Press Release

successful first year for TURNING TECHNOLOGIES

July 2005

The first year’s business for Turning Technologies, appointed the sole UK distributor for Nakamura-Tome’s Super High Precision Turning Centres in June 2004, has gone extremely well, says Managing Director, Richard Turner.

“We had to hit the ground running as we were taking over an existing distributorship, and it was important for Nakamura’s sake to keep that momentum going, so our first priority was to recruit a good team to provide service support to the existing users. That meant sending people to Japan for training, which was a big commitment for us, and developing our spare parts base. Nakamura have been very supportive throughout, and we now have our own Nakamura engineer resident in the UK complete with his family – which shows their commitment to the UK market,” says Richard.

“We were determined that the company would be focused purely on Nakamura, with no distractions. That was important to us, it was important to Nakamura, and above all it was important for our customers. As part of the Engineering Technology Group we can keep that small company focus and yet benefit from the strengths and resources of a larger organisation.”

One of the ways Turning Technologies is supporting existing users is through preventative maintenance agreements. As Richard explains, “The people who buy Nakamura machines are serious about turned parts and they need these machines to be available 24/7, so we are offering them the certainty of regular preventative check-ups, combined with discounts on spare parts and priority call-out as part of an all-in package.”

Only after this support infrastructure was up and running, did the emphasis shift onto sales.

“We really started to focus on sales in the second half of the year, and the response has been tremendous. We have the products that are right for where the UK market is heading. The only way that UK manufacturers can stay competitive is to use one-hit machining techniques; to cut lead times, reduce cycle times, improve accuracy, incorporate un-attended running and significantly reduce overheads. That’s what Nakamura Turning Centres are all about, and the companies that are investing in them are making good returns. If they are making high-added-value parts in low to medium volumes they can certainly make them pay – and with the new Nakamura WT-100 we are focusing on sliding head users too. Whichever market you look at; – medical, automotive, aerospace, valves, controls – we are pushing against an open door.”

The Engineering Technology Group was created in April this year, and brings together four complementary businesses: Turning Technologies – the sole UK distributor for Nakamura-Tome's Super High Precision Turning Centres; Chiron, the World Class Manufacturer of High Speed Machining Centres; Hyfore, a manufacturer of manual, pneumatic and hydraulic fixtures, and Hyformation, a new business focusing on Kupa flexible manufacturing systems.

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For more information please contact:

Polly Taylor
Turning Technologies
Tel: 01926 818 418
E :ptaylor@turning.biz
www.turning.biz    www.chironuk.co.uk
www.engtechgroup.com

Andy Sandford
Sticklebacks Communications Ltd
Tel: 01737 270 648
Mob: 07971 436 644
E : Andy@sticklebacks.com
www.sticklebacks.com