19.10.2004

Hewden invests over £12m in new crane and access equipment

Hewden, the only company of any size in the UK to offer a full product range in its fleet from mobile cranes to power tools and alloy scaffold towers, has confirmed the full details of its Cranes and Access expenditure for 2004.

The new purchases included 25 mobile cranes and 180 access platforms and was largely a fleet expansion rather than a replacement exercise. The entire investment has been funded form Hewdens capital reserves.

The company which was acquired by Caterpillar dealer Finning almost three years ago, is unusual in that it is the UK’s second largest crane hire company, the second largest powered access rental company and one of the largest tool and general hire businesses.

Many industry observers assumed that under Finning ownership Hewden would sell off the crane business and gradually merge the other hire divisions into a Cat rental store business, where powered access is just another product line. Clearly the company has other plans and as the specialist Crane and Access divisions prosper, it is unlikely that those plans will change anytime soon.

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Hewdens AC100 All Terrains on test at Terex Demag UK

The investment this year was made almost entirely with Terex group companies Demag and Genie, all of the cranes came from Demag and included four AC-100 All Terrain cranes equipped with the extra modular sixth axle, allowing it to travel fully rigged with up to 32 tonnes of counterweight.
Other units included 10 long boom 35 tonne AC 35-L All Terrains, five 50 tonne AC50-1 All Terrain cranes; three AC 30, 30 tonne City cranes and three 80 tonne AC80-2 All Terrains. 25 units in all. The units are currently being delivered and will be based throughout the company’s depot network. Mark Evans regional sales manager at Terex-Demag UK said that “the AC100 in six axle format will allow Hewden depots to carry out larger jobs locally without requiring the additional transport that a crane with the AC100’s capabilities usually demands”.
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All of Hewdens new cranes are fitted with Ardent fire suppression systems

Hewden Instant Access have added 180 Genie self propelled lifts to its fleet, comprise Scissors, Telescopis and articulating booms.

Hewden says that it “anticipates that it will see significant demand for its access equipment over the next two years due to the imminent implementation in the UK of the Temporary work at height regulations. Increasingly stringent health and safety legislation will have a particularly positive effect on demand for mobile elevating work platforms as it will restrict the use of ladders”..

Hewden’s access and crane divisions have 28 depots around the UK, employing 600 people. The company currently has over 300 cranes and 2,200 items of powered access equipment, from scissor lifts to articulated and telescoping booms.

Martin Hender, General Manager of Hewden’s crane and access division commented: “Hewden’s healthy balance sheet means it has been able to invest in new equipment to meet increasing demand at a time when many other rental companies in the industry are retrenching. It will benefit our customers throughout the UK who need to be certain that they will be able to get hold of essential crane and access equipment wherever and whenever they need it, often at short notice.”
“Hewden has the national reach, extensive inventories, competitive prices, inhouse expertise and reputation for meeting the highest standards of safety to service the needs of customers in a wide range of sectors.” He said.