Yamazaki Mazak celebrated a record year for machine sales in 2018, following a strong performance in a number of key market sectors — in particular, automotive, oil and gas, and medical.

Alan Mucklow, managing director of the UK & Ireland sales division (www.mazakeu.co.uk), said: “Mazak is delighted to announce that 2018 proved to be the company’s best-ever year for UK machine sales.

The resurgence of the oil and gas market was much-welcomed, and we saw great success with the sales of machines from the larger section of our portfolio, such as our Integrex e-H range of multi-tasking machine tools, as well as our highly versatile MegaTurn vertical turning centres.

“A particularly pleasing aspect of our 2018 sales performance was the volume of commodity machines, including the UK-made entry-level QT Compact turning-centre range and the high-performance Quick Turn series.

"The company has invested heavily in improving its European Manufacturing Centre in Worcester in recent years, and
it is especially rewarding to see that investment translate into shorter lead times and strong sales for UK-built machines.

“2018 also proved to be another fantastic year for UK sales of machines from our laser processing portfolio, following the recent additions to our Direct Diode Laser range, as well as the newly unveiled 8kW and 10kW additions to our Optiflex Fiber series.

“2019 has already started strongly, following an impressive volume of enquiries from our presence at Autosport Engineering in January.

“This year was the first time we exhibited across the weekend, rather than just the ‘trade’ days, and being the only machine tool manufacturer with a visible presence paid real dividends.”