One of the largest independent automotive manufacturers in North America has ordered five gun-drilling machines (worth $3 million) from Chessington-based Mollart Ltd (www.mollart.com) for delivery this year.

They will be used to produce oil-feed holes in automatic transmissions; the order was won against US and European competition.

Sales director Ian Petitt said: “This order increases job security at both our machine tool design and build facility in Chessington and the welding and fabrication areas of our Resolven sub-contract manufacturing plant in South Wales, where the bespoke high-pressure coolant and filtration systems are manufactured.”

Mollart previously delivered nine gun-drilling machines to the same customer in 2015. “The proven performance of those machines and the up-times being achieved were major factors in the customer’s decision to place the contract in the UK.”