McLaren Q&A with Simon Lake - General Manager of McLaren Technology Group

In 2012, McLaren undertook an in-depth strategic analysis of future, global communication behaviours and the manner in which thought leaders conceive, exchange and disseminate new thinking in the digital age.

Combining these insights with McLaren’s compulsion to innovate, a bold, new vision was conceived, a unique, experiential environment in which the world’s greatest thinkers could interact in a completely new way, in a physical space like no other. That space is the McLaren Thought Leadership Centre – which was inaugurated in 2015, after an extensive and detailed planning, design, build and fit out phase.

It was always intended that the McLaren Thought Leadership Centre, a cradle of innovation and new thinking, was to herald an exciting new chapter in the constantly evolving story of our great British company, and has become an integral part of McLaren’s ongoing strategy to broaden the reach and reputation of its brand.

As you can imagine, those chosen to work with us on this exciting project were carefully chosen, based upon their project approach, workmanship and collaborative methods of working. We were fortunate to have Lucas as a member of the MTC Partner Programme, and given our close links, were able to quickly articulate the concept and the finish required.

As for execution, our long standing partnership takes all of the uncertainty out of project, we commence such projects with certainty that Lucas can produce and we can engage openly with them throughout the fit out.

We are an iconic company, well known for our desire for perfection. We operate to a standard, the “McLaren Standard”, which can often be extremely demanding. It is ingrained in us, and we make little apology for upholding our standards, positively embracing any organisation that mirrors our aims.

Early in our relationship, Lucas demonstrated their desire to research the reasons for our obsessive adherence to the McLaren standard and the advantages we believe our approach brings. Lucas rose quickly to our attention as a company perfectly aligned with our values. As a result both organisations believe that they have had a positive influence on one another.

As you can imagine, the sheer scale of our facility and the requirement to maintain the McLaren Technology Centre and McLaren Production Centre in pristine condition, requires massive support from Lucas. Our facility is not simply a place of work, it is a true representation of our brand, used constantly to promote our organisation and the innovation contained within. As a result we call upon Lucas for a range of services, including supporting major construction projects, innovative fit out projects, and high class maintenance of finishes in and around the campus.

Given the speed and accuracy required to operate within our industry, it will not come as a surprise that many of our projects are quickly conceived, quickly proven, and quickly implemented. Rather than give a single example, I can safely say that Lucas have never let us down, routinely exceeding our expectations. This breeds a confident approach when planning future projects, taking uncertainty out of our future work together. The unfortunate by-product of this confident approach is Lucas being asked to achieve the impossible on an increasingly regular basis. I remain confident that they will retain the record of high achievement.

To create and maintain a facility that lives up to our vision of perfection, we need to work with world class partners, who share our commitment to excellence and total attention to detail. Lucas has been one such partner that has made a significant contribution to the creation of our inspiring working environment and to the impeccable condition it remains in today. The core ingredient that covers the companies who work with us is that they have to have the same ethos, the same desire to do things really well and the same objective to be able to look back on a completed piece of work and have a sense of pride. Working day to day with such organisations makes maintaining our standards a far more achievable task.

We believe that both Lucas and McLaren benefit from a wealth of knowledge and experience shared. In adopting and applying techniques that are relevant to their industry, Lucas can ensure that they are at the forefront of what they do. This couldn’t be more evident than with the recent launch of our new Lucas ProTools range, and their plans to lead the way with off-site manufacturing within their sector of construction.

Danny Lucas believes that the Lucas journey with McLaren has been one that has broadened their horizons as a company, enabling Lucas to adopt new methods and techniques that have enhanced their own innovation, and I couldn’t agree more.