UK plant hire firm Keyway has purchased a number of new machines from Hitachi to expand its fleet to more than 400 units…
Plant hire firm Keyway has purchased 96 new machines from Hitachi Construction Machinery. This order will bring the total number of models in the fleet to more than 400 units, but the order could be extended to up to 150 machines before the end of March 2016.
It is expected the deliveries sent between April and August 2015 will range from 2 t and 35 t excavators. This will include several short-tail swing models, as well as the firm’s first wheeled excavators—the ZX140W-5.
Keyway, which was established in 1966, has its base in Gloucester. However, the family-run business is looking to open a new facility in Avonmouth in the south west of England. This will serve the market in Bristol market.
The firm is part of the McGurk Group, which specialises in operated and self-drive plant hire. It offers earthmoving, demolition and recycling, transport, and waste removal services. Currently, more than 200 people are employed in the firm’s construction-related activities. Construction makes up half of the company’s £50m annual turnover.
Keyway founder Eamonn McGurk said: “We’ve seen a 30-40 per cent growth, through acquisitions and widening our geographical reach, and we work on between 100 and 200 projects at any one time nationwide.
“Our work on the nuclear plant at Hinckley Point and for the Environment Agency requires highly efficient low-emission machines, such as Zaxis-5 excavators. Working on housing sites also requires machines with the cleanest emissions possible.”
Keyway carries out most if the service and maintenance work in-house, but some machines have contracts with Hitachi.