A national crane hire firm with depots in London and Liverpool has been acquired by entrepreneur Mark Davenport in a seven-figure deal, it's been announced.
A Mini Crane Hire was founded in 2009 and boasts a fleet of 50 mini spider cranes and 40 glazing robots, and Mr Davenport, a qualified engineer with over 20 years' multi-sector experience, said he has "ambitious growth plans" for the firm over the next five years.
That includes expansion of its operations across the 海角视频, more jobs and a £1.5m investment to refurbish the existing fleet.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Davenport said the Liverpool-based business has fought its way through lockdown, with sales now "back to where they should be", and annual turnover expected to be in excess of £5m.
Mr Davenport said: "A Mini Crane Hire is a very capable business, with a strong reputation in the market.
"We have a highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable team who are passionate about safety, customer service and getting the job done. My vision is to build on this, strengthen the team further, invest in sales and marketing communications,expand the fleet, and improve our information flows and communications to drive growth.
"We also remain fully committed to sustainability and will continue to make incremental changes that will serve our community and benefit the planet. With that in mind, we will welcome nine new electric-powered cranes to the fleet later this year, plus our first electric car for one of our new sales employees.
"As part of this investment, we are also in the process of refurbishing the existing fleet, ensuring that we are maintaining the high standard of customer service that we are known for.”
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The company has also recently recruited two new sales people to further grow sales and a new manager at its Liverpool depot, bringing the firm’s workforce to 33.
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Discussing his short-term priorities for the company, Mr Davenport said: “We have battled through lockdown to full recovery in August and I am glad to report that sales are now back to where they should be.
"Our short-term priority remains to get existing projects that were delayed because of lockdown over the finishing line. By the end of the year we expect most of the fleet to have been refurbished, and we will be taking delivery of the new equipment.
"Our new sales people will be fully trained and operational, supported by a new website and better systems and communications. 2021 will be very interesting.”
Prior to the acquisition, Mr Davenport was owner and MD of Preston-based polythene converters, Flextex Ltd.
Other MD positions include at SGB Rovacabin, suppliers of portable accommodation and secure storage, and Arquest Ltd, a manufacturer of own-label nappies for supermarkets.