Yamazaki Mazak 2011 business performance ahead of 2007 peak year

Said UK sales director Tony Saunders: "In the first half of 2011, sales were driven by the need for productivity improvements. Customers needed to increase their machining capacity and replace old, inefficient equipment in order to service the demand that they were experiencing. This was a positive sign and confirmed that the market was heading in the direction that we had predicted in 2010. "The latter half of the year saw continued sales growth across the breadth of our product portfolio, from CNC lathes to horizontal machining centres and the much larger multitasking machines. From mid-year onwards we began to see much more strategic investment, which is a clear sign that the market has confidence." Yamazaki Mazak introduced a host of new and innovative products in 2011, a number of which are manufactured at its Worcester manufacturing facility, including the Vertical Centre Smart 530C and the Quick Turn Smart 350M, contributing to the 19% increase in UK-made machines – another record for the year. Aerospace proved to be the busiest sector in 2011, but Mazak maintained a strong presence within the general subcontracting and the oil and energy markets. The automotive sector also increased significantly, resulting in a 170% increase in the sales of horizontal machining centres, the highest in a decade. Mr Saunders concluded: "We are optimistic that the confidence that we are seeing will continue to translate into sales and market growth throughout 2012. Hi-tech manufacturing is bucking the trend and leading the UK towards recovery."