Established in 2011, Lead Machine Tools has been recognised as one of South Africa’s fastest growing machine tools and related equipment suppliers. Not only does 2026 see the company proudly celebrate 15 years in business, but it has also purchased and moved into a new 1 000m2 premises in Epping, Cape Town.

Lead Machine Tools’ offering has been built on partnerships with manufacturers from leading machine tool and related equipment suppliers from around the world. The company represents multiple OEM’s from Europe to Taiwan, China and Japan to provide equipment across key segments of modern machine shops. Brands include ZOPO Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.’s intelligent milling and turning systems, Hwacheon Machine Tool Co., Ltd’s universal and heavy turning equipment, the Micro Dynamics line of vertical and 5-axis machining centers, and China-based fiber laser cutting technology from Glorystar, meeting the requirements of local industries with a range of machine shop, job shop and production materials customers.

The company supplies, installs and supports a variety of computer numerical control (CNC) accessories from leading brands such as Siemens and Fanuc as well as conventional machines and related equipment, vertical machining centers, horizontal turning centers and bridge type machining centers.

Mark Burn, Lead Machine Tools’ General Manager stands outside Lead Machine Tools’ new building that the company has purchased and moved into. Fittingly, the building features a number of turrets as part of its architecture

Additional brands represented by Lead Machine Tools include Golden Sun with their 4th and 5th-axis rotary tables, Hwacheon Machine Tool Co., Ltd’s range of machine tools that include machines that offer sub spindles and driven tools, Micro Dynamics’ range of machines including vertical machining centers, vertical pallet changing machines and 5-axis machining centers. Micro Dynamics has built a reputation as a machine tool manufacturer with some of the most powerful yet compact machining centers on the market that offer precision but don’t necessarily require months of negotiations with your bank manager.

Lead Machine Tools also offers China-based fiber laser equipment company Glorystar’s CNC fiber laser machines, laser welding machines, fiber marking lasers and hydraulic press brakes, and Zhejiang Kaida Machine Tool Co., Ltd’s Miumac range of lathes that includes conventional lathes and CNC heavier-duty flatbed lathes.

Other suppliers include Mitsubishi Electric’s series of electrical discharge machining (EDM) and wire EDM machines, TAILI’s plastic injection moulding equipment, NPC injection moulding machines and Zhengzhou Timeway Machine Tool Co., Ltd.’s surface grinders.

“Lead Machine Tools is a Level 2 B-BBEE contributor which has gained rapid success with the acquiring of sole agencies in the likes of ZOPO Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., with over 200 machining and turning centers sold already,” says Mark Burn, Lead Machine Tools’ General Manager.

Lead Machine Tools has established a dedicated metrology room at its new premises where they will do live CMM demonstrations

“Another being Micro Dynamics, a manufacturer of high-speed, high-quality, heavy duty machining centers incorporating features such as powerful 31kW / 15 000RPM spindles, 5400 block look ahead and dypec thermal compensation. On the Lathes side, we have a vast range of affordable conventional and CNC flatbeds available from Kaida.”

“In the last couple of years, we have ventured more seriously into the supply of sheet metal machinery. We represent Glorystar, suppliers of good quality laser cutting machines and CNC press brakes.”

“Also, we are pleased to announce that we have added two newly renovated rooms in our castle, a temperature-controlled metrology / inspection room and a clean room for spindle service / spindle re-builds.”

“Lead Machine Tools is reputably known to accommodate customers with the acquiring of a great machine at most levels of affordability on the price table and a variety of machinery is open to view on our showroom floor,” said Burn.

Lead Machine Tools likewise supplies Renishaw probing/laser systems and software for machining accuracy, testing, repairs and maintenance.

Over and above live CMM demonstrations, Lead Machine Tools will be calibrating their Tomelleri 6-axis arms in-house using special calibration equipment

One brand the company says has been doing particularly well in the South African market over the last few years is ZOPO Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. Notably a number of installations of ZOPO’s bridge type heavy-duty machining centers have been installed at some of South Africa’s largest machine shops that include OEM equipment manufacturers operating in the heavy equipment manufacturing and rail transport industries.

A push in coordinate measuring machines
Measuring solutions such as coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and portable arms reflect the industry-wide push toward in-process inspection and quality assurance. More and more customers around the world are demanding exacting standards of big and small machine shops alike.

Lead Machine Tools says that they have seen an increase in interest and sales of CMM’s as more machine shops are beginning to realise the importance of not just quality control but precision engineering and the resultant orders that having this kind of equipment on the shop floor can bring in.

This is an area of heightened focus for the company and within their new premises Lead have installed a dedicated metrology room where they will be able to offer on-site calibration for customers for certain CMM equipment as well as offer a physical showroom for customers to view in-stock products and compare CMM’s.

Lead Machine Tools have incorporated a temperature-controlled clean room for in-house spindle service / spindle re-builds at their new premises

A brand that Lead Machine Tools are excited to be representing is COORD3’s range of CMM’s. While there are not a huge amount of COORD3 machines currently installed in South Africa, Lead believes the scope for the range is substantial, with some machines already on the shop floors of certain of South Africa’s leading precision engineering shops operating in the medical and aerospace industries.

Lead Machine Tools also supply Tomelleri Engineering’s Articulated Measuring Arms and have invested in the calibration equipment to take care of that aspect of servicing Tomelleri equipment across South Africa.

Lead Machine Tools have incorporated a temperature-controlled clean room for in-house spindle service / spindle re-builds at their new premises.

Lead Machine Tools’ portfolio covers a wide range of machine shop needs including CMM’s and portable measuring arms, surface grinders, conventional milling machines (horizontal and vertical), CNC vertical and turning machining centers, including premium and economy lines, 5-axis machining centers, CNC laser cutting and plasma systems, press brakes and injection moulding equipment, large lathes and bridge type machining centers, horizontal borers, EDM and WEDM systems, 4th and 5th-axis rotary tables for advanced workholding and multi-axis applications.

For further information contact Lead Machine Tools on TEL: +27 21 301 2159 or visit https://www.leadmachinetools.co.za