02.07.2003

Select descends on UK mobile crane market

The UK’s leading tower crane rental company, Select Plant Hire, has kick-started its recently announced move into the mobile crane rental market with an order for nine Demag mobile cranes. The first batch, comprising seven Terex Demag all terrain cranes, is scheduled for delivery next month and will include a 200 tonne capacity AC 200-1, two 100 tonne capacity AC100s and four 50 tonne capacity AC 50-1s which will be put straight to work on a UK job site. The next phase of the order will take place in September with the delivery of a second AC 200-1, while a 250 tonne AC 250, scheduled for delivery in Spring 2004, will complete the package.

Speaking to Vertikal.net, Select Plant Hire’s Mike Studd said that the new mobile cranes will be available to the general rental market as and when they are not being used internally by Select for its own tower crane requirements. As with its tower cranes, the mobile cranes will be operated on a 50/50 basis between Select and the rest of the group, which includes Select’s parent company Laing O’Rourke.

Select’s investment in the new Terex Demags will not, however, see an end to all of its mobile crane hire requirements, which, according to the company, generates an annual expenditure of approximately £8 million.