Going green in a demanding location
McCloskey Equipment’s Tim Watson explains how one London company is ‘pushing the envelope’ on sustainable aggregates
ACCORDING to the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association, every...
No fair-weather friend: JCB Finance vows long-term sector commitment
IT goes without saying that a firm's ability to invest in plant equipment and associated products can play a crucial role in the creation...
Callum Hammers home the message
CALLUM Mackintosh, owner of Highland Hammer Hire, is aiming to become THE one-stop destination for attachments in the north of Scotland.
It may seem like...
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...
Getting to know Alistair Hodge
Alistair Hodge founded Hodge Plant 30 years ago with just one machine. Today the business has a substantial fleet of premium equipment for sale...
JCB takes next step on electric journey
JCB has expanded its E-Tech battery electric range, with the launch of the 403E compact wheeled loader. Dan Gilkes recently visited JCB’s HQ to...
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...
Getting to know…Heath Davies
HEATH Davies is general manager of Mecalac Construction Equipment UK. The firm has added a number of new products to its portfolio over the...
School of hard NOX
Kinshofer UK recently held two open days to educate potential users on the benefits of the NOX tilitrotators. Andrew Little, Kinshofer UK national sales...
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...
Getting to know… Henry Brain
HENRY Brain's career has seen him work for numerous attachment firms up and down the country, culminating in his current role as managing director...
Kubota dig deep to mark anniversary
KUBOTA has teamed up with plant hire specialist GAP Group at ScotPlant 2014 to showcase its range of solutions for the construction industry.
The...
It’s all in the Wrist
A lifelong love of diggers and a desire to start his own business led Alan Gow to purchase his first machine – a used...
Compressors on track to meet tough rail challenge
COLAS Rail is using Doosan Portable Power’s new generation of compressors to apply shotcrete to the interiors of French train tunnels.
Colas is the...
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...
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...
New technologies put wind in the sails of civils contractor
A Komatsu HB365LC Hybrid excavator is among a range of machines that have been impressing on Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK’s build of the...
“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...
A passion for heavy lifting
Ahead of International Women in Engineering Day 2018, FLG service centre manager, Jo Stamp, reveals why heavy lifting is the only career for her.
Q)...
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…Stephen McMahon
STEPHEN McMahon is sales manager for Scotland and the north east of England at attachment specialist Miller.
He’s worked in the plant industry for almost...
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...
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...
Staying safe while working at height in poor weather
Matthew Bailey, divisional manager for inspection and certification at HCL Safety, explores what those working at height, and those responsible for their safety, need...
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...
Getting to know…Will Redman
Will Redman is distributor manager (north) for dumper specialist Thwaites. He is responsible for managing the manufacturer’s supply of products to dealers in the...
Diversity in construction: how far have we come?
In a recent survey of construction professionals nearly half of the respondents (46%) said they felt their career progression has been limited due to their background.
There’s never been a more important time to join YOUR trade association
The Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) appointed HHH Equipment founder Callum Mackintosh as its new president earlier this year. With trade bodies playing a...
Laying the groundwork for increased flexibility
GROUNDFORCE’S decision to align three distinct brands into one attachments division has been credited with bringing a range of benefits to customers.
Work started earlier...
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...




































