More investment helps keep machinery group ahead

Two new major machine tool agencies, additions to the sales and applications teams, plus a massive investment in IT are the latest evidence of T W Ward CNC Machinery's forward-thinking strategy

Two new major machine tool agencies, additions to the sales and applications teams, plus a massive £100,000 investment in IT are the latest evidence of T W Ward CNC Machinery's forward-thinking strategy to maintain its lead as a specialist CNC machine tool supplier.

With over 100 years of experience in the machine tool industry, the T W Ward CNC Machinery Group today embraces a wide range of activities involving new, used, remanufactured and rebuilt CNC machines at its expansive 55,000 ft2 site in Sheffield.

Already boasting an impressive array of new CNC machines - Soraluce travelling column and travelling table milling machines, Toshulin vertical boring, turning and milling machines, and Hankook horizontal lathes - the showroom now also features representatives from the Union CNC horizontal live spindle machining centres and Cetos CNC cylindrical grinding machine ranges.

Says managing director Simon Whitworth: "Along with the Union borers, the Cetos grinders (including universal cylindrical, single/two-wheelhead cylindrical plunge and crankshaft types), are a perfect addition to Ward CNC's new division's portfolio.

"Ward has an established reputation among many blue chip manufacturers gained by high-quality and effective standards of supply and support.

And by adding the Union and Cetos ranges we have moved a step closer to becoming a strategic single-source supplier to customers such as these." It is, in fact, Ward's policy of first-class customer support that has also spurred the recruitment of Alan Tooley as sales manager and David Robinson as northern area sales representative, along with the appointment of Andrew Richmond to the company's full-time applications engineering team.

While indicating that "more appointments are on the way", Simon Whitworth also regards the company's massive recent investment in internal computer systems as key to continued success.

He says: "By installing a networked company-wide IT infrastructure, we have integrated all our 'back office' functions of administration and accounts with our customer support and service activities as well as with spares stockholding, and CAD/CAM and technical diagnosis functions.

"This latest ?100K investment not only complements our website which is soon to receive further development, but also offers opportunities to put into action our plans for staff to be armed with laptops for multi-media presentations and direct communication with the host system." Simon Whitworth adds that machine tool purchase in the 21st century is a serious business, "and customers come to us with serious production problems.

To be able to win their business, we have to be just as sophisticated".

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