600 Group in Slovakian joint venture

To be called 600BOST, the new joint venture, which is expected to become fully operational on January 1 2008, will combine and build on the existing BOST sales and support infrastructure as well as the Group’s own 600 International representative office in Prague, Czech Republic. 600BOST will be managed by Andrej Bielik, presently managing director of a BOST subsidiary company in Slovakia, and will be supported by Pavel Vincar, general manager of 600 Group’s 600 International business in Prague. The objective of creating the new venture, in which 600 Group will have a majority shareholding, is to further expand 600 Group’s machine tool businesses in the growing markets of Eastern Europe. 600BOST will develop a comprehensive distribution network throughout Eastern Europe and provide both existing and new distributors with locally based spares, stock and demonstration machines as well as technical support for both pre and after sales activities. Besides continuing all existing distribution and distributor support, the initial growth focus for 600BOST will be to increase sales of 600 Group’s Colchester-Harrison brand and develop and support distribution networks for Fuji and Dalian* brand machines in the territory. This work will commence during the forthcoming EMO exhibition in Hanover, where representatives of both 600 Group and BOST will be developing distribution and support activities in preparation for the formal launch in January. *Dalian machines are machines designed and manufactured by Dalian Machine Tool Group (DMTG), China, under the guidance of 600 Group. DMTG is the eighth largest machine tool builder in the world, it is claimed, it manufacturing 50,000 machines/year (factory pictured). Dalian machines, residing under a 600 Group business activity called Dalian Sales, will be available through independent distributors in designated territories, being marketed in Eastern Europe, Germany and the UK. In the UK, the Dalian operation will "be centred on" the 600 Centre in the UK. Additional sales, service and application engineers are already being employed, answering to senior managers dedicated to the promotion and development of the Dalian range of machines. The Dalian range replaces the the Clausing range which was to have been marketed in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. EMO will see the launch of the Dahlian range of machine tools from 600 Group.