For over 15 years, XYZ Machine Tools and Ceratizit have engaged in a partnership where
they support each other’s activities with shared values, vision and thinking. The
collaboration, which began with a chance meeting at Edinburgh Airport between Glenn
Stanton, sales manager at Ceratizit UK and Ireland, and Nigel Atherton and Mike Corbett of
XYZ Machine Tools, continues to help customers of both businesses.
Says Stanton: “Chatting with the guys from XYZ at the airport, we spotted a synergy
between the companies in several areas, one of which was the typical customers that
purchased from both businesses. Another common theme was the focus and drive we had
to help customers become more efficient at a great price point. Over the past 15 years it has
proved to be the perfect partnership.”
A machine tool is never going to perform without cutting tools or work holding and, during
its formative years, XYZ had never really aligned with a dedicated tooling supplier. At the
start of the relationship, Ceratizit, which was branded as WNT at that point, provided XYZ
with tooling that allowed the company to demonstrate its machines to their full capability
and show production gains to customers at the XYZ showrooms around the country.
“High-feed milling and the development of variable helix/variable pitch solid-carbide milling
cutters were really starting to make an impression in machine shops around the country
when the partnership began,” explains Corbett. “It was ideal that XYZ had access to this
latest generation of tools. We were able to show customers how to reduce cycle times and
improve machine efficiency with the technical back-up of a company that was at the leading
edge of cutting tool performance.”
The partnership took a giant leap forward following the opening of the Ceratizit Sheffield
Technical Centre. With Ceratizit’s business model evolving, space that was once used for
holding tooling stock in the Sheffield Airport Business Park facility, became available for XYZ
to install a range of its machines. This in turn created a demonstration/training facility in the
north of England.
A by-product of having these machines in Sheffield was it allowed the showroom to become
the training hub for Ceratizit technical and sales staff – not only the UK but also from other
countries around Europe. It allowed customer-facing employees to see how they could get
the best from their products.
Ceratizit has subsequently moved its Technical Centre to a dedicated building on the AMRC
complex just down the road from the company’s main offices. However, the facility still

houses XYZ machines, including ProtoTRAK-controlled mills and lathes, an 800 HD vertical
machining centre, and a UMC5X simultaneous five-axis machining centre. The tooling
specialist continues to use the XYZ machines to deliver technical training to both staff and
customers, while another application is the manufacturing of bespoke work holding and
fixtures marketed under the ‘Made In Sheffield’ brand.
Both businesses are seeing a change in the landscape of machine shops around the country,
where gaining access to tooling as quickly as possible is becoming increasingly important.
XYZ is also witnessing this trend, and one of the advantages of its association with Ceratizit
is continuous access to the latest TOM 80 vending machine.
“As customers adapt to the changes that Brexit has brought, many are now taking
advantage of having a vending machine installed on their shop floors if they meet certain
criteria we set,” explains Stanton.
To highlight the benefits the vending machine brings to the XYZ showroom near Tiverton,
Devon, Corbett adds: “Both our production team and applications department use this
machine to dispense Ceratizit tooling. We have full traceability of who vends the tools and
re-stocking takes place without any intervention from XYZ. This facility ensures tooling is
always available to our staff without needing to call upon Ceratizit’s next-day delivery
service, adding to our efficiency.”
When asked about the future of the partnership, Stanton says: ”As we develop new tools,
grades of carbide, and add to our existing five-axis vices and zero-point work-holding
systems, XYZ will always be involved in the development of these products. It allows
customers to see first-hand in any of the XYZ showrooms around the country the latest
technologies we offer.
Corbett closes by adding: “Both Ceratizit and XYZ feel that everybody is a winner with this
arrangement. XYZ get tooling and work holding provided to show the power and robustness
of the products. Ceratizit wins because they can show their cutting tools and work holding in
action to prove the performance gains available from investing in their equipment.
However, as far as both companies are concerned, the main winner has to be the customer,
who can produce parts as efficiently as possible and reduce the cost per part by tapping into
this long-established partnership.
More information www.xyzmachinetools.com