70 at Hexagon

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence recently hosted a special event to demonstrate its latest measurement solutions to businesses in the Midlands. The breakfast meeting, held at the company’s Telford head office, was attended by 70 delegates who were able to watch six product displays
and listen to a series of talks. The event also gave visitors an opportunity to showcase their companies and highlight areas for collaboration during a 60-second pitch session.
For further information
www.hexagonmi.com

White retires

Nick White, Mills CNC’s sales director, announced his retirement from the company at the end of last month. White joined Mills CNC, then located in Norwich, in December 1988 as the business manager responsible for sales growth in the southwest of England and Wales. This was a position he held for a number of years, during which time the company changed its name, relocated to Leamington Spa, and became the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland. He was appointed as the company’s UK and Ireland sales manager in 2008 and, following a management buyout in 2014, became Mills CNC’s sales director and a major shareholder in the business.
For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

£65m overpayments

Manufacturers could be missing out on up to £65m of unclaimed refunds and incorrect charges on their energy bills, according to business energy experts Inenco Group. Inenco has conducted analysis on business bills, identifying that one in five energy bills contain errors that frequently go unnoticed by organisations. The most common issue in the manufacturing sector is incorrect rates applied to bills, followed by meter read errors. Inenco’s team of data analysts process and validate over one million invoices each year on behalf of businesses.
For further information www.inenco.com/missingmillions

Metaltech Malaysia

Momentum is beginning to build for Metaltech Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, 24-27 May), which is the country’s largest exhibition for the metalworking and machine tool industries. Established for more than 20 years, the four-day show will feature some 1400 companies across exhibition space spanning 35,000 sq m. Six national pavilions will also be present: Austria, China, Germany, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.
Around 27,000 buyers from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and other countries
are expected to attend.
For further information www.metaltech.com.my

Bridgeport mill boosts 1-off machining

Expert CNC Ltd, a subcontract supplier of precision milling and turning services, has invested in a pre-owned Bridgeport Interact 4 CNC milling machine from Sorted Machine Sales. The move comes in response to ongoing customer demand for greater flexibility in the machining of 1-off components.
Established in 2008, Verwood, Dorset-based Expert CNC serves customers in sectors ranging from marine and aerospace, through to machine building and architecture. Diversity of this nature requires inherent flexibility in the machine shop.
“We never know what work will come through the door tomorrow, and with increasing requests for 1-off parts against short lead-times, we made the decision to source a CNC vertical mill that was simple and quick to program,” explains commercial director Gary Waldron. “We saw a Bridgeport Interact 4 with Heidenhain CNC on Sorted’s website and, after a viewing, deemed it ideal for our needs.”
Phil Bowers, director at Sorted Machine Sales, takes up the story: “The machine had only been used for light work in the aerospace industry, so was in really good condition. We gave it a comprehensive service, and it sailed through a Renishaw ballbar test. Each pre-owned machine is treated as if we were buying it ourselves. This level of service is what ensures we enjoy high repeat sales.”
Indeed, Expert CNC is now in the market for a second pre-owned machine.
“We have earmarked funds for another investment, which will either be a vertical machining centre with a fourth axis, or a turning machine,” says Waldron. “Whichever we decide, Sorted will be our first port of call.”
For further information www.sorted-uk.com
www.expert-cnc.co.uk