Kier c&a face to face royal From an early pioneer in reinforced concrete design Kier invested in and in 1928, the has evolved three Tadano RTs and grown into a company that currently employs more than 11,000 people with revenues in excess Crane operators bottomed-out but may continue at of £2.1 billion. During most of this time the company The proportion of group work this level for 18-24 months. “There has operated its own equipment/plant department carried out by Kier Plant varies. are lots of government decisions to be made and they need to take a primarily to support the group operations but also About five years ago, group to external hires was about 50:50 but good look at the cut-backs or the renting to the industry in general. currently this is 70:30 in favour of construction industry will suffer.” Cranes & Access visited group group. The one type of equipment Strong growth forecasts head office in Chawston, that is (or was) rented out the most Despite the current climate, the Bedfordshire, to meet Kier Plant’s is tower cranes, but like all other group – which includes managing director Ian Gordon hirers, it currently has a large construction; development, a and find out about its latest number standing although the rest services group specialising in developments. of the fleet is kept busy. Cranes are building and civil engineering; The first thing that greets you as the only ‘operated’ equipment the support services; private and you enter Kier Plant’s offices at company has and many of its affordable residential development; Chawston is an old (1959) Ruston operators are therefore not working commercial property development at the moment. As a result it has Bucyrus 10RB dragline painted in Kier Plant and infrastructure project W&C French colours. Whilst this managing already reduced the number of investment - has good order books was not originally owned by J L director crane operators it employs from in the UK and more recently, has Kier - as the company was called Ian Gordon 80 down to 30 and is in the process picked up several contracts between 1932 and 1972 - the crane of ending directly employed overseas. With the company is a reminder of its long history and operators completely. The company looking to expand its revenues to association with plant and is currently in discussions with the more than £4 billion over the next equipment. In fact it was 1973 operators and trade union UCATT few years, support services when W&C French and J L Kier to see if there are any alternative companies including Kier Plant will merged to form French Kier 1997 having worked in plant and solutions and says that it will also have to grow to cope with the Holdings. Since then the company equipment at John Howard consider any suggestions that are increased group demand. Construction and Costain. He has put forward. But it says that it has undergone some radical In recent years the division’s annual been managing director of Kier Plant would prefer to source them from changes, acquiring the William capital investment has been in the for the past eight years. employment agencies going Moss Group in 1984 which brought order of £10 million however this forward. in more than 160 years of “Kier Plant was officially formed as has recently dropped to £5-6 million construction experience and created a limited company in 2000 and is “Tower cranes have been hit the although equipment required for a dedicated building service in the part of the Support Services most in this current economic specific group contracts will be Midlands and Thames Valley. Two division, one of five divisions within situation,” says Gordon. “We funded separately. years later it was acquired by the Group,” said Gordon. “The plant estimate that there are about 900 “We purchased our first three Beazer, a national house building division’s revenues when I joined tower cranes on the ground in the Rough Terrain cranes from Cranes company - which also incorporated were around £7 million and this has UK at the moment so there should UK the Tadano Faun dealer Wallis - and was rebranded with the grown year on year (up to last year) be no problem in finding operators specifically to work on a two year Beazer name. In 1992 a takeover by to £35 million.” on an ad-hoc basis. If the economy contract at Aldermaston,” says triggered a buyout by the picks up it may become viable Equipment is primarily purchased Gordon. “The seed for the purchase Beazer management team, leading again to employ directly, but I can’t for use within the group on its was sown at Vertikal Days and we to the formation of the Kier Group, see that happening for a while.” diverse range of contracts and is decided to purchase two, 30 tonne creating Britain’s first major made up of tower and crawler This only affects the crane drivers capacity Tadano GR-300EX and a 55 contractor to be employee-owned. cranes, telehandlers and site at Kier, all other associated staff - tonne capacity GR-550EX. These The company was floated on the accommodation. More recently Kier crane erectors and fitters - are RTs will be on-site for the duration stock market in 1996. decided to purchase three Rough being retained. Gordon thinks of the contract (about two years) Gordon arrived at Kier a year later in Terrain cranes. that the economy has now August/September 2010 cranes & access 31 Several crawlers have been added to the Kier fleet including a 70 and 80 tonne Kobelco

and when completed will be also has the three Rough Terrains, available for external hire. There is 90 tower cranes (mainly Liebherr the possibility that we will be but also seven Potain Igo 32/50 self looking for a bigger RT in the future, erectors and a Raimondi) and 100 possibly 70-80 tonnes capacity, but telehanders – all JCB and therefore again this will be for a specific fixed mast up to 17 metres. contract.” Site age limits Kier has also purchased a number “Unlike some contractors we do not of crawler cranes including two put an age limit on the cranes used Kobelcos, a 70 tonne CKE700 and on our sites. It is not the age but 80 tonne CKE800 – both of which how it has been used and

Kier Plant supplies the Group with plant for a diverse range of contracts

are working on the Olympic Village maintained that is critical. We also site in Stratford, East London and do not have and do not intend to a 70 tonne Hitachi Sumitomo add any All-Terrain cranes to the SCX700. More recently it has just fleet – we hire them in as and when taken delivery of a 120 tonne required. When it comes to Hitachi from UK distributor NRC telehandlers, 17 metres is more plant. After working on the specific than high enough as there are other contracts, the cranes will also enter better and safer ways to place the general hire fleet. loads at levels higher than this – The new addition brings the number such as a mobile self-erecting of crawlers in its fleet to six ranging tower cranes. Unfortunately, the from 50 to 120 tonne capacity. It UK cannot seem to get away from

32 cranes & access August/September 2010 Horndon in Essex. The large, 23 acre site at Setchey is used “Hire rates primarily to house the accommodation fleet and for are suffering equipment maintenance and refurbishment. Other products it offers are more at the support orientated, such a generators and site lighting and it also supplies all of its under-hook moment equipment. For its overseas contracts Kier has bases in Dubai, Hong Kong and in the Caribbean because which are run independently from the UK operations. there is Expanding the range “We have looked at expanding our range of equipment into areas such too much as powered access or mini cranes – but with the very competitive equipment nature of the market, it is not worth purchasing and we will continue to hire in when necessary. We will out there” though probably add more RT cranes, together with more using telehandlers, even when a generators and lighting equipment. self erector may be safer and more As we win more building efficient for the particular contract, maintenance projects we will also particularly housing sites. Because expand the small tools sector. We of the risk of telehandlers tipping recently started our first depot/shop over sideways, we also have a ‘no in North Tyneside to support a Kier suspended loads’ policy.” Building Maintenance project. “Hire rates are suffering at the Whatever the requirement, if there moment because there is too much is a group demand, we will fulfil it.” equipment out there,” says Gordon. “The next 18 to 24 months will be “Even though the market in the very challenging as we continue Middle East has not been great, it is with low margins and low hire one area that we have been selling rates. We are tied in closely to the tower cranes in particular, when performance of the group which is needed.” confident of a significant growth Kier Plant’s main depot is in during this time particularly through Setchey, near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, power station and waste to energy It also has the Chawston head work. Hopefully this means we will office and depots in Glasgow, continue to grow, both supporting Wigan, Sherburn in Elmet, group requirements as well as Yorkshire, Sharpness Shipyard in offering more equipment for Berkeley, Gloucestershire and West general hire.”

A 1959 Ruston Bucyrus 10RB dragline in W&C French colours greets visitors to Kier’s Chawston head office

August/September 2010 cranes & access 33