Scottish Plant

Water in the diesel…

JCB crashes at Fraserburgh harbour after driver loses control The vehicle was positioned precariously and partially submerged in the water at Fraserburgh harbour.

Backhoe towing victory

JCB’s push for a change in towing regulations has paid off with a victory that could save plant owners thousands of pounds a year.

The manufacturer has forced a temporary change in regulations that will allow trailers to be towed on the road by wheeled equipment such as backhoe loaders and rubber-tyred ‘ducks’.

The decision, which affects Scotland, England and Wales, has seen the Vehicle Certification Agency create a new Vehicle Special Order (VSO) under which companies will be able to use wheeled equipment to tow a trailer on the highway for road construction, maintenance and repair.

Richard Brooks, JCB’s group product innovation director, said: “By towing a trailer to and from site, customers will reduce the need for additional vehicles to carry materials and tools, cutting emissions and unnecessary traffic, while increasing efficiency in road construction maintenance and repair.”

JCB has spent years convincing the Department for Transport and the Vehicle Certification Agency that the move is an efficient use of machinery that will contribute to the repair of potholes and other highway activity. Although it is only a temporary derogation to The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) General Order 2003, the company wants a permanent change and will continue to work with agencies to achieve its target.

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JCB successfully campaigns for towing regulation update | News | JCB.com JCB was today celebrating after securing a change in regulations which will allow trailers to be towed on the road by wheeled construction machinery - potentially saving customers thousands of pounds a year.

£30m a mile for A9

The latest stage of the A9 dualling programme will cost £30m per mile.

The Scottish Government has confirmed it will award the six-mile section between Tomatin and Moy to Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering. The job is worth £184.7m and is expected to take around three years.

Works will upgrade single carriageway to dual carriageway and when complete, will provide 20 miles of continuous dual carriageway between Inverness and Slochd. The scheme will also kick-start the Government’s rolling programme of work to achieve full dualling between Perth and Inverness by 2035... 10 years behind the original scheduled completion.

In September last year Transport Scotland issued a Contract Notice for the works at which time it was valued at £150m and was the subject of a new type of contract designed to attract more bidders.

Mulholland is new CPA chief

The Construction Plant-hire Association has appointed Steven Mulholland Chief Executive. He will take up the role next month.

Mulholland, who has been a CPA Council Member for 10 years, has a strong background in the construction equipment industry having run Mulholland Plant Services for many years. The West Calder company was acquired last year by Wales-based Thomas Plant Hire.

Read the full story on the CPA website at https://lnkd.in/eH_ErAKk

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/yKmowTpQTTsqpz7o/?mibextid=WC7FNe

We are seeking ADT operators to join our team, for ongoing contracts in Glasgow.

The successful applicants will ideally have experience in bulk earthworks and general plant hire.

Requirements:
•CPCS Articulated Dumptruck
•Own transport.

Salary Benefits:
•Competitive hourly rate
•Weekly Bonus
•Overtime Rate after 8 hours time and half
•Travel allowance
•Company pension

Paye & self-employed.

For future information contact Ian on 07885 621819.

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Man on the move….

Jobs for the boys (or girls).

A done deal on dumpers

Molson Group is expanding its Thwaites dumpers dealership into Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.

The move follows its appointment in January to cover the north-east of England and sees the company add the missing link to its Molson Young Plant Sales area and the rest of Scotland.

Pictured are Alistair Murdoch, Molson Scotland sales director (right) with Henry Moore, Molson Group commercial director (left) and Will Redman, Thwaites distributor manager North.

FIRST IN SCOTLAND…

Nicol goes Platinum

Nicol of Skene is delighted to announce the arrival of our brand new JCB 4CX Platinum Pro! One of only 70 made, this exceptional machine, equipped with an Engcon Direct Mount - EC209BS tiltrotator, boasts the capability to tackle any project with confidence.

Read more at:
https://lnkd.in/e4FHU97n

Kubota enters telehandler market

Kubota has entered the telehandler market with a compact model featuring 4.8-metre lift height and 1.5-tonne lift capacity.

The KTH4815-2 has a Kubota D1803 three-cylinder engine with a peak output of 37kW. Four versions are available – two in canopy configuration with a curved front screen, and two with fully glazed cabs and two-piece door – with the highest spec option including three-mode steering.

Engine service intervals are 500 hours and all variants are offered with two-year, 2,000-hour warranties.

New Scotland dealer for Yanmar

The new central Scotland dealer for Yanmar Compact Equipment has sold four excavators in its first month representing the brand.

Field and Forest Machinery is covering the territory from the border with England up to Edinburgh and Glasgow and as far north as Mull.

Harry Denholm, construction equipment specialist at the Broxburn-based dealer, said the partnership was a major milestone for the company and would enable it to deliver “top-tier” compact equipment.

Nine machines will be on show at the ScotPlant exhibition in Edinburgh next month.

More Chinese kit for Scotland

Molson Young Plant Sales is to begin selling Chinese excavators and wheeled loaders in Scotland. The initial push for the XCMG products will be spearheaded by excavators from 1-50 tonnes and a range of wheeled loaders.

The move fills a gap in the Molson portfolio north of the border and Henry Moore, commercial director at parent company Molson Group, said the company had been looking to introduce an “alternative” excavator option into the Scottish market.

“We decided that the XCMG range met our requirements for build quality and use of well-respected and well-known components, all with the reassurance of a brand with a strong global heritage.”

Products will be backed by the group’s national aftersales support and a three-year warranty.

The excavators and loaders are in stock and the Molson Young team has models available for demonstration. The remainder of the product range will follow soon.

Jobs for the boys (and girls).

SANY ROADSHOW FOR GLASGOW

SANY’S new range of telehandlers will come to Scotland next month as part of a series of roadshows to launch the machines to the UK market.

The event in Glasgow on March 14 will have live demonstrations and visitors will meet product experts to learn about the latest features. First machines in the line-up are 14-metre and 18-metre models.

Want to attend? Visit www.sanyuk.com to register your interest or contact your dealer.

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How many of these old-timers (old duffers) do you recognise?

Government to probe Chinese digger dumping

JCB has prompted a Government investigation into alleged dumping of subsidised Chinese excavators on the UK market.

It said Chinese manufacturers, which are heavily subsidised by the state, have increasingly targeted the UK market with cut-price diggers.

The UK Trade Remedies Authority (the TRA) has launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports of tracked diggers of at least 11 tonnes and will decide if they are causing injury to JCB and to UK industry.

The investigation is in response to two applications from JCB. Oliver Griffiths, TRA Chief Executive, said: “Our investigations will examine whether excavators from China are being sold into the UK at unfair prices because of dumping and subsidisation - and whether we need remedies to protect the UK economy.”

Information is being sought “from all interested parties” to establish whether imports are being at prices below their normal value, or whether they benefit from government subsidies and whether this is causing injury to domestic industries.

Read more at:

TRA opens new investigations into excavators from China The TRA will investigate whether excavators from China are being dumped or subsidised and whether they are causing injury to JCB and to UK industry.

Mulholland Plant Services sold

West Calder business Mulholland Plant Services has been bought by a Welsh hire company making its first move into Scotland.

The sale is the latest in a string of acquisitions by Thomas Plant Hire and Ian McMillan, head of business development at the Thomas Group, said: “This is a good fit for us, as we have long had ambitions to cross the border into Scotland.”

Mulholland Plant Services is led by Steven Mulholland, a former president of the Scottish Plant Owners Association, who will stay with the company “to oversee operations”.

Mulholland Plant Services – Scotland‘s Leading Plant Hire Company

Eagle in £4m JCB deal

Glasgow business Eagle Hire is replacing the majority of its plant fleet with JCB equipment in a £4m deal for 127 machines.

The package includes midi and mini excavators, dumpers and rollers, all equipped with Stage V engines. Iain MacDonald, Eagle’s sales director, said the agreement allowed the company to tap into a range of machinery to which it previously didn’t have access.

Full story at:

Eagle Hire and Scot JCB ‘Make it Happen’ Scot JCB are proud to supply Eagle Hire with a brand-new fleet of JCB machinery ranging from JCB dumpsters to JCB 86C-2 midi excavators in a £4million deal.

Scot Gordon Durno has been crowned the best plant operator in the UK.

The 56-year-old from Moray beat 67 challengers to land the title of UK Plant Operator of the Year in a competition held at the CITB National Construction College in Norfolk. The win followed his first place at the Scottish Plant Operator Challenge in July.

Gordon, who is employed by Currie Contractors, collected a cheque for £10,000 as well as a Leica laser level and a collection of merchandise from the sponsors. CITB spokesman Chris Blake said Gordon was “a true veteran and expert in his field”.

William Frame from Newhouse made it a Scots double by taking third place and took home a laser level and goody bag.
Full story and pictures at

https://www.spoa.org.uk/spoa-news/gordon-durno-moray-crowned-uk-plant-operator-year

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RJT EXCAVATIONS SOLD…

RJT Excavations, the Jedburgh civil engineering and bulk earthworks contractor, has been acquired by RSK.

RJT managing director Garry Young, who will continue to lead the business, said: “RSK Group brings some excellent synergies across the companies in its portfolio. This will provide opportunities to work together with similar companies within the group that have knowledge and experience in areas of construction that we do not currently have in-house.”

RSK Group acquires UK civil engineering contractor RJT Excavations • RSK • Engineering and Environmental Consultancy Civil engineering and bulk earthworks contractor RJT Excavations has been acquired by RSK, significantly strengthening the group’s expertise in major engineering and infrastructure project work. RJT, based in Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, has been a key player in the sector for more than 30 ye...

SANY GOES LARGE
SANY UK has launched the 78-tonne SY750H excavator, its largest model available for the UK market. Business Development Director Leigh Harris said: “The SY750H is the largest machine to enter the European market so far and features the same quality, fuel efficiency and cab comforts as our SY390H and SY500H which are both receiving great feedback from our customer base.”
www.sanyuk.com