T Istel''; the company was initially named ''SEE WHY SOLUTIONS'' and was incorporated in 1995. Lanner Group's previous owner, AT&T Istel, formerly known as ISTEL, was initially called ''BL Systems'', and was a spin out formed in 1979 following a

Merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

of all the computer departments under the then

umbrella. BL System's ''SEE WHY'' tool, programmed in Fortran 77 and launched in 1980, was the world's first commercially available visual interactive simulation package and the precursor to Lanner Group's current core software product ''WITNESS''. WITNESS was the first of the industrial strength ''4GL'' simulators. The WITNESS system was launched on

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the List of IBM Personal Computer models, IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible ''de facto'' standard. Released on ...

in 1986 and has been revised frequently since. The latest version of Lanner's Witness was released in summer 2017. The applications of the FORTRAN 77 / WITNESS interface have been subject to further academic

Research and Development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

. Since 1985 the company has supported its simulation software academic program. Over 100 universities worldwide have been involved since the program began. Lanner Group continued to develop the WITNESS platform further in parallel to developing its mainstay product of the same name, and since 2002 has introduced new systems providing niche simulation packages for police and healthcare organisations called ''PRISM'' and ''PX-Sim'' respectively. In 2006 the company unveiled a

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

based simulation engine called ''L-SIM'' which is embedded in

Business Process Management Business process management (BPM) is the discipline in which people use various methods to Business process discovery, discover, Business process modeling, model, Business analysis, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and Business process auto ...

(BPM) solutions software. In May the same year, a technology partnership with BPM solution provider

IDS Scheer IDS Scheer was a software company that developed, marketed, and supported Business Process Management (BPM) software. It has been regarded as the founder of the BPM industry. The company was established in 1984 by August-Wilhelm Scheer who also ...

was announced. The L-SIM product is now the simulation engine of IDS Scheer's ARIS Business Simulator. The company's WITNESS platform technology is therefore embedded into current

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

SAP Sap is a fluid transported in the xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a s ...

, and

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

BPA products. From 1996 to 2010 the company's main investor was private equity company 3i. On 18 March 2010 Lanner Group announced that it had secured a £3 million new investment deal with ''NVM Private Equity'' replacing 3i. 3i continues to retain an interest in Lanner Group as a small minority investor.

References

External links

Official website
British Leyland Simulation software

Company history

References

Further reading

External links