Asquith Butler announces two new ranges at MACH 2014

The company is planning to sell and service machines made by Zayer and Sahos throughout the UK and Ireland. These two additions join the existing agreement in place with Mubea Systems. "We are delighted to be associated with Zayer, Sahos and Mubea Systems, all of whose products are of the highest quality," says managing director and co-owner, Paul Hinchliffe. "This enables us to offer a comprehensive range of machines across a very broad spectrum of industries." Zayer is Spain-based and makes bed-type, moving-column, bridge-type and travelling-gantry milling machines and machining centres. The machines range in capacity from 1,500 by 1,200 by 1,200 mm to 30,000 by 5,550 by 1,500 mm and are popular in aerospace, renewable energy, rail and mould and die sectors. One of the most sought after machines made by Zayer is a universal, automatic, 45° milling head with 360,000 positions. Even though this was launched in 1994, it still very much in demand with Zayer keen to point out that its machines can have an electro or a mechanical spindle head on the same ram. Sahos is based in the Czech Republic and manufactures machining centres ranging in size from 2,900 by 1,700 by 800 mm by 50,000 by 6,000 by 3,000 mm, but Asquith Butler will concentrate on selling the smaller sizes. They're in demand because of their ability to cut materials such as wood, clay, carbon fibre reinforced plastic, glass fibre reinforced plastic and honeycomb materials. In light of adding these new machines, Asquith Butler says it will phase out production of its Powercentre and Starcentre models, but it will continue to make its 5/6-axis Starcut travelling gantry and Starturn mill-turn centres but only to customer order. It will also continue to manufacture large capacity turning and positioning tables from 3 m to 5 m square (or diameter), because it needs them for its own Starturn mill-turn machines. The company also makes money by selling these on to other large machine tool builders, including, potentially, Zayer and Sahos themselves. "In future, the company will concentrate its activities in three main business areas, namely special products manufactured in-house, support services and distribution of principals' machines," says Mr Hinchcliffe. Asquith Butler may offer up some unique engineering solutions to Zayer and Sahos machines. Some of the configurations might include products from within Asquith Butler's holding company, Kingsbury Jig & Tool Group. Asquith Butler has some prestigious customers, which include Rolls-Royce, JCB and BAE Systems in the UK and a host of leading overseas manufacturers. The company will be on Stand 5888, Hall 5 at MACH 2014 (Birmingham NEC, 7-11 April).