Star Welcomes Newcomers

Indeed, it seems that UK manufacturers are taking up the challenge with considerable enthusiasm. A large number of MACH exhibitors reported high levels of enquiries and orders.  In Star’s case, Mr Hunt found it particularly heartening that four of the companies that placed orders were completely new to sliding-head technology and another was ordering its second slider, having installed its first Star lathe less than a year ago.

The conclusion that he comes to is that, despite decades of unremitting penetration of the turning market by sliding-head lathes, there are still a lot of manufacturers and subcontractors out there that can profit from adopting this style of multi-axis mill-turning for parts up to 32 mm diameter.

Such companies broadly fall into two categories – cam auto users looking for greater accuracy and one-hit machining to reduce labour costs and fixed-head CNC lathe users that have begun to realise that sliding-head cycles can be much faster, even on short parts.

Says Mr Hunt, “We are very pleased to welcome these five new companies into the Star fold.  Many of the subcontractors that became customers back in the 1990s now use Star machines numbering well into double digits – firms like Techno Group and Qualiturn in England and Tercet and Bonspiel in Scotland.

“So it is obvious what the potential benefits of new customers are to Star GB.  In return, we play our part by guaranteeing that they are successful.  We do this by providing a personal service, from industry-leading applications engineering before the order is placed right through to comprehensive training and after sales service.”