DELIVERY has begun of a 23 crane order placed by UK rental company Hewden Crane Hire with Demag Mobile Cranes.
The £5.5m ($8.2m) order comprises 11 AC 30s (30t), seven AC 50s (50t), three AC 80s (80t) and one AC 200 (200t). Last units will be delivered in September.
The cranes will be spread throughout Hewden’s depot network but will primarily be based in the London area, including a new depot at Heathrow. The company said that it wanted to ‘reinvigorate business in the south of England’.
Since parent company Hewden Stuart was taken over by Canadian company Finning in January 2001 there has been speculation about Hewden’s commitment to its crane business. Finning’s core business is its Caterpillar distributorships. Soon after buying Hewden Stuart, which hires out the full range of construction equipment, speculation was heightened by two unrelated events: Finning sold its lifting business in Canada; and crane boss Ray Ledger quit to join rival Ainscough.
But this latest 22 crane order is being portrayed as a demonstration of Finning/Hewden’s commitment to the crane industry. Alex Lowe, general manager of Hewden Crane Hire, said: ‘This strengthens Hewden’s commitment to remaining in the crane hire market for the long term and the addition of 22 brand new cranes means we can bring greater efficiency to the business and enhance the service we can offer our customers.’
