Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Dr Vince Cable, visits Yamazaki Mazak

Dr Cable's visit included a tour of Mazak's European Technology Centre, which showcases many of the company's UK-designed-and-built machine tools, followed by a tour of the Mazak manufacturing plant, which produces more than 1,000 machine tools every year for both UK and European customers. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Manufacturing is a national success story, which is vital to our economic growth. Businesses like Yamazaki Mazak demonstrate that the UK can continue to lead the way in developing cutting-edge technologies. "The company is a world leader in machine tools and is exporting to countries around the world. It is a great example of what manufacturing in this country is all about." Yamazaki Mazak is one of the world's leading manufacturers of metalcutting computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools, with nine manufacturing plants around the world. The Worcester site manufactures a wide range of machines that are exported to more than 30 countries in continental Europe, including the UK-designed-and-built VTC 800 series and the SMART series of turning and machining centres. The company employs some 500 people in the UK, with more than 20,000 UK-built machines installed across Europe since 1987. Marcus Burton, Yamazaki Mazak's Group managing director, Europe, said: "We are very honoured to host the Secretary of State and to be able to demonstrate, in person, our commitment to UK manufacturing and the cutting-edge technologies that are helping UK manufacturers compete with low-cost competitors. "We have long believed that the success and resilience of UK manufacturing is a great untold story and we hope that the Secretary of State's visit today will help raise the profile of manufacturers and showcase their success." Image: L to R - Mazak apprentice Craig Fitton; Dr Vince Cable; group managing director for Mazak Europe, Marcus Burton