Existing literature suggests that C.N.C. is only economic for medium-sized batches; companies who regard themselves as ‘one-off’ batch manufacturers are not, therefore, induced to invest in C.N.C. This paper describes the use of C.N.C. lathes in such a company and shows that, by using a computer program which interfaces with the materials requirement planning system, suitable components can be selected on the basis of optimizing savings rather than by the conventional batch size or load. Using this technique, which additionally provides an ongoing method for maximizing savings throughout the life of the machine, C.N.C. is revealed to be financially viable for ‘one-off’ manufacturers. This is illustrated lining data from such a company.