NIXON Hire has hailed the ‘significant advances’ made by the UK construction sector in recent years when it comes to sustainability.
Nixon is now exclusively focused on providing sustainable site solutions, having made the strategic decision in recent years to exit its traditional plant business and divest its extensive fleet of machinery and welfare vans.
Speaking to Project Plant during PlantWorx 2025, Simon Gibbs, head of renewable power at Nixon Hire, outlined the company’s ‘golden triangle’, which refers to its focus on modular buildings, renewable power, and site accommodation and welfare units.
Simon has specialised in renewable power for the last six years and revealed that conversations with customers about investing in more environmentally friendly solutions have become much easier in recent times due to the growing importance companies are placing on reducing their carbon footprint.
“Conversations were very much more difficult (years ago), and they were always based on the higher cost as opposed to the holistic (viewpoint),” Simon explained. “The landscape is certainly changing on that front. People are far more conscious of what they’re using in terms of fossil fuel and carbon reduction.”
At PlantWorx 2025, Nixon Hire took one of the largest plots in the Site Sustainability Showcase section and used the occasion to demonstrate a fully operational live site setup featuring a range of green innovations. This included a working replica of the company’s Renewable Power Hub, which is a control centre that unifies separate assets into one digitally connected site. Attendees were able to experience the customer portal, which gives contractors live visibility and reporting of energy use, uptime, and emissions.
Alongside the six-bay modular building unit in which the Renewable Power Hub was located, guests were able to check out Nixon Hire’s new 32ft Solar Wind Turbine Frame, a system described as enabling continuous clean power generation through solar panels and wind turbines, with integrated storage for surplus energy.
The line-up also included the Smartflow Energy Board for real-time monitoring and socket-level control, Eco Lync for managing site demand across solar, battery and generator, and two Solar Hybrid Generators.
With around 30 years’ experience in construction, Simon has seen a lot of changes in the industry. When it comes to welfare and site accommodation, he revealed that expectations are significantly higher amongst the modern workforce and believes that providing better and more sustainable facilities is one way to help attract and retain talent in the face of well documented skill shortages.
“30 years ago, people would have been far more accepting of something very, very basic,” Simon added. “That isn’t the case anymore and we’ve found that certainly with the introduction of modular. Far more people are looking towards that sort of solution, which gives people more comfort in what they’re trying to do and provide for their employees as well.”
On the subject of sector skills shortages, Nixon Hire is doing its bit to address the situation. The company is planning to start introducing its own apprentices within renewable power in the near future. When it comes to sustainability, Simon revealed the younger generation ‘get it’, having grown up in an era where climate change has been high on the agenda.
While Nixon Hire has been at the forefront of the construction equipment industry’s journey to a more sustainable future, Simon was quick to praise the work being done across the board and the level of innovation seen throughout the plant sector.
“I don’t think there’s a stand that exists within this whole PlantWorx 2025 that hasn’t got an element that’s looking at sustainability,” he stated. “The fact we’ve had our five hottest years in the last ten years, (means that) it’s certainly in your face now and people are starting to understand that we need to change.”
Looking ahead, Nixon Hire will look to develop further sustainable products to help firms meet ambitious environmental ambitions and net zero targets. This includes companies in Scotland, where Nixon has a sizeable presence.
“We’ve got an excellent coverage throughout Scotland,” Simon concluded. “We have locations in Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow so our footprint in Scotland is significant.
“Certainly, the conversations we’re having is that there is a huge drive in Scotland to reduce carbon consumption. We really want to be part of that, and the conversations have been really positive around the sustainability elements that we’re trying to drive and can assist with.”
