MARKET REPORT POWER GENERATION & GREEN ENERGY
The extensive Skelmersdale site has excellent transport links.
Full of Energy
Alan Guthrie visits the recently established Stuart Energy operation, which expects demand for generators to grow given the on-going need for reliable electricity supplies.
Some familiar names in power generation equipment hire are associated with Stuart Energy, which began trading earlier this year. Chairman Fred Stuart and his two sons Lee and Mark, both Joint MDs of the new business, previously worked for Wigan-based Mather & Stuart. That company was established in 1982 by Fred Stuart and business partner Bill Mather, who passed away in 2007. The following year, a 50% stake in the firm was acquired by CorpAcq, a venture capitalist, which bought the remaining shareholding in Mather & Stuart in 2013. Mather & Stuart was sold to A-Plant in 2016.
with larger outputs up to 1,500kVA from Caterpillar,” said Lee Stuart. “We already have 100 machines and plan to have invested in 150 more by the end of the year. We have found considerable demand for generators of 250kVA, 300kVA and 500kVA for use at construction sites and utilities projects.
“We have also received significant orders for machines to power tower crane hoists and mast climbers, which is a specialist area giving good returns. One such order was from a contractor inspecting cladding on a high-rise building in Wolverhampton. Other recent business has come from contractors working at facilities like Liverpool FC and Wigan Athletic FC.
The business reports demand for larger generators for construction sites and utilities projects.
The fleet includes Himoinsa sets from 10kVA to 250kVA.
“We believed there was further potential in the generator hire market, given the constantly growing demand for electricity and the increasing strains on the grid network,” said Lee Stuart. “Having seen out the post-termination restrictive covenants in place following the Mather & Stuart sale, we started looking for premises and must have considered around 100 until we found the ideal location in Skelmersdale, which has excellent links to the motorway network serving the north west of England. It is on the site of a major clothing supplier’s former distribution facility and offers considerable yard space, as well as very secure access.”
The business is steadily expanding its team, with Fred’s wife, Wendy, as Company Secretary, Chris Lynch as Operations Director and Tony Quinn as Sales Manager, and the current total of three service engineers is expected to grow as business increases. “We started trading in March and our first enquiry was actually a sales order from someone who had found us via our website,” said Mark Stuart. “They wanted fifteen 1,000kVA generators for a project in Nigeria. We will be developing a sales activity alongside our hire operation, and we are a dealer for Caterpillar generators.”
Stuart Energy’s fleet comprises machines from two main suppliers. “We offer Himoinsa units between 10kVA and 350kVA, and models
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“In addition, we are offering containerised sets from 20kVA to 100kVA made to our specification and marketed under the EnergySafe brand. These are vandal-resistant units incorporating Caterpillar open frame sets for construction sites and similar projects. We currently have 60 of these machines in the fleet and the plan is to
have 60 more by the end of the year. Ultimately, our aim is to have 1,000 generators in our line-up within five years. In addition, we will offer a range of site heaters for the autumn and winter, designed for low emissions.”
Stuart Energy is also re-hiring hybrid generators from Off-Grid Energy incorporating diesel engines with battery systems. “The latest machines offer a 25% increase in autonomous operation compared to their predecessors owing to developments in battery technology. An increasing number of project managers are specifying this kind of ‘green’ equipment,” said Lee Stuart. “This is particularly so in London and other cities who are placing increasing emphasis on reducing construction site emissions.”
The family team of, from left, Fred, Wendy, Lee and Mark Stuart.
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www.stuartenergy.co.uk
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