AFTER RELYING ON EXTERNAL HELP TO MOVE ITS FLEET OF SPECIALIST PLANT EQUIPMENT AROUND IN THE PAST, SIRIUS PLANT HAS RECENTLY MADE A SERIOUS COMMITMENT IN ACQUIRING ITS OWN VOLVO FH16 AND 4-AXLE FAYMONVILLE MULTIMAX TRAILER. HEAVYTORQUE FINDS OUT WHY.
Founded more than 20 years ago by four partners with the aim of improving the contract service for developers and reducing the risks of abnormal ground conditions, the Sirius Group has grown rapidly. It is now active in a wide range of areas including demolition, drilling, ground stabilisation, remediation, civil engineering and plant,
each with its own division.
Sirius Plant looks after more than 70 machines that work across the group’s operations. In earthworks alone, the company is involved with everything from soil stabilisation to site preparation and levelling, and from retaining wall construction to off-site disposal and importation of soil.
Plant controller Paul Clarke works with plant director Stuart Kirk to ensure the kit used for these operations is up to standard, in the right place at the right time and – arguably most importantly – working to the best of its abilities. And what a list of machinery it is. “We’ve got everything from 8-50 tonne excavators from a wide range of brands including CAT and Liebherr,” says Paul. “We’ve also got a fleet of articulated dump trucks, multiple dozers and other Volvo dump trucks that we can attach K-Tec scrapers to for our earthworks operations.”
There are also self-propelled rollers and stabilising equipment, such as a Wirtgen soil stabiliser mixer used specifically for soil modification.
TBC
TBC
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TBC
TBC
IN THE DECADE SINCE OUR LAST VISIT TO CRANE HIRE SPECIALIST SOUTHERN CRANES & ACCESS, MUCH HAS CHANGED – FROM THE TRUCKS IT RUNS AND THE EQUIPMENT IT HIRES OUT TO THE TECHNOLOGY IT USES AND THE SHAPE OF ITS HEADQUARTERS. HEAVYTORQUE REPORTS.
It’s been 10 years since we last visited Southern Cranes & Access and there have been quite a few changes at the Southwater, West Sussex-based self-propelled crane hire specialist in that time.
Not least, from the transport viewpoint, is the arrival of three mighty Volvo FH16 780hp/3,800Nm 17-litre 6-cylinder 6×4 tractor units. Fitted with the most powerful diesel engine available on a production truck in Europe, they are being used to haul the trailers that carry the heavy ballast that may be required to ensure a crane can operate at its maximum capacity. It’s certainly a task that requires plenty of power and torque.
All with I-Shift automated transmissions, single-bunk sleeper cabs and capable of operating at 150 tonnes, the newcomers have the shortest wheelbases possible to aid manoeuvrability on construction sites. “We sometimes end up in places that are really tight,” reasons Southern Cranes director Clive Sadler.
As a consequence the Adblue reservoir has had to be relocated to allow diesel tanks that are big enough to meet the company’s requirements to be mounted on each side of the chassis – 405 litres on one side and 365 litres on the other.
Finished in Southern Cranes’ new livery, the Volvos all have fridges in their cabs, and are equipped with quiet-running I-ParkCool air cooling systems. They are designed to ensure that the driver can enjoy a good night’s sleep in hot weather without having to start the engine to run the air conditioning.
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PPC GROUP HAS EVOLVED FROM UNDERGROUND UTILITY CONTRACTOR SPECIALISING IN GAS AND WATER TO TRANSPORTING THIRD-PARTY HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT, ROOF TRUSSES AND EVEN LANDMARK SCULPTURES. HEAVYTORQUE REPORTS.
Need a bulky air-conditioning unit hoisted several storeys into a city-centre office block, or a hot tub lifted over a house into the back garden? Then PPC Group can help. With a headquarters in the village of Winchfield, Hampshire, and three other storage yards across Berkshire and Surrey, the company operates a substantial fleet of rigids and tractor units equipped with lorry loaders, alongside units and trailers suited to heavy, indivisible loads.
PPC work throughout the UK and continental Europe, and also manages packing and shipping projects worldwide.
“We’re very busy at present,” says MD James Ray. “Demand across our services remains strong.”
The business was founded in the 1980s by James’ father Colin, who began by supplying polyethylene pipelines to the gas and water industries – hence the company’s initials. “I joined the business more than 20 years ago after leaving school, having already spent evenings and weekends learning the ropes in the yard,” recalls James.
Q CRANE & PLANT HIRE HAS BEEN GROWING STRONGLY OF LATE AFTER ADDING THIRD-PARTY HEAVY TRANSPORT AND CONTRACT LIFTING SERVICES TO ITS LONGSTANDING CRANE HIRE OPERATION. HEAVYTORQUE FINDS OUT MORE.
The ability to adapt to evolving markets is the key to sustained success. And that is aptly demonstrated by Oldham-based Q Crane & Plant Hire, which has evolved markedly in recent years into markets related to its core crane hire sector.
The firm provides a wide range of crane and lifting services, handling loads from 5-250 tonnes, and when we last visited it some six years ago, it included a plant machinery hire side, transporting excavators, dumpers and so on, as well as operating more than 30 cranes. But the plant machinery side is no more.
“We took a business decision a few years ago to move completely away from the plant hire side of the business,” confirms Rhys Mullins, plant and transport director. “Over more than 25 years, we’ve built a good reputation in the crane hire world, backed by an experienced team, well-maintained equipment, and a service that customers can depend on. Divesting ourselves of the plant fleet was a bold move at the time, but one that’s proved its value. By sharpening our focus on crane hire, we’ve been able to invest with real intent, strengthening the areas that matter most to our customers. And the results are clear: in the six years since, our crane fleet has grown from 30 units to 45, an increase that reflects both steady demand and a business strategy designed for long-term growth.
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MORE OF THOSE WITH HEAVY OR OVERSIZED CARGO TO TRANSPORT ARE LOOKING FOR A SINGLE COMPANY TO HANDLE ITS MOVEMENT FROM START TO FINISH VIA ROAD, SEA AND AIR. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE SPECIALIST FREIGHT FORWARDER ALLSEAS GLOBAL LOGISTICS CAN HELP.
Moving heavy, outsized or unusual loads is never easy – especially if a load needs to be transported to continental Europe from the UK or vice versa. So many businesses seek to outsource such projects. And for many of them, whether it’s about moving a steam engine, a wind turbine or something in between, specialist freight forwarder Allseas Global Logistics can take it on.
“Our company was started and built on projects, and this is still a core part of the business,” explains Andy Wormald, projects director at the forwarder. “But the company has expanded over the years to take on general cargo as well, and we now have general road, sea and air freight departments.
“Darren Wright is the founder and CEO of the company, and his passion at the start was project work. But a project can encompass containers, road freight, installation and more. We can bring different departments together to do one job. All those departments and the people within them work individually, but when we need to, we can bring it all together and use the skills of the full company.”
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