Key to understanding the company’s sales performance over the last 12 months is the enduring popularity of its Doosan Lynx and Puma lathe and DNM vertical machining centre ranges amongst component manufacturers.
Managing director Kevin Gilbert explains: “Our Lynx and Puma lathes and our DNM 3-axis vertical machining centres have a wide appeal, and our recent decision to introduce models equipped with the latest Siemens controls has had a significant and positive impact on sales.”
In addition to launching lathes and machining centres equipped with the Siemens 828D TFT touchscreen control and onboard ShopTurn and ShopMill software, Mills also introduced a number of other new models in 2017.
These included: the 10 inch chuck Puma 2600SY Mk II Y-axis sub-spindle lathe equipped with a built-in spindle and improved thermal displacement control for improved accuracies and part quality; the 12 inch chuck GT3100 series that includes the GT3100M model equipped with driven tooling capability; the TW2600 range of twin spindle chucking lathes that includes the TW2600-GL model equipped with a gantry loader for improved productivity; and the heavy-duty box guideway V8300 range of vertical turning lathes which deliver high accuracies when machining hard and difficult-to-machine materials.
In addition to new machines making an impact, Mills has reported a noticeable resurgence in sales of its large capacity machines. An increase in demand for large Doosan horizontal boring machines, vertical turning lathes and horizontal machining centres from component manufacturers operating in the energy, oil and gas and rail sectors helped generate significant sales revenue over the 12-month period.
“Large machines are often installed as part of a more extensive and involved turnkey project, and during 2017 we were approached by an increasing number of manufacturers to help design, develop and implement complex turnkey solutions,” Mr Gilbert revealed.
One of the highlights of 2017 was the company’s ‘Strokes of Genius…LIVE’ two-day open house held at Mills’ Technology Campus facility in Leamington in October.
Attracting more than 200 visitors, the event provided the ideal platform for Mills to launch a number of its new machines to UK and Irish audiences and, to showcase in conjunction with Hydrafeed, an advanced robot solution - the Robojob (mill-assist) automated workpiece load/unload system.
Such was the interest shown by visitors in this automation solution that Mills has decided to showcase the system integrated with a Doosan DNM vertical machining centre on its stand at MACH 2018.
Other notable 2017 highlights included a marked upturn in sales achieved by the CNC Training Academy – Mills’ independently operated training arm – and a significant increase in the number of Mills customers taking out service contracts on their Doosan machines.
2017 was also the year when Mills joined the AMRC as a Tier 1 member and delivered and installed two Doosan machines – a TT1800SY twin-spindle, twin turret turning centre and a DNM 5700 vertical machining centre – at the AMRC’s advanced manufacturing centre, as part of the arrangement.
To maintain momentum in 2018, the company has a number of initiatives and plans in place. These include attending the 2018 MACH Show in April where the company will be showcasing 16 Doosan machines from its stand (H18 520), and the launch of a series of new sector-based marketing campaigns.
Mills CNC www.millscnc.co.uk
