600 Group strikes Dutch supply deal

The Heckmondwike-based group said Bendertechniek BV will distribute its full range of Colchester lathes in the Netherlands and Belgium, plus its Harrison lathes in the Netherlands.

Howard Bamforth, 600 UK sales director, said: “We are very excited about our new distribution partnership with Bendertechniek and welcome their tremendous experience in the selling and distribution of lathe products.”

Bendertechniek was established in 1966 and supplies machinery for the metal and plastics processing industries.

Gijsbert Bender, managing director of Bendertechniek, said: “It is a great privilege to distribute these two extremely well known and respected brands and we are delighted to be able to offer Colchester and Harrison manual lathes, Alpha manual/CNC lathes and Tornado CNC production turning centres, which complement our existing range of lathe and machining centre products.”

Under the leadership of chief executive Nigel Rogers, the former Stadium Group CEO, 600 Group has been restructuring and streamlining.

It recently sold its Heckmondwike freehold site to a privately-owned company, raising £1.1m to repay bank debt and provide extra working capital.

Its machine tools and precision engineering businesses will remain at the same site in a newly-refurbished leasehold factory and office complex.

Mr Rogers’ other moves have included selling its South African waste handling machinery business, cutting jobs at its Heckmondwike factory, moving the head office from Leeds to Heckmondwike and quitting Polish manufacturing.

The Polish factory was only bought in late 2010, from weapons group Bumar, for 1m euros.

600 Group was founded as scrap metal merchant George Cohen, Sons & Co in 1834.