EXECUTIVE REPORT
Nick Forbes at the Manchester hire desk.
Greater Surface coverage
South Wales-based specialist hirer, WH Surface Preparation Equipment, is expanding its operation. Alan Guthrie visited its new Manchester depot.
Trafford Park in Manchester is the location for the recently opened second depot of WH Surface Preparation UK Ltd. Founded in 2002, and with its headquarters in Risca, Gwent, this is the first step in a plan to support the operation’s coverage throughout the country.
forced action mixers, 3-phase saws, transformers, cables and consumables. We keep extensive stocks so contractors, end users and other hirers know we will have what they want when they need it. Our vehicles can transport equipment anywhere in the UK, and we can also palletise it for supply to contractors nationwide on a next-day basis. However, we realised we could win more business if we opened in additional locations, as well as saving transport costs and charges.”
The fleet includes equipment for all surface preparation tasks.
The business was originally established by Director Nick Forbes, who had previously worked for several companies in south Wales, including Gibbon Equipment Hire, Beechwood Hire, U-Hire and Jewson Tool Hire, before joining Kingfisher Hire & Sales - the company started by Gary Derraven, with whom Nick had also worked at Beechwood. (Kingfisher was sold to Speedy in 2003 and, three years later, Gary started Phoenix Hire & Sales, whose latest developments were reported in our November/December issue.)
Nick eventually became General Manager at Kingfisher, which offered a small range of surface preparation equipment as part of its fleet. “I believed this was a market with great potential,” he told EHN. “However, the specialist nature of the products meant a dedicated operation was required, and the company, naturally, wanted to concentrate on tool hire. I decided to leave and establish the new operation with a business partner who also ran a construction firm. We found a site on a Risca trading estate, where we are still based, although we have since expanded to currently occupy a block of four units, out of seven on the site, giving us a 3,000ft2 considerable mezzanine floor storage.
footprint and
“The aim was to offer all the equipment needed for surface prep tasks, from grinding, sanding, planing and blasting, to surface stripping, scabbling, painting and polishing, plus related equipment such as
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Three years ago, Nick’s business partner sold his share of the operation to Mark Gater, who had become a Director of Kingfisher when it bought his original company, Gater Tool Hire. Following the acquisition by Speedy, he joined the Cwmbran-based hire and sales business, MinEx Plant Services. “With Mark on board, we started considering expansion more closely. By September 2012, we had identified the north west as a possible location to extend our coverage. Through the search engine, Yell, we arranged for phone numbers with appropriate geographical codes to be shown when people in certain areas searched the Internet for surface preparation equipment, with calls being routed to our Risca staff. After several months, Manchester and the surrounding area clearly generated the greater number of enquiries, and we began searching for premises there.
“We got the keys to the 3,500ft2 Trafford Park unit in October and we
have made it a replica of Risca, right down to the location of equipment in the showroom, and offering the same specialist products. As most enquiries are made over the phone, rather than from people
Delivery vans incorporate ramps to facilitate loading of equipment.
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