Lan Handling Technologies designs and builds smart automation systems for the food, pet food, baby food and pharmaceutical industries. With over 50 years of experience, teams in the Netherlands and the United States, and more than 500 systems installed worldwide, Lan operates in a world where technology is complex, projects are bespoke and trust is earned over time.

Their challenge was to make that expertise visible and recognisable across markets, customers and future colleagues.

Lan was already in motion. Marketing initiatives were live, content was being produced, events were lined up, and conversations about growth were happening across the organisation. From the outside, there was clear momentum, and rightly so.

Internally, however, things felt more fragmented. Strong work was happening in many places at once, but not always in sync. Positioning shifted depending on context, value propositions emerged without consistently guiding decisions and lead generation felt active rather than intentional.

What was needed was greater coherence, a way to ensure everything already in motion could work together in support of professional, sustainable growth over time. As that foundation began to take shape, a natural follow-up question emerged: how could the corporate story translate into a compelling employer brand?

We joined Lan’s team closely and pragmatically, working alongside marketing, sales and stakeholders across disciplines. The aim was to create shared clarity without slowing momentum. Conversations remained practical, decisions were made collaboratively, and strategy and execution progressed in parallel.

Marketing and sales operated as one integrated team throughout, a level of alignment that is rare in complex B2B environments.

In practice, this meant the following:

We began by zooming out. By linking marketing objectives directly to sales and broader corporate goals, it became clearer what existing initiatives were serving and where choices still needed to be made. From there, Lan’s positioning was refined into three clear anchors: Smart, Specialised and Sustainable. These became everyday reference points for deciding what to prioritise and what to leave aside.

To bring this positioning to life, we developed a thought-leadership approach designed to support sustainable lead generation by making Lan’s expertise tangible. This led to Handling Xtreme, a video series built around stress-testing Lan’s solutions in real-life conditions. It shifted the narrative from “this is what we do” to “this is how it works”, becoming a central element in Lan’s content ecosystem.

Behind the scenes, we introduced greater clarity around performance. Shared KPIs were defined and translated into a live HubSpot dashboard, making brand, lead generation, ABM and content performance visible, alongside engagement from existing clients across touchpoints. This provided teams with a shared view to assess progress, learn from behaviour and steer decisions collectively.

With the corporate foundation established, attention turned to the employer brand. Through a series of in-depth interviews, we explored how Lan’s story is experienced internally and what that means for attracting talent over time. These insights shaped a clear employer value proposition and direction, ready to be activated as the organisation evolves.

Marketing decisions became more deliberate and grounded in shared priorities. Teams worked from common reference points, focus sharpened, and conversations shifted from individual initiatives to overall direction. Strategy, content and performance began reinforcing one another as part of a coherent system aligned with sales objectives.

Externally, Lan’s expertise became clearer. Complex technology was easier to understand and communicate, marketing performance became transparent and actionable, and teams gained visibility into how prospects and existing clients were engaging.

For the employer brand, the work created clarity and alignment. The EVP connected internal experience with external positioning, laying a solid foundation for a cohesive employer story moving forward.

Lan continues to expand the Handling Xtreme series with supporting content for ABM and paid distribution. Employer branding tools are being rolled out internally, careers content is being optimised, and selected brand ambassadors are stepping forward to carry the story ahead.