11.08.2004

UK crane hire firms join forces to create new national crane hire service

Twenty-eight UK crane hire companies have combined their resources and crane hire services to provide a nationwide crane hire facility with access to more than 500 mobile cranes.

Dubbed the National Crane Group, the new service has been set up in an attempt to promote safer lifting operations throughout the UK lifting industry and to provide UK customers wishing to hire in a crane anywhere in the UK with an alternative to the existing larger UK national crane hire companies.

Under the Group’s umbrella, the UK has been divided up into seven main ‘Areas’ with a main group member at the head of each location. A further three members operating under each of the main group members have also been allocated to ensure sufficient crane hire cover for each of the seven catchment Areas.

After dialling the Group’s single national coverage telephone number, the client will be transferred directly to the main member of the relevant Area, while a facility to allow clients to hire a crane in their particular Area using the single national number has also been set up.

The main members at the head of each area have been named as; Area 1 (Scotland) James Jack Lifting Services; Area 2 (North West) John Sutch Crane Hire; Area 3 (North East) Mammoet UK; Area 4 (Wales) Bob Francis Crane Hire; Area 5 (Midlands) NMT Crane Hire; Area 6 (South West) McSalvors (Plant Hire); Area 7 (South East) Terranova Lifting.

Commenting on the new service, Alec Glover of representative for the South East, Terranova Lifting, said: “The National Crane Group’s has been established to offer corporate clients National crane-hire coverage as they don’t have many options left.

“Our main motive in setting up the service is to provide a first-class service to our corporate customers. The majority of the members are family operated companies that apply well-monitored safety systems.”

“Our aim is to prevent site accidents and we apply the latest Health and Safety regulations in accordance with PUWER 1998, LOLER 1998 and BS7121 Safe Use of Cranes Part 1 1989 and Part 3 2000.

The Group’s fleet of more than 500 mobile cranes will include all sized truck-mounted crane, all terrain cranes from 7 to 1000 tonnes capacity, city class cranes from 10 to 70 tonnes and various capacity crawler cranes.