World Skills UK Mazak machines power young competitors to excellence

Several machine tools from Yamazaki Mazak were used as part of the recent World Skills UK National Finals, which saw young competitors go head-to-head to program and machine a complex workpiece under strict time conditions.

Held annually, the World Skills UK National Finals are part of a global movement of more than 80 countries that aims to support young people across the world via competitions-based training, assessment and benchmarking.

This year marked the first time the UK competitions were held in south Wales, with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David playing host to finalists in the CNC milling discipline at its Advanced Manufacturing Skills Academy in Swansea on Wednesday 26 November.

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Eight male and female contenders between the ages of 17 and 22 were selected from approximately 100 entrants. The finalists were tasked with machining a dragon-inspired workpiece from aluminium to a high standard using the three Mazak VCN-430A vertical machining centres housed at the academy. The facility’s two Mazak Quick Turn 200MB turning centres and CV5-500 5-axis machining centre were also used for machining demonstrations during the event.

Competitors were given seven hours to complete the task: two and a half for creating a CNC machine program using CAM software and four and a half to undertake the machining element itself, including set-up time.

Ben King, 21, a Manufacturing Engineering Apprentice at Kirkstall Precision Engineering in Leeds, was crowned the winner of the competition during a medal ceremony held at the ICC Wales in Newport on Friday 28 November.

Alan Mucklow, Managing Director UK & National Distributors at Yamazaki Mazak, said: “I’m delighted Mazak has played such an integral role in the latest World Skills UK National Finals, which brought together the United Kingdom’s best young engineering talent to pit their skills against each other.

“The use of our machines in such a prestigious competition is a true testament to their operational dependability and reputation for excellence, and the workpieces the competitors produced were extremely impressive. Congratulations to Ben and all the other finalists – it’s clear the future of the UK’s manufacturing industry is in very safe and capable hands.”

Lee Pratt, Advanced Manufacturing Skills Academy Manager, added: “The 2025 World Skills UK CNC Milling National Finals in South Wales were an outstanding success. The standard of skill on display was exceptional once again. The event showcased not only the talent of our competitors, but the strength of advanced manufacturing training across the UK.

“High level skills development and World Skills UK are very important to the future of manufacturing in the UK. A massive congratulations must go to all our competitors and medal winners. I am sure they will all have very successful careers. None of this would be possible though without the support of our industry partners. We are very grateful for the support Yamazaki Mazak has offered to the competition, making it the success it was. We look forward to the 2026 final in November.”

Mazak Applications Engineer Reiss Stevens was on hand throughout the competition to provide the finalists with any applications and technical support, while the organisation also sponsored the three-day training and familiarisation event ahead of the competition.

Mazak’s presence at the World Skills UK National Finals marks the company’s ongoing relationship with the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Academy, with the university having invested in the three VCN-430A and two Quick Turn 200MB machines to support its apprenticeship program in 2020, before purchasing the CV5-500 machining centre in 2023 to meet the growing demand among businesses for 5-axis machining capabilities.

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