Best foot forward
A.T. Best Handlers Ltd. has opened a new depot in Tranent, East Lothian after telehandler manufacturer Manitou extended the company’s area at the start of this year.
Getting to know… Steven Mulholland
STEVEN Mulholland was recently elected to the role of chairman of the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA). The founder of West Calder-based Mulholland Plant Services succeeded...
Getting to know…Brian McGrane
BRIAN McGrane is area sales manager for southern and central Scotland for Liebherr, where he is tasked with selling a full range of products...
King of the assists
LIEBHERR has revealed it is at the forefront of the shift to assistance systems that make everyday tasks safer, convenient and more productive.
The T...
Murphy’s law
ADRIAN Murphy was appointed CEO at Blue Group last year, tasked initially with bringing increased coordination across the various businesses.
Having held senior role at...
Innovation is “part of JCB’s DNA”
Project Plant editor Gary Moug recently visited a JCB factory in Uttoxeter to see the manufacturer's latest excavator developments. Afterwards, he spoke to Nick...
In the Black: hard work pays off for Stewarton hire firm
WHEN Tom Blackwood bought out his retiring father, Tom Senior, in 2001, Blackwood Plant Hire consisted of a few machines.
Today, the Stewarton-based firm has...
A Speedy solution to help with flood relief
SPEEDY Services will be back at ScotPlant, fresh from donating vital equipment to help flood victims in Burrowbridge, Somerset, cope with the damage...
On the Hunt for ‘durability and service’
HUNTSMANS have chosen another Atlas Copco HB 5800 breaker for primary breaking in its Cotswolds quarry.
The quarry has been operating since 1918 and now...
Good energy: Scottish market embraces solar solutions
Rail and social housing projects are helping to drive growth for Garic in Scotland.
Getting to know…Gordon Cameron
Gordon Cameron has been involved in the plant industry for many years now, working his way up to become managing director of Hardox Wearparts...
Andy’s on a Relentless pursuit for success
ANDY Black is fast becoming a huge presence in the Scottish plant industry – and not just because he stands 6ft 7in tall!
A former...
CDE champions female engineering heroes
Ahead of International Women in Engineering Day, CDE shines a light on the contribution made by women within the business.
INTERNATIONAL Women in Engineering Day,...
Getting to know…Stephen Grieve
NINE years ago Stephen Grieve sold his car for £5000 and invested the money in spare parts for the construction industry. The rest, as...
Getting to know…Gail McEwen
Gail McEwen is director and lead trainer at Setting Out For Construction. She was recently named as co-chair of the new SPOA Women in...
New Doosan machine is helping to take a load off
DUMBARTON-based William Thompson & Son Ltd has purchased the company’s first Doosan wheel loader and crawler excavator for work on a new soil and...
Recycling in the Scottish outdoors aids environment
MCGOWAN Outdoor Access can now achieve 100% recycling of materials in the Scottish countryside thanks to a MB Dig A Crusher Crushing Bucket, supplied...
Plant operators rise to Scotland’s peatland challenge
SCOTLAND’S plant operators have been praised for their role in the ongoing initiative to restore the nation’s degraded peatlands – with calls going out...
Getting to know… Sandy Fairweather
SANDY Fairweather is one of the most admired and popular figures in the Scottish plant industry. He’s seen most things after a lifetime in...
Getting to know…Harry Denholm
SCOTTISH plant sector stalwart Harry Denholm joined Broxburn-based Field and Forest Machinery earlier this year.
Boasting several decades’ experience in the industry, Harry took up...
Don’t let HAVS take hold of tool operators
By Martin O’Boyle, technical compliance manager at VJ Technology, suppliers of fasteners, tools, fixings and associated products to the UK’s construction and civil engineering...
Fortune-seeking at 4000m
A fleet of five new Hitachi EX3600-6 excavators has been supplied by the Hitachi construction machinery dealer for Kyrgyzstan, Turkuaz Machinery, to work at...
“People will put their money where it makes sense”
ACCORDING to Andy Black, founder of Relentless Plant Services, breakers now make up about 40% of the flourishing firm's business.
This is partly due to...
Live, Move and Fight: life in the Army Reserves Plant Division
HAVING started as a private soldier in the Army Reserves in 1994, Dave Hanley, now Capt. Dave Hanley, has managed to turn his beloved...
Anatomy of a quality steel
One breaker steel looks much like another, so it can be difficult to make sensible judgements about quality. Linlithgow-based Rock Force shared some of...
Getting to know… Geoff Smith
KUBOTA is this year celebrating its 25th anniversary as the UK and Ireland’s ‘number one supplier’ of mini-excavators. A whole year of activities to...
Pursuit of quality pays off for Loc Hire
A recent £3.5 million investment in mobile welfare highlights how far Bonnybridge-based LOC Hire has come in a short space of time.
The firm, which...
Clock is ticking on firms eligible for AIA tax relief
A new survey shows British plant firms are in danger of missing out on tax relief worth hundreds of thousands of pounds due to...
Getting to know… Tim Wadsworth
TIM Wadsworth is sales director of Hydrema UK, having initially joined the business to work with his father some 33 years ago.
Since then, he...
New blood vital to the SPOA
Jim Houstoun, Past President of the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA), currently involved with training for members, explains why the organisation remains in robust...
