Scottish Plant

Stevens goes big on Cat dozers

Stevens Equipment Rental Ltd (SER) has invested in Caterpillar D7 dozers for the first time and the new arrivals are now working on “a major earthmoving project” in Scotland.

The D7s arrived following the company’s recent acquisition of Cat’s D5 and D6 models and are said to be a direct response to demand for machines with greater capacity on large-scale muckshifting jobs.

Mark Need, sales manager for the north of England & Scotland, said: “Our customers are taking on bigger and more ambitious projects and told us they needed a heavier duty dozer in our fleet. We listened, and we’ve delivered a machine that meets that need perfectly.”

SER also recently took delivery from dealer Finning UK & Ireland of the first Cat 352 as part of a larger Caterpillar excavator order.

DOUGLAS ANDERSON 1956-2026

Very sad to hear of the sudden death of Douglas Anderson, joint managing director of Glasgow-based GAP Group.

Announcing his passing, the firm described him as a true visionary in the world of hire. “His leadership and passion have enabled GAP to be the success it is today.”

A former president of the Scottish Plant Owners Association, Douglas (70), joined GAP, founded by his late father Gordon, in the 1970s. He and his brother Iain guided the business for several decades into a huge plant and tool hire operation with almost 200 depots across the UK.

Mike Travers of Scottish Plant recalls: “I enjoyed Douglas’ company at various plant industry functions. He was engaging and had a wonderful dry sense of humour.

“I believe I was the only journalist to have interviewed three generations of the Anderson dynasty – founder Gordon, Douglas and then Mark – all of whom became presidents of the SPOA. Each was generous with his time and always keen to improve the stature and professionalism of the Scottish plant hire industry.”

Penman Plant £100,000 payout

Employees at James Penman Plant Hire which went into administration last year have been awarded compensation totalling £100,000.

Former James Penman Plant Hire workers share £100,000 payout About 25 people will receive £4,000 each after Fife-based James Penman went into administration last year.

AB2K goes back to its roots

A Scottish plant hire business that was once the biggest in the country is going back to its roots following a management buy-out.

Stuart Gardner and Mark Kirkwood (pictured below) are taking over the reins at AB2K as parent company Quattro Group offloads the business to concentrate on its rail plant activities.

In a statement, the joint managing directors said: “We’ve greatly appreciated our time within the Quattro Group and everything we’ve learned along the way but now it’s time to get back to our roots. We’re excited for the road ahead and to lead AB2K into an independent future, with a strong leadership team and a new vision solely on construction plant hire.”

Quattro MD John Murphy added: “AB2K has been a valued part of the Quattro Group for the past six years. However, as our core focus on rail plant has increasingly diverged from AB2K’s construction plant operations, we recognised that it was the right time to part ways.”

London-based Quattro bought Glasgow plant, crane and rail equipment hirer AB 2000 in a multi-million-pound deal in 2018, later changing the name to AB2K. The deal combined two fleets totalling 900 machines.

Blackwood in £3.5m Cat deal

Blackwood Plant Hire has signed a £3.5m deal for a fleet of Caterpillar machines.

The package being supplied by dealer Finning is made up of 16 excavators, two minis and five soil compactors to work on contracts throughout Scotland.

Paul McCormack, managing director at Kilmarnock-based Blackwood, said Cat’s 2D Grade Assist technology will improve consistency “for operators of all experience levels”.

The six 320 2D excavator in the deal are ready for Trimble Earthworks 3D Automatics.

Hello hydrogen, goodbye diesel?

The UK government has given the green light for JCB’s hydrogen-powered construction and agricultural equipment to take to the roads.

The decision to change the law is the result of a £100m project championed by JCB chairman Anthony Bamford to develop hydrogen combustion engines to power the manufacturer’s machines.

Lord Bamford said: “It has already been given resounding backing from our customers who have been evaluating the technology; they say it is simple to use and performs as well as diesel counterparts.”

JCB has been operating prototype hydrogen-powered Loadall telescopic handlers, backhoe loaders and generators on sites near Birmingham and is now testing a range of equipment in partnership with rental companies and contractors across the UK.

We are seeking ADT & Roller operators to join our team, for recently awarded contracts in the Rosyth and Dalkeith.

The successful applicants will ideally have experience in bulk earthworks and general plant hire.

Requirements:
•CPCS / Npors card
•Own transport.

Salary Benefits:
•Competitive hourly rate
•Weekly Bonus
•Overtime Rate after 8 hours daily at time and half
•Travel allowance
•Company pension

For further information contact Ian on 07885 621819.

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DIGGING THE DIRT

SANY UK are to host Scottish plant users at two ‘dig days’ next month.

The events will be held on 9th and 10th May at Sibbald Training Ground in Bathgate and will give visitors hands-on experience of a range of excavators, minis and telehandlers.

Business development director Leigh Harris said: "We’ve made some fantastic additions to our product range in the last 12 months and redesigned some of the most popular excavators in our fleet, which have been advanced with the operator in mind.”

Visit www.sanyuk.com to register.

SANY UK & Ireland | EXCAVATORS,TANDEM ROLLERS,TELEHANDLERS SANY Group started in 1989 as a small welding supply company founded by four young men who wanted to offer better products to the world. Over the last three decades, SANY Group has grown and evolved into a global brand with a sales turnover of $18.9 billion in 2023. With three listed companies and a...

Mark Anderson of GAP Group warns that changes to inheritance tax “threaten to push family-run businesses like ours to the brink of collapse”.

Family construction firms on 'brink of collapse' from 'catastrophic' tax changes Family-run construction firms are at the 'brink of collapse' from 'catastrophic' changes to inheritance tax, the UK Government has been warned.

Jobs for the boys (or girls)

Blackwood Plant Hire Ltd
Northern Operators Required

Following the opening of our depots in Inveness & Aberdeen in mid 2024 Blackwood Plant Hire Limited are now expanding our fleet in the area and are looking for reliable operators to join our team in the Inverness, Aberdeen and surrounding areas

We are looking for CPCS or NPORS (with logo) card holders for the following

⭐️ 360 Tracked and Wheeled
⭐️ Dumptruck
⭐️ Dozer
⭐️ 180 (3cx)

If you would like to operate machines from one of the UKs most modern fleets then please call your nearest depot to arrange an interview on

Stewarton Depot (Central) ☎️ 01560 482136

Inverurie Depot (NE) ☎️ 01467 475333
Arlene Harrison

Nairn Depot (NW) ☎️ 01667 300360
David Christie Keith Johnston

Please note this is for local ops not ops that want digs to work in this area!!

Malcolm Plant

Jobs for the boys (and girls).

Construction Area Sales Manager - Hamilton Ross Group The Hamilton Ross Group are leading suppliers of Agricultural, Groundcare and Construction machinery across Central Scotland.