03.02.2006

David Slack and family buy out Crane Services

David Slack and his family have purchased the 50 percent of Nationwide crane hire Ltd,also trading as Crane Hire services, that they do not already own, from Bob Dickey and his family. Giving them 100 percent of the business.

In addition to the changes which occurred in January, the company has invested heavily in new cranes, spending over £8 million with Liebherr.

The purchases include the first Liebherr LTM 1200-5, 200 tonner with 72 metre telescopic boom. The first unit arrived this week and joins an LTM1500-8.1.

Please register to see all images

A Nationwide/Crane services Liebherr LTM1500-8 working on Wembley stadium last week,

Slack was working with Greenham crane hire when it was acquired by Scott’s, after realising that his ideas of customer service were not exactly the same as those of the Scott’s, he decided to leave and set up on his own as a crane hire broker.

One of his major suppliers in those early days was Crane Services (Leeds) a company that had emerged from Steel Erector Chapman & Dickey. It had started off buying a crane and renting it out when times were quiet, after buying more cranes it set up Crane services.

After winning a six month hire contract from Rowntrees of York, Slack decided to buy a crane for the job rather than farming it out. Thus he started off with his own crane hire business, trading under the Nationwide banner.
Please register to see all images

A 400 tonne Demag and Liebherr LTM1500 owned by Nationwide crane hire Ltd/Cranes Services.

At a later date Slack and Dickey decided to merge their companies, the two accomplished this by swapping shares, so that each owned 50 percent in each others company. Eventually crane hire (Leeds) became a dormant company, the (Leeds) was dropped and Crane Services used as an alternate trading name.

Even today the red cranes carry both names, Nationwide Crane hire and Crane Services.