25.02.2003

Top men change at UK’s largest crane rental cos

Ray Ledger, managing director of Ainscough Crane Hire, and Alex Lowe, managing director of Hewden Crane Hire both leave their jobs this week. Between them the two former colleagues controlled almost 1000 cranes, approximately a quarter of the UK’s active crane hire fleet.

Alex Lowe is moving to HTC Plant and starts work there this Monday. Ray Ledger’s future is less clear and mystery surrounds the reason for his sudden departure from Ainscough Crane Hire. Ledger moved to Ainscough in May 2001 and has implemented some radical rationalisation since then. His period as managing director co-incided with Ainscough’s purchase of GWS and, late last year, the purchase of Baldwins. Both purchases meant that difficult decisions had to be taken when merging the depot and admin infrastructures together.

Before moving to Ainscough, Ledger was a director at Hewden Stuart, a position that Alex Lowe has since filled. Lowe announced last month that he was moving to HTC Plant which is in effect the former Hewden Stuart tower crane division, now part of PC Harrington. Lowe’s position at Hewden is temporarily being filled by finance director Allan Bowie who has been appointed interim managing director of Rental Services Special while Hewden recruits a replacement for Lowe.

The situation at Ainscough is less clear and the company declined to comment on the matter pending release of an official statement.