MACH 2016 Hartlepool-based JJ Hardy & Sons has won a brand new Hardinge GS150 horizontal turning centre as first prize in the Engineering Technology Group's MACH 2016 VIP Prize Draw.

With a history dating back to 1856, JJ Hardy specialises in the manufacture of precision engineered parts for the rail, oil, gas and energy sectors and is particularly known for its use of reverse engineering techniques to simulate precise original equipment standards.

In its build up to the MACH exhibition ETG offered members of its VIP Club a chance to win the Hardinge CNC lathe which is widely regarded as being ‘best in class’. There were also 4 runners up prizes or workholding equipment from the extensive inventory available from ETG Workholding.

The GS150 was further supplemented by a range of added value products that brought the total value of the first prize to over £90,000. As well as being delivered in a ready-to-run state, ETG engineers will also commission the machine in JJ Hardy’s factory.

It will be supplied complete with a Hydrafeed MV65 bar feed giving it an unmanned machining capability and improved productivity, a Filtermist oil mist collector and filter unit, Open Mind CAD/CAM software, CIMCO machine monitoring software, WNT VDI adaptors and general purpose turning tools, a high pressure coolant system supplied by Pumps & Equipment and a first fill of coolant courtesy of Blazer.

Martin Doyle, ETG Group managing director, said: “As you would expect the draw generated a lot of interest prior to and at the exhibition. We chose the prizes carefully so that the winners had the opportunity to expand their manufacturing operations either with enhanced capacity from the lathe or by increasing productivity with advanced workholding.”

JJ Hardy managing director Andrew Pailor was delighted on hearing the news saying it was a “brilliant gesture”. JJ Hardy are not currently an ETG customer but Mr Pailor suggested that “perhaps it was time we do a bit of business together!”.

The names of the workholding winners will be posted on the ETG Web site during week beginning 25 April.

For further information on the range of advanced machine tools and workholding and fixturing solutions available from ETG visit www.engtechgroup.com