A recent run of long-service awards at XYZ Machine Tools highlights the value of people to a successful business. Out of the 80 employees at XYZ, 30 of them have a combined service of almost 500 years, giving the business a level of experience that is second to none in the UK machine tool industry.
Over the last 33 years XYZ Machine Tools has developed into the UK’s leading supplier of machine tools, delivering innovation through its unique ProtoTRAK control system, and an ever expanding range of machines that are supplied to all levels of industry; from ‘Fred in his shed’ to blue chip businesses. Supporting all of these customers is the XYZ team, which prides itself on delivering industry leading customer support from the initial sale, through machine delivery and its continuing use throughout its life. “Our philosophy has always been that when a customer commits to buying from XYZ, we commit to supporting that customer,” says Nigel Atherton, Managing Director, XYZ Machine Tools. “That support ranges from our applications and training teams that will get customers up and running, the free programming helpline for users of our ProtoTRAK and Siemens controlled machines and the spares and service back-up that we provide with our nationwide team of engineers.”
This list of long-service employees is backed up by diverse mix of skills and experience, with XYZ recognising that it needed to continue to recruit and bring on the next generation of machine tool specialists that will continue the XYZ service ethos. Recognising that the pool of skilled machine tool builders was getting smaller XYZ implemented a training plan two years ago, which has seen a number of new recruits join the business including a number of apprentices that will eventually take up the mantle of applications, programming support and service engineers over the next 10, 20, 30 years.
