PROFILE continued
cutting rates on general tools and equipment, this is an area of business where Health & Safety cannot be compromised, and where price is less critical,” said Richard Fairfield, who has chaired PASMA’s Hire & Assembly committee for the past three years.
Site Access Services designed this staircase accessing a protected 3m safety decking.
Another key team member is Stuart Bailey who joined
as Operations Director in 2015, having previously worked for Hilti, and prior to that as a workshops manager for Hewden. “Marcus and I had both known Stuart for more than ten years and we believed he could play an integral role in the E.T. Hire business.”
Two years later, Richard Fairfield had decided that the time was right to exit E.T. Hire and the MBO was concluded on 3 November 2017. “The business was valued by the same corporate adviser who had handled the sale of the Scottish depots ten years earlier, and the deal was done between a willing seller and willing buyers. My shares were acquired by a newly created holding company and I will stay on for another three years to ensure a smooth transition.”
Marcus Gunning has become Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Bailey remains as Operations Director, and the final member of the senior management team is Ian Hartrick, who officially joined E.T. Hire in January 2018 as a Director with responsibility for the Site Access Services division. In the past, he has held management roles with SGB and with an HAV monitoring equipment specialist. Richard’s wife, Diane, who is also a qualified PASMA instructor, remains as Training Manager.
Further expansion
A full access structure was designed for a window replacement project.
Ian’s appointment followed a decision to further expand the SAS activity. As Richard recalled, “In early 2017, Marcus and I realised it was almost becoming too large for us to manage effectively while retaining focus on the core tool hire business. He and I were on clients’ sites regularly and at all hours, which we thoroughly enjoyed, but it
22
took us away from our main roles. Ian’s eventual appointment gave us an experienced, locally based person to oversee and develop the operation, and we had known him for many years.”
The SAS division operates from dedicated premises in Bolton that were purchased in 2015, located on a trading estate a mile or so from the head office. A team of six tower assembly professionals are based there, loading up early in the mornings to travel to site, leaving the building clear for training to take place in an integral classroom. A mezzanine floor has been added to increase storage space for specialist products including Youngman aluminium towers, proprietary edge protection, Trad flooring and system temporary site stairways.
A bespoke aluminium structure for internal paintwork.
Marcus Gunning told EHN that, “A lot of people do not realise the potential of aluminium tower products. They may not have the load-bearing capacity of traditional scaffolding, but for many tasks they are faster to assemble and less expensive than steel equipment. We stock a diversity of specialist components, such as frames with opening gates, cantilever frames, goalpost frames and single-width frames with walk-throughs, for applications under the BS 1139-6 standard regulating the use of standard tower components in non-standard configurations.
“We continue to develop the business. Approximately one third of our turnover currently comes from the SAS activity, and the division now has a dedicated website,” said Marcus. “We are also investing in our tool and equipment hire fleet. We now employ 16 people, all of whom have been retained since the MBO and we have the continued support of our customers.” And with its dedicated team in place, E.T. Hire is poised for further growth.
•
www.ethire.com www.ethiresas.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44