Handle with care
AIRDRIE-based plant equipment supplier, A. T. Best Handlers, is the specialist dealer for Manitou in the west of Scotland.
The business is run by father...
Built to last: JCB in new 3.5-t offering
Dan Gilkes tests out the new 35Z-1 zero tailswing mini excavator, which is tipped to appeal to customers globally
WITH more than 15,000 sales a...
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...
Kubota enjoys last laugh with historic milestone
When mini-excavators were first introduced to the British market in the 1970s, some scoffed at the concept. As Kubota celebrates its 50,000th excavator sale...
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...
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…Paul McCormack
Paul McCormack has been MD of Stewarton-based Blackwood Plant Hire since heading up a management buyout in 2017. Since then, the firm has continued...
The right side of the tracks
AFTER joining his father's drainage company as a machine operator straight from school, Gareth McLaughlin is now Sales Manager for Kilwinning-based Kattrak International Limited.
Specialising...
Constructing plans to tackle mental health
Male construction workers are 1.6 times more likely to take their own life than the average UK male, according to research from the Office for National Statistics.
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...
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...
“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...
Getting to know… Mark Ormond
Mark Ormond was appointed managing director of Manitou UK last year, having spent the vast bulk of his career in the agriculture sector.
Miller time
AFTER purchasing a machine to carry out drainage on their family farm in rural Aberdeenshire in the 1960s, the Miller family began completing contracts...
The “next big thing” in demolition raring to go
WHEN the Stanley LaBounty Mobile Demolition Processor (MDP) was launched during Bauma 2013 it came with the boast of being the “next big thing”...
Island stay provides a welcome antidote
ORGANISERS of FINROCK 2021, a live virtual exhibition for plant operators, construction professionals and heavy equipment enthusiasts, have hailed the event a roaring success.
Hosted...
Hyundai demonstrates European commitment
ONE year on from the inauguration of its new European headquarters in Tessenderlo, Belgium, Hyundai Construction Equipment Europe (HCEE) recently played host to a...
Dumfries firm banks on new slow speed shredder
ESTABLISHED in 1983, Oakbank Waste Management has built its reputation throughout the Dumfries, Galloway and Cumbria regions, proudly achieving 100% diversion from landfill.
The...
Family values remain at the heart of Young Plant
BRIAN Young has revealed it’s been very much business as usual at Young Plant Sales despite selling to the Molson Group.
Brian, who has agreed...
Hitachi ’empowers’ customers with new medium excavators
HITACHI has announced that owners and operators have been put 'at the heart' of the design for its latest Zaxis-7 medium excavators: the ZX210-7,...
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...
Retiring Young: industry stalwart reflects on 40 years in plant
BRIAN Young, one of the most respected and longest-serving figures in the Scottish plant industry, recently retired from his role as managing director at...
Getting to know…Darragh O’Driscoll
WITH origins dating back to the 1950s, McHale Plant Sales is regarded as one of Ireland’s foremost machinery distributors. The firm’s portfolio of applications...
Getting to know…Rob Oliver
ROB Oliver has been chief executive of the CEA (Construction Equipment Association) for the best part of 20 years now. In that time, he’s...
Mini machines fill the final gap in JCB range
JCB is expanding its Next Generation line of mini and midi-excavators, with the launch of two 2.5-tonne models. Here, Dan Gilkes gives his take...
The director’s cut
THEY say a picture is worth a thousand words. In the challenging field of construction photography, when a perfectly timed shot of a standout...
Fitting tribute to a Scottish legend
ORIGINATING over 90 years ago, in the 1920's, The Malcolm Group started life with assets of just a single horse and cart.
A small family-run...
JCB on the charge to an electric future
Dan Gilkes gets behind the wheel of the new JCB 525-60E electric Loadall, launched as part of the manufacturer’s expanding portfolio of electric solutions...
The sound of success
Mark Williamson, sales and marketing director at PH Media Group, looks at how plant hire firms can harness the power of on-hold marketing to...
Innovative robot helps to keep security rolling
FROM being robbed 13 times to selling fruit smoothies outside of their university, the story of how two entrepreneurs from the same Zimbabwean school...
