CNC lathe manufacturer CMZ celebrated its 20th anniversary of its French subsidiary, CMZ France, at its facilities in Lyon in October. Almost 400 visitors attended, including customers, suppliers, the media and collaborators. The event included conferences, technical workshops and a large showroom of CMZ lathes for the attendees to see.
Since its creation in 2004, CMZ France has experienced constant growth, and consolidated itself as one of the main references in the French machine tool market. Laurent Loustalot, CMZ France’s sales manager, remembered how the company began in a small office, highlighting the fact that two decades later, it has grown to have over 25 employees and a sales network that covers the whole country. Manufacturing trends in sectors like the aeronautics, medical and automotive industries have made France the focus of opportunities for the company’s expansion plan. Over 1700
The French market has become a key market for the CMZ group, representing a high percentage of total turnover. In the last 20 years, the company has delivered a total of 1,750 lathes in the country, with a total accumulated value of €179,860,582. In 2023 alone, the machines delivered totalled a value of 18.8 million euros, reflecting an increase of 1.94% in comparison to the previous year.
This constant growth is being supported by various investments aimed at increasing the group’s production capacity. Proof of this is the group’s latest acquisition. The purchase in June 2024 of a plot of over 22,000m2in Berriz (Vizcaya) will be the perfect setting for the construction of CMZ’s eighth production plant. The aim of this investment is to consolidate a production capacity of 1,000 lathes a year.
The first day of the event began with an exclusive meeting with CMZ’s sales network where the sales results and objectives for the coming years were presented as well as the various projects the company wants to undertake. The conference was chaired by Laurent Loustalot and Aitor Zumarraga, CMZ’s general manager also took part.
The session highlighted reinforcement of the sales network in the country. An example of this is the Haute-Savoie area where the company has strengthened the
sales network and expects to consolidate new projects in the coming months. The area has a long tradition in the precision industry with great development potential in terms of sales.
The event was opened to the general public on 2 October at mid-day. Attendees had free access to the showroom equipped with the complete range of CMZ lathes. This space enabled visitors to find out about the technology in the machines first hand with advice from the entire sales network present at the event.
3 October began with a press conference for customers, suppliers, the media and collaborators. Laurent Loustalot welcomed everyone and presented the sales directors from CMZ’s subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Michael Librizzi, head of the after sales service in France, highlighted the importance of CMZ having its own technical support service, specialised in the product, which reinforces the group’s commitment to integral control of the process. Finally, Aitor Zumarraga closed the press conference sharing information on projects that will be tackled in the near future.
One of the highlights of the event was the technical workshop given by Ainhoa de la Iglesia, CMZ’s applications manager, where she talked about the infinite automation possibilities in lathes using the Gantry Loader. During the presentation, she presented the benefits and capacities of CMZ’s Gantry Loader range, a solution designed to minimise production times and optimise the processes of loading and unloading parts.
To end the second day, after an intense day of technical work, there was a jazz show and cocktails for attendees, a relaxed atmosphere for exchanging impressions and strengthening commercial relations.
According to the representatives of CMZ France, the event attracted around 400 visitors. Customers and collaborators came to the facilities at Vaulx-Milieu and enjoyed a large showroom with the complete range of CMZ machines.
The models on show included the TA series, CMZ’s top selling series, represented by a TA-20-YS-640+GL20II. This highly configurable lathe has three bench lengths: 400, 640 and 1100. In addition, the Gantry Loader GL20II means up to 2 parts weighing 10 kg each can be loaded, facilitating automation of the parts loading and unloading process.
Also present were other models like the TD-30-YS-800 and TD-45-Y-2200 from the TD series. These high precision lathes are designed for larger parts and have turrets that can reach up to 12,000 rpm.
Finally, rounding up the multiturret lathes, specifically designed for high production, the models TTS-46-46-T1Y-T2Y and a TTL-66-66-T1Y-T2Y were on display. Fitted with 2 turrets and 3 channels, these lathes allow simultaneous use of three tools.
On 4 October the event ended officially, on a day with a great influx of visitors. The three days gave CMZ the opportunity to celebrate two decades of success in a space designed for analysis and technical enjoyment. The company looks to the future with its sights set on ambitious new projects aimed at continued growth.
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