Hardinge to represent Biglia in UK and China

Biglia is the leading Italian manufacturer of multi-axis turning centres and the sixth largest CNC lathe producer in Europe, with over 10,000 units actively in operation around the world. Now, as part of its ambitions to make a significant impact not just in the UK but in China and the Far East, it has agreed that Hardinge will in future represent its interests. "The arrangement we have agreed with Biglia means that, in future, Hardinge has sales, service and technical support responsibility for their machines in the UK and in China," explained Martin Doyle, sales and marketing manager for Hardinge Machine Tools Ltd. "Both parties are agreed that the potential benefits will be significant." He continued: "In many ways, this is the completion of the jigsaw, with Hardinge now offering a fully comprehensive range of machine tools within its product range in turning, milling and grinding, with the capability of offering entry-level solutions up to and including integrated cells, which are now complemented by the high end multi-tasking Biglia products. "Hardinge has been looking for a strategic partner in this area for some time and we believe the skills, engineering and quality of manufacture that Biglia has within its operation perfectly complement the Hardinge operation and our Group ethos. Hardinge, in turn, offers Biglia a global presence in both sales and technical support. We have been working with them in China since the end of 2010 and there have already been sales successes. And our UK sales team will be able to now reach a much wider market, able to offer customers looking for 'one hit' machining solutions a new range of options. "This is a very exciting development and we look forward to it contributing significantly as a key aspect of both organisations' global strategies," he concluded. Mauro Biglia, commercial sales manager of E. Biglia & C. Spa, said: "Biglia expects to increase its sales in these two key markets and bring to its customers better support and greater productivity," he explains." For a number of years, Biglia's interests in the UK have been looked after by Kenilworth based Whitehouse Machine Tools and Hardinge has embarked on a programme to manage the transition period with existing customers to ensure absolute continuity in sales, service and spares supply. To this end, Steve Brown, one of Hardinge's Leicester-based applications engineers, will assume a special responsibility for the Biglia project - both existing and new business - and he has already been working in Italy to familiarise himself with the products and the Biglia operations.