Despite the continuing predominance of gloomy sentiment and forecasts, MAPAL, a leading supplier of cutting tools for precision machining applications, reports that it is seeing strong and sustained growth across the UK manufacturing sector. The company has seen its orders in the first ten months of 2010 increase by more than 20% compared with the same period last year, with every sign that this growth will be maintained and even increase.

"In the four weeks to the middle of October alone, we have received orders worth well in excess of £1 million," said John Claypole, Managing Director of MAPAL's Rugby-based UK operation, "which is very substantially ahead of our typical monthly sales. And a key factor is that these orders have come from a whole range of customers around the UK." 

"From our perspective," he continued, "it seems that all of our customers, irrespective of which part of the manufacturing sector they operate in, are currently enjoying excellent business growth. Further, the fact that they are making substantial investments in new tooling demonstrates that they have confidence that this growth will hold up in the future."

MAPAL attributes its own success in benefitting from the manufacturing upturn to its specialist expertise and experience in developing custom cutting tools that make it possible for users to enhance their productivity while reducing costs and wastage. The company also cites its UK-based manufacturing facility as another important factor, as it allows it to offer a fast response to special requirements, and to maintain close relationships with its large UK customer base.

With its global headquarters in Germany and subsidiaries around the world, MAPAL has for more than 50 years been a leading innovator in precision cutting tool technology. 

The company is a specialist in the development of PCD (polycrystalline diamond) and PCBN (polycrystalline cubic boron nitride) tools for complete bore machining, as well as for demanding milling and drilling applications. It has customers in almost every manufacturing sector and is a major supplier to leading companies in the automotive and aerospace sectors.