EXECUTIVE REPORT
Matt (centre) and Mike Dolan (left), with HSC’s Steve McKenzie.
Meet the new MD
Alan Guthrie visits a new hire business in Warrington that has got off to a flying start since opening in January.
MD Tool Hire & Sales UK is cleverly named after its founder and Managing Director, Matt Dolan, who describes the operation’s premises in central Warrington as a “dream depot”. That is because he is able to put in place ideas and initiatives that he has gathered during his hire career to date.
Matt was previously a Director of Alpine Tool Hire, also based in Warrington, which he established in 2002 with his father, Mike, who is a fellow Director at MD Tool Hire. Matt had also worked with Instant Hire and then Vp’s Hire Station, following Instant’s acquisition.
“After 17 years with Alpine, I wanted a new challenge,” Matt told EHN. “During my career, I have worked in every area of hire, from being a driver to sitting on the Board, and I have loads of ideas that I want to implement. We already have six members of staff, including our Hire Controller, Jay Forster.
“We bought equipment throughout December and January and, once we opened, it was going out on hire as quickly as we received it. Some suppliers have been incredibly supportive of our new venture, such as HSC - whose Group Sales Manager, Steve McKenzie, has always been incredibly helpful with efficient service. We’ve taken their heaters, lighting, pumps, dehumidifiers, and Weber compaction plates. Other popular fleet items include Altrad Belle mixers, Makita power tools, Pop Up aluminium towers, Karcher carpet cleaners, Genie lifts and Kobelco mini excavators from Molson Compact Equipment. Customers love the fact that everything in our fleet is so new.
“We’ve even been re-hiring larger equipment, like diggers of up to five tonnes and welfare cabins to meet customer needs, as well as sourcing items like defibrillators and fire alarms for site set-ups. Customers want to use us as their single source of supply. We are serving the whole of north-west England, including Southport, Manchester and Crewe. We’ve even supplied equipment to Brighton: I bumped into a contractor I knew who wanted a pressure washer on long-term hire for a new contract he had won. We sourced a Taskman machine quickly from Seddons.”
The new mezzanine floor provides increased storage space. “Our 3,000ft2
The company has quickly built up its equipment fleet. premises are on a trading estate in the centre of
Warrington, giving us excellent access to all local areas and beyond. We got the keys to the building on 2 December and quickly got to work installing the hire counter, offices, workshop facilities and a mezzanine floor for extra storage.”
A warm welcome
An eye-catching attraction as you walk into the hire shop is the selection of complimentary edibles in glass jars, including chocolate treats, biscuits and healthy cereal bars, plus free tea and coffee. “We’ve put Welcome mats at every doorway because that’s how we want customers to feel. They’ll drop in for a coffee and a chat, which helps build relationships.
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A measure of MD Tool Hire’s commitment is that when Storm Ciara affected much of the UK in early February,
the business opened on the Sunday when it was at its strongest. “I kept reading messages on social media from shops nearby saying that they would be staying closed because of the storm, so I posted that we were definitely open to help as much we could, and particularly for supplying flood restoration equipment and advice.”
With much building activity planned in Warrington, and more confidence amongst contractors following the general election and Brexit, prospects for the new business look good. “Quite honestly, I’ve never felt so fired up in my life,” said Matt. “At times, it really doesn’t feel like work.”
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www.mdtoolhire.co.uk
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