Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, 19 October 2026. A Burnham-on-Crouch entrepreneur has launched a start-up run by one person and 27 AI agents he built himself. He now offers industrial companies the same approach, to cut the paperwork that slows down their quotes and orders.
Lawton Consulting International Ltd was founded in September 2026 by James Lawton, after more than 20 years in sales and 15 in digital and software, much of it implementing Salesforce systems for organisations with thousands of employees. Earlier this year he put AI to work for his then employer, before building the system that became the firm. The firm is a systems integrator: it joins up the software a business already uses, with AI doing the routine work in between.
The firm works with industrial companies, from manufacturers and engineering firms to construction, civil engineering and wholesale. Most of their people are on the shop floor, on site or on the road, and a small office team carries the enquiries, quotes and orders for everyone else.
Before offering the service to anyone, James built his own back office from 27 AI agents: pieces of software that each do one job, with him signing off the decisions that matter. They handle the firm's prospect research, customer records, compliance checks, diary and reporting.
This month the agents ran financial health checks on 4,773 UK companies in four hours overnight. They also screened 2,989 phone numbers in 75 minutes against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and its corporate version (CTPS). These are the UK's official registers of people and organisations who have opted out of marketing calls, and firms must check them before making sales calls. No record was changed until James had reviewed the 302 numbers they flagged.
James Lawton said: "In industrial companies, the main job isn't done at a computer, but the computer is often the bottleneck. They need the quote out the same day, the order typed in once, and the supplier chased without anyone dropping what they're doing. I started building with AI in January, first for my employer at the time and then for myself, so I know where it helps and where it still needs a person."
He added: "People ask how many staff I have. The answer is one, plus 27 agents. For a business with staff, this isn't about cutting jobs. It's about giving capable people their time back, with a named person in their team signing off anything that matters."
Every engagement starts by measuring how long a process takes today, so the gain can be checked afterwards. A first workflow usually takes a few weeks from first conversation to hand-over.
James lives in Burnham-on-Crouch with his wife and two daughters. He volunteers with the RNLI, helms a cadet safety boat at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club, and is a member of the Federation of Small Businesses and BNI Central in Witham.
Businesses can find out more at lawton.ltd, where the firm's website assistant, the Bee, asks a few questions about where work is getting stuck.
Notes to editors
- About Lawton Consulting International: Lawton Consulting International Ltd (LCI) is a systems integration and AI start-up based in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, run by its founder and 27 AI agents. It builds automation and AI-assisted workflows for industrial companies, inside the tools they already use. By industrial companies it means manufacturers, engineering firms, construction and civil engineering contractors, wholesalers and distributors, builders' merchants, fabricators and machine shops, plastics and electrical equipment makers, food and drink producers, marine engineers and boatyards, haulage and logistics firms, and the trades that keep them running. Registered in England and Wales, company number 17438604.
- Interviews: James is available for interview and can show the 27 agents at work on LCI's own back office.
- Photography: a high-resolution portrait of James is available on request. Free to use; credit Lawton Consulting International.
- Media contact: James Lawton, Founder · [email protected] · 01621 488 007