The leading supplier of bar-fed sliding-head and fixed-head CNC turning machines to the British and Irish markets, Citizen Machinery UK, has reported a successful open house. The first since the start of the pandemic, excluding a few virtual events, it was held at the company’s headquarters in Bushey from 12th to 14th October 2021.
There was a steady stream of visitors over the three days. Numbers were down compared to previous shows, with 100 visitors representing 52 companies attending. Some people are still wary of travelling due to coronavirus, but by far the main reason given for not visiting was pressure of work.
Orders for 15 machines valued at £2,321,000 were either placed or committed to verbally during the show. Three of the orders were from customers who had registered but could not attend or who had not planned to visit.
More than two-thirds of the lathes will be supplied with the manufacturer’s proprietary LFV (low frequency vibration) programmable chip breaking software. Launched five years ago, it has transformed the ability of manufacturers to manage swarf when turning, threadcutting and drilling malleable metals and plastics.
“Our open houses are known for their feelgood factor and we like to entertain as well as take orders. The customary curry evening on Wednesday was very popular as usual and boosted attendance that afternoon and on the Thursday. We organised a Six Nations rugby draw each day for a pair of tickets to see the England v Ireland match in March 2022. There was also a daily prize draw for a Citizen watch,” said Managing director Edward James.
Visitors to the open house were additionally able to see the activities of Citizen Machinery UK’s Solution Centre in Bushey. It has transformed the traditional showroom into a facility for configuring and proving out complex automated machining cells, often with special functions such as in-cycle laser cutting, peripherals, software and robotic cleaning and packaging. The centre also doubles as a permanent exhibition of mill-turn solutions and software.
