15.02.2008

King plays an Ace

King Lifting, the Bristol, UK based crane rental company -the fifth largest crane hirer in the UK, has acquired ACE Crane and Engineering of Gravesend, Kent. The deal gives King its eighth location and reinforces its coverage of the London market.

King recently relocated its West London branch from Iver to West Drayton, which combines well with Gravesend in the east.
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Bob King (L) and Alan Stowell at the handover

Stowell who, along with this brother David, started his first crane hire company in 1982, the same year as Bob King founded King Lifting. That first company – Diamond cranes - was sold to Ainscough and in 1996 Alan Stowell founded ACE. Today it runs around nine or 10 mobile cranes, ranging from a 20 tonne City crane to an 80 tonne Tadano All Terrain.

Ace also has a five axle Spierings SK599 and has one of the seven axle Spierings mobile tower cranes on order.

The company is approved to work on the Royal palaces and is well positioned to win work on the Olympic construction projects. Something Bob King would most certainly have had in mind. Kings officially take over at Ace on Monday.