22.03.2004

JD Crane Hire sale may be close

JD Crane Group Ltd the Peterhead based crane hire company, which has been in administrative receivership after running into difficulties last year, is we understand, close to finding a buyer.

The Glasgow office of Deloitte Touche, the administrators appointed to handle the JD crane receivership, have not commented on the state of negotiations, but several sources have confirmed that two companies from a shortlist of four have made firm offers for the business.

JD Crane Group operates some 90 odd cranes from six depots, four in Scotland and two in the north of England. JD Crane group were listed as the fourth largest crane hire company in the UK in the 2003 Cranes&Access “Top 20” when a fleet of 103 cranes was claimed. The company’s largest crane was an 800 tonne Demag AC800 and the company claimed a total employee count of 140.

Revenues for 2002 were £7.1 million falling to £6 million in 2003. The names associated with the bids for the business include a general UK rental company and a major tower crane rental operation but neither of these claims has been confirmed.

We will update this story as soon as we received more substantive information.