Sheffield-based Ceratizit UK & Ireland Ltd’s stand at MACH 2024 proved to be a very popular destination for visitors to this year’s show. Attracting thousands of people over the course of the five-day event, “there was never a quiet moment to be had”. With hundreds of cutting tools and innovations, ToolSupply vending machines, industry specific cutting tool solutions, and more than 40 engineers and technical experts on hand to speak to visitors and answer technical queries, it was described by the company as its “largest and best stand ever”.

Making their debut at MACH 2024, were Ceratizit’s range of bespoke customer workholding solutions. Designed and manufactured by projects engineers at the Ceratizit Technical Centre in Sheffield, they are tailored for each customer’s specific machining needs and are optimised for use with clamping technology. After learning about the bespoke workholding service offered, a number of customers placed orders for fixturings, and since the show ended Ceratizit’s project engineers at the Technical Centre have been busy fulfilling those orders.

While the cutting tool innovations were enough to keep many customers on the stand for hours, a range of free refreshments were also available to help tempt the many thousands of visitors that attended the five-day show. With a fully staffed bar serving a selection of draft beers, cold drinks, speciality barista coffees, as well as hors d’oeuvres and nibbles, the Ceratizit stand had something for to appeal to everyone.

In addition to attracting new customers, apprentices and those requiring technical advice, Ceratizit UK & Ireland was also visited by many long-standing customers, familiar faces and old colleagues. A cutting tool company which prides itself in providing exceptional tooling paired with unparalleled personal and technical support, the ambience around the stand was a testament to the strong working relationships formed by the company and its staff over many years.

Those who had their show badges scanned on the stand were sent a ‘thank you package’ directly from the UK warehouse, which demonstrated its impressive next-day delivery guarantee on UK-stocked tooling.

Ceratizit UK and Ireland also ran a prize draw during the show for a Hope HB160 mountain bike, worth more than £6,000 — the bike was won Armagh-based Boyd Engineering. Moreover, for every entry into the prize draw, Ceratizit UK & Ireland donated £10 each to its chosen charities — the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK — bringing the total raised from company events to an impressive £89,662.

Tony Pennington, Ceratizit UK & Ireland managing director, said: “It was brilliant to be back at MACH 2024, and this time we were official sponsors of the exhibition as well. We had a huge number of visitors, particularly through the middle of the week, and want to thank everyone who visited the stand, spoke to one of our engineers and placed tooling orders.

“We went through 30 barrels of beer and more than 2,200 Ceratizit teddy bears — those numbers alone gives you a good idea of just how many people we had visit the stand. As usual, the whole Ceratizit team worked hard throughout the week to make it such a memorable event for customers and visitors. We are always keen to showcase the unbeatable technical support that comes from buying our cutting tools, and nothing comes close to having one-on-one conversations with engineers on the stand.”