Brother expands tech centre near Frankfurt

Whitehouse Machine Tools, the exclusive sales agent in the UK and Ireland for machine tools from Brother, is reporting a major expansion of its principal’s technology centre in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt. The facility has been relocated to a new 1700 m² premises on Steinmühlstrasse, about 2.5 times the size of the original site, which is large enough to accommodate nearly the entire range of Brother’s Speedio machining centres.

The strategically located facility represents a significant expansion of Brother’s European presence, providing an accessible hub for technical excellence and dealer collaboration, 25 minutes from Frankfurt Airport. The centre is designed to enhance sales, technical knowledge transfer and training, while showcasing a comprehensive lineup of the manufacturer’s latest 30-taper machines. 

More information www.wmtcnc.com

Starrag UK appoints new sales manager

Starrag UK has appointed Ian Morton as its new sales manager, with responsibility for the company’s full machine tool portfolio across the UK and Ireland in all sectors outside aerospace. He succeeds Paul Zajac, who has retired after 50 years in the industry.Reporting into the Starrag UK leadership team and working alongside aerospace lead Simon Dutton, Morton’s remit covers the Starraggroup’s full premium brand lineup, spanning the compact Bumotec brand through SIP, Starrag and Heckert to the larger Dörries and Droop+Rein ranges.

More information www.starrag.com

Q1 Subcontract Market Up 8% on Q4 2025

The UK contract manufacturing market was fundamentally solid in the first quarter of 2026, showing healthy growth compared with the previous quarter, according to the latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) figures. The CMI stood at 75 for the quarter, up 8% on Q4 2025. It showed solid month-on-month growth from January onwards, but by the end March supplier quoting activitystarted seeing the effects of global events. On a process basis, machining represented 45% of the market, unchanged from the previous quarter, whilefabrication rose from 42% to 47% at the expense of other processes like moulding.

More information www.qimtek.co.uk

Mills CNC takes 41 machine orders at MACH

Mills CNC is describing its attendance at last month’s MACH 2026 exhibition in Birmingham
as nothing short of incredible and exceptional. With 41 orders for new machines and some
200 serious enquiries taken during the week-long show, the company reports that the event
has proved the best and most successful MACH Mills has attended in its 52-year history. In
total, the company’s stand hosted over 3000 visitors.

Reflects Tony Dale, Mills CNC’s CEO: “What a fantastic show. From day one, our stand was
busy, creating a real buzz among visitors. I would like to thank everyone who visited our
MACH stand, it was much appreciated. We’re now actively engaged in following up the
hundreds of enquiries and leads taken at the exhibition, and I’m confident this activity will
result in even more sales in the weeks and months ahead.”
More information www.millscnc.co.uk

Fast-lane service for Röhm standard power chucks

To enable customers to put Röhm’s standard power chucks into operation on their machine tools as quickly as possible, the clamping and gripping technology specialist is now offering a fast-lane service. In practical terms, the move means that standard chucks can be delivered inside three days together with the corresponding machine‑specific adapter and matching flanges – depending on diameter – within two to four weeks.

The background of the new service is that an individual adapter is often required due to the specific characteristics of each machine on site.

Explains Matthias Volz, head of business development at Röhm: “Every power chuck and every machine has its own interface. To connect the two, you need a draw adapter for the chuck and, if required, a flange to serve as the machine interface.”

Manufacturing and delivering such custom add‑on components would normally take six to eight weeks…until now.

So how it work? Well, the adapter is mounted to the machine’s drawtube, drawbar or directly to the actuating cylinder, and on the other side to the chuck. It transfers the motion from the cylinder to the chuck to open and close it. The flange is required to attach the chuck to the machine spindle.

According to Volz, “because every machine spindle has a different bolt pattern and diameter, a separate flange is usually necessary”.

To ensure fast delivery, the following criteria apply: fast‑lane adapters are available only for standard thread sizes; spindle and chuck data must be provided; and delivery is made as accessory components and must be installed by the customer.

More information www.roehm.biz/en