CNF Precision has just bought its fourth Matsuura machining centre to cope with growing ‘Post-Brexit’ demand from customers in the US and China. The new Matsuura MX-520 5-axis machining centre will be delivered in September.
The Aylesbury-based subcontractor has many high end machine tools on the shop floor that already include a 32-pallet Matsuura MAM72-35V 5-Axis, two Matsuura H.Plus-300 PC15 Pallet horizontal machines, Nakamura multi Axis Mill/Turn and Citizen Sliding Heads. It is also aerospace-approved to AS9100 and ISO9001. With many of its machine tools geared for volume production, the latest Matsuura MX-520 has been added to the CNF plant list to further enhance prototyping and small batch production capacity.
CNF Precision’s managing director, Neil Fearnley says: “The addition of the Matsuura 5-axis will enable us to rapidly turnaround complex prototypes. By extending our 5-axis prototyping and small batch capability, we will have the facility to win more long term production contracts that arrive off the back of turning out more prototype projects.”
The aim of turning out more prototypes, and consequently winning more long term projects, is a result of CNF’s export business, as Neil Fearnley confirms: “Our 
work for non-EU countries continues to increase and we are confident that the Brexit vote will have a positive impact on our export business as trade agreements with the UK are established across the world. Unfortunately the main-stream media organisations are intent on talking the UK into recession. I certainly wouldn’t have made such a considerable investment in the new Matsuura, had I not been optimistic about the prospects for UK manufacturing moving forward.”
Ian Michie, marketing executive for Matsuura says: “Neil Fearnley at CNF typifies the underlying optimism in UK manufacturing. From SMEs to Blue Chip companies, there is major investment going into the UK post Brexit. We need to promote the positive UK investment news as passionately as those who are, in my personal opinion, a little too quick to talk the UK and our vitally important manufacturing community down. #ProjectOptimism is the only hashtag you need in 2016.”