Milestones Achieved And Landmarks Reached

Mills CNC achieves best sales results in its 50-year history and explains how it was done.

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, and a leading supplier of advanced automation systems to component manufacturers, has had a great 2023.

The company, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, announced that combined sales revenues from all of its operations over the last 12 months, surpassed £78M for the first time in its history.

Mills’ strong sales performance in 2023 can be explained, in part, by the depth and breadth of its DN Solutions’ machine tool range which, always evolving and improving, saw the introduction of a number of new series and models over the year.

The launch of the new DNT series of 8” – 10” chuck lathes that included models with Y-axes, sub-spindles and driven tooling capabilities, was a case in point as was the introduction of the new DVF 4000, the company’s latest addition to its highly-successful (DVF-range) of simultaneous 5-axis machining centres.

Whilst these new models undoubtedly played their part in helping Mills achieve such “outstanding sales results”, it was the continuing high demand for specific machines in the company’s best-selling Lynx and Puma lathe series, its popular and proven DNM vertical machining centre ranges, and its advanced TT and SMX multi-tasking mill-turn machines, that had the biggest impact on sales.

The increase in economic activity in Industries and sectors severely impacted by the pandemic, i.e., oil and gas, power generation and automotive (including EV), also helped drive sales of large-capacity DN Solutions’ machines tools with big and powerful Puma lathes, NHP and NHM horizontal machining centres and DBC horizontal borers all witnessing an increase in demand.

To increase Mills’ share of the large machine tool market the company signed a distributer agreement with Zayer Machine Tools at the tail-end of 2022 and, from January 2023, began to sell the latter’s range of CNC horizontal bed mills and travelling-column and gantry-type milling machines to UK and Irish component and mould tool manufacturers.

Mills also, significantly, grew its automation business during 2023 with sales of its SYNERGi automated manufacturing cells hitting new heights during the year.

Mills offers two main, modular SYNERGi automation systems (SYNERGi Premier and SYNERGi Sprint), which can be further customised to meet and match customer requirements.

These SYNERGi systems, comprising industrial robots, innovative work loading/unloading stations, requisite caging and fencing, laser floor scanning technology and easy-to-use HMIs etc., are driven by (Mills’) proprietary SYNERGi software, and can be integrated with one (or more) DN Solutions’ lathes and turning centres, machining centres and/or mill-turn machines.

To support the increase in machine tool and automation system sales in 2023, Mills strengthened its after-sales operations throughout the year.

More service and applications engineers were recruited and joined Mills’ ranks to ensure that the installation of new machines and that planned service interventions and visits went ahead as agreed and planned.

Other investments and developments at Mills’ Technology Campus in Leamington also took place in 2023, including a major expansion of the company’s CNC Training Academy. Due to be completed in January 2024, the revamped Academy will have more training classrooms and dedicated (DN Solutions’) machine tools at its disposal.

To continue its strong sales trajectory into 2024 and beyond, Mills has a number of plans already in place.

The company is exhibiting at the Southern Manufacturing Show in February where, amongst the highlights, it will unveil a new DVF 4000 simultaneous 5-axis machine to visitors, and at MACH 2024, in April, a total of 16 machines (including two automation cells) will be showcased from, what will be, the largest stand at the event.