LPI Celebrates 25th Anniversary
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – In 2019, LPI marks 25 years iinnovative digital-measuring solutions for companies in stone and various other industries.
Founded by Dan Louis in 1994, LPI was created on the premise of helping people out by making their jobs easier, understanding how cumbersome it was to measure countertops, cabinets and rooms in general.
The Beginning – the SL-24 Laser Square
Led by its popular Laser Templator laser-measuring system, LPI has sold more than 6,000 systems throughout the world that have helped thousands of companies increase their productivity.
He also wanted to provide job opportunities for the American worker and their families.
“I was fortunate enough to have the resources to engineer a few solutions that people liked and were beneficial for their business,” said Louis, LPI CEO and owner. “I’ve always said the company exists for the benefit of the people, meaning not only our customers, but also our employees, many of whom have been with the company for more than 10 years. I wanted a place where hardworking Americans could have a good career and support their families.”
The first product developed by Louis for the company was the SL-24 Laser Square, which allowed installers to execute perfect 90° or 45° tile layouts. A few years later, he introduced the GS-28 and GS-40 Saw Laser that mounted on bridge saws and CNC equipment to create a visible laser guideline for precise cuts.
In 2004, Louis introduced the industry’s first laser templator, the LT-55. This innovative system allowed templators to digitally measure countertops and cabinets, add elements such as overhangs, edge styles and backsplashes, and produce a digital template ready for fabrication.
He further enhanced this system and launched the LT-2D3D Laser Templator in 2013 with an improved 2D Laser Templator software and a new 3D Laser TemplatePro software. The advanced hardware design and user-friendly, yet robust software allowed templators to send CNC-ready files directly from the job site to the shop for fabrication and complete more jobs in day. This innovation won the StonExpo Best Product Award in 2013, as well as several other awards.
Today, the LT-2D3D continues to be the market leader in digital-templating systems with more than 3,000 customers worldwide, including 12 of the last 14 Fabricators of the Year.
LPI has also been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America the past two years. In 2018, Louis was recognized as an influential figure in the industry when he was inducted into the National Kitchen and Bath Association Hall of Fame.
“Just as important as all the success we have had over the past 25 years and looking at all the new things we have on the horizon, is the people inside and outside the company,” Louis said. “I just want people to be happy and enjoy life.”
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