Mills CNC Books 41 Machine Orders at Record-Breaking MACH 2026

Mills CNC Books 41 Machine Orders at Record-Breaking MACH 2026

Mills CNC has closed MACH 2026 with 41 firm machine orders and 200 qualified enquiries — the best result in the distributor's 52-year history. The company, exclusive UK and Ireland agent for DN Solutions and Zayer, drew over 3,000 visitors to its motorsport-themed stand during the five-day show at the NEC.

The stand was the largest at MACH by floor space. It featured 10 DN Solutions machines, a Zayer ARION horizontal bed mill, and a Heller HF5500 five-axis horizontal machining centre — the latter included following DN Solutions' acquisition of the German manufacturer last year. Three SYNERGi T-series automation systems and a live CNC Training Academy workstation rounded out the display.

The order breakdown reveals a market in transition. Conventional machines still dominated volume: Lynx 2100LSY lathes and fourth-generation DNM 4000/4500/5700/6700 three-axis vertical machining centres accounted for the bulk of units. But the significant shift is in the multi-tasking category.

Orders included DVF 5000Mk II simultaneous five-axis machining centres with integrated automatic workpiece pallet changers (AWCs), SMX-series mill-turn machines, and TT-series twin-turret/twin-spindle turning centres with dual Y-axis capabilities. This suggests UK component manufacturers are increasingly spec'ing single-set-up capability to reduce handling time and improve geometric accuracy — a trend that has accelerated since post-Brexit labour costs rose.

"What a fantastic Show! Our intention, from the outset, via our pre-Show communications programme and the choice of advanced multi-tasking machine tools and innovative, high-productivity automation systems we selected to showcase on our motorsport-themed stand, was to inspire and motivate component manufacturers to attend MACH 2026 and to make a 'bee-line' for our Stand when they arrived. We clearly achieved this objective because the stand, from day one, was always busy and created 'a real buzz' amongst visitors."

Tony Dale, Group CEO, Mills CNC

The stand attracted Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister of State for Skills — a reminder that MACH remains a political as well as commercial fixture in the UK manufacturing calendar.

Dale confirmed the company is now working through the enquiry backlog generated during the show. The 200 serious enquiries represent a pipeline that typically converts at 15-25% for machine tool distributors, implying potential for a further 30-50 orders in the coming quarter.

"A great show and a great stand. I would like to thank everyone who visited our MACH stand – it is much appreciated. A big shout-out also goes out to all our staff and partners for their dedication and hard work, not just during the week of the Show, but also in the planning of the event, which kicked-off in September 2025, and during the stand build and stand breakdown too. We're now actively engaged in following up the hundreds of enquiries and leads taken at the Show, and I am confident that this activity will result in even more sales being confirmed in the weeks and months ahead."

Tony Dale, Group CEO, Mills CNC

M4S TAKE

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Simon McLoughlin