EXECUTIVE REPORT
Eight days a week
Wetherby Tool Hire is continuing to expand its facilities, as well as diversifying its operations. Alan Guthrie reports.
A humorous sign by Wetherby Tool Hire’s entrance declares that the business is open eight days a week, and it reflects the commitment to service that has enabled it to expand its operation steadily since its foundation, and to diversify. The company was established in 2010 by Scott Fletcher and David Scorfield, to complement their landscaping business called Fletchfield Services, and premises were found on a trading estate in the town to accommodate this growth.
“Previously we had stored our equipment in our own garages, but we needed a larger, dedicated facility,” Scott told EHN. “Many people had asked about hiring the machines we used, and, as we were moving into the new site, someone drove up and said he was looking to hire a rotavator from another hirer who used to be on the estate, so this confirmed our belief that there was a good market to target.
Workshop Manager Tim Cane in the new service centre.
for hire. This was in response to observations made by the late John Jennings when he visited us while judging us as a Finalist in the 2015 Executive Hire Show Passionate Hirer Awards. “Although we did not ultimately win, we were thrilled to have been shortlisted, especially as we were a relatively young business. We really appreciated John’s comments and his advice was invaluable to us.”
Wetherby Tool Hire’s Andy Richardson, left, David Scorfield, centre, and Scott Fletcher.
“We moved to a larger site on the same estate a year later as we expanded, giving us four times the space and two buildings, one with a mezzanine floor which we use for storage. This also provided a bigger car park and customers towing trailers can turn round easily.”
New workshop and service facility
The latest evidence of Wetherby Tool Hire’s growth came in January with the opening of a new extension to create a dedicated workshop and service facility. “As well as maintaining our own fleet, we are servicing more and more customers’ equipment virtually all-year- round, keeping Workshop Manager Tim Cane and his assistant Andrew Sagar fully occupied,” said David. “We now have two fully-fitted work bays, an area for sharpening and assembling saw chains, a dedicated PAT testing facility, and clearly marked areas for segregating equipment waiting to be serviced and items ready
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Interestingly, Scott and David have established a separate construction company, Fletchfield Building, which has also grown out of the landscaping business. “Clients were asking us for increasingly large projects, such as tiered gardens, big retaining walls and extension, and we now have sufficient staff to enable us to undertake complete new-build projects. Of course, we obtain much of the necessary equipment from our own hire business, and Fletchfield Services undertakes any landscaping work required. Each complements the other. And if a supplier asks us to try out a
The business has expanded steadily since moving to its current site in 2011.
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