ULRICH Attachments is targeting further growth in the Scottish market this year after a landmark year for the business in 2024, which included an impressive ScotPlant debut.
The Aylesbury-headquartered firm, which specialises in the design and manufacture of bespoke mobile plant attachments, has been evolving steadily since 1998, having been founded on the back of a management buyout of a company called Boughton’s, a then supplier of high-end buckets.
Today, Ulrich boasts a wide-ranging portfolio of products for use with wheel loaders, telehandlers, and excavators. The line-up includes buckets, grapples, clamps, loader arm extensions, crane jibs, hydraulic quick couplers, and many more solutions.
Sales director Josh Copeland told Project Plant the company is already doing a fair amount of business in Scotland through OEMs and dealerships. However, he sees scope to expand this further, with Ulrich targeting sectors such as Scotland’s thriving forestry sector.
“We’ve grown our sales and aftersales departments to expand our coverage of the area,” Josh explained. “We see the Scottish market as being as important, especially in the forestry segment with winches and equipment that we offer. We want to offer the best products, which we know we can offer. We just need to be in the market.”
Part of Ulrich’s strategy to enhance its presence north of the border was the decision to exhibit at ScotPlant for the first time last year. The firm’s products attracted plenty of interest and Josh is already looking forward to the next show in 2026.
“We booked last minute,” he added. “I only joined the company last January and I think everybody (else) had already booked up and was ready for it. It was a show I’d attended in the past and it’s always been a very good show.
“Luckily, we had some new products coming through at the time which were eye-catching – we had an 11 cubic metre-high tip on the stand and a high tip clamp, so we had a good offering available. We got some really good feedback to be honest and built some good contacts. We really enjoyed it; it was a good two days.”
2024 was a milestone year for Ulrich, with highlights including a move to new offices, an expansion to the company’s manufacturing facility in Hull, launching a brand-new website, and several key appointments to bolster the sales and aftersales departments.
The plan for 2025 is to continue an upwards trajectory and keep on producing innovative solutions for customers. That is a mantra that has served the business well since it was founded more than a quarter-of-a-century ago.
“Ulrich initially started producing high tip buckets, general purpose buckets, rock buckets, etc, and grew the portfolio, adding loader arms, telescopic dippers – anything out of the ordinary, predominantly for loading shovels and front-end loaders and telehandlers,” Josh continued. “That grew into excavator-specific attachments, supplying to the likes of the military and Environment Agency.
“Everything is built, manufactured and designed in the UK. We cover the whole of the UK and Ireland and also supply to the Middle East and Europe. We’re looking to expand that going forward. Our parent company (UTS Engineering) has a base and manufacturing facilities and offices all over the Middle East – Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman – so we’re looking to expand and use their connections and facilities.”
Josh revealed current market trends include longevity of equipment, with customers seeking regular inspections and extended warranty periods. Ulrich has launched a refurbishment service for those who don’t want to buy new kit and built up a loan fleet to minimise downtime and provide peace of mind.
In terms of products, Josh believes Ulrich’s USP is the bespoke nature of its offering, with the company regularly commissioned to produce solutions for very specific requirements.
“We practically produce anything for the front end of a loading shovel or telehandler,” he explained. “Our most popular product is our high tip attachment, which predominantly we sell into the waste and recycling sector. We have produced everything and anything for the front of loading shovels. We do general purpose buckets, rock buckets, clamp buckets, special grapples, pusher blades, quick hitches – a little bit of everything.
“We fill the gaps. We build anything bespoke to the customer’s requirement, application, and material. That’s where we come in. Everything we build is bespoke. The waste and recycling sector is our core business, but we do dip our toe into the general construction side, agriculture, and forestry.”
Josh added that Ulrich is never afraid to take new ideas on board. A culture of open-mindedness permeates throughout the business, with a strong focus on R&D, trialling new equipment, and building items for demo – all aimed at boosting productivity and finding improved solutions.
A five-year warranty emphasises Ulrich’s commitment to never shying away from any of the products the company produces.
“The bespoke option is where we stand out,” Josh added. “A lot of suppliers out there produce a standard range of certain products. We do a multitude of options and can produce up to whatever size is necessary in terms of capacity, different steel and environments, and handling different materials. A standard bucket can only do what it says on the tin. We stand out with the quality design, effort, and workmanship. That’s where we build our reputation. Then there’s the service and aftersales – we’re always available, we’re always available to attend site, we’re always looking to back our products and stand by anything.”
