Concrete pumping firm adds to mix with new investment
Cheshire-based Macfarlane Concrete Pumping has bought three new state-of-the-art machines to add to its fleet at a cost of more than £1m.
Boss Joe Macfarlane says the investment will help lay firm foundations for the business which allow it to reach new heights – literally.
The new machines include a German-made Schwing S43SX pump capable of extending to a height of 43 metres – the first time the firm has had this sort of capacity.
It will allow Macfarlane Concrete Pumping, which is based in Winsford, increase flexibility when it comes to tackling jobs on sites across the North-West and beyond and take on bigger projects.
The firm uses its mobile concrete pumps to place concrete and liquid screed into awkward spaces on building sites, as well as accessing unconventional construction zones.
Joe, 36, launched the family-run business in 2009 and now employs 10 people – with the prospect of recruiting new workers as the business continues to grow.
He said: “I acknowledge that some may feel l am taking a risk with a major investment at a time when there is great uncertainty in the business community surrounding Brexit and all that will entail, but it has not hit us at this stage, although some contractors are not pricing up any more work at the moment.”
He added: “I feel, from my on-the-job experience in the industry over the past 10 years that it is the right time to invest in the business to ensure its continued growth.”
The firm has an impressive and growing list of clients that has seen his machines working at Everton’s Goodison Park ground, Chester Zoo, The Arndale in Manchester, The Cube in Birmingham and on the major upgrade work on the M6 in Staffordshire and Cheshire.
He said: “These are top of the range German machines. I have never necessarily been a great business planner, but have gone on my gut feeling and feel this is the right time.
“Just look at the Manchester skyline – there are 17 tower cranes and those jobs are going to continue and most will be completed. So, there is plenty of work out there.”
He points to a busy schedule which includes the work Macfarlane Concrete Pumping is doing on the Smart Motorway project on the M6 in Staffordshire and Cheshire and working in Warrington town centre on the new town hall.
“We’ve worked on jobs across the North West, including Lancashire, Cheshire, across to Yorkshire and North Wales, and have also done work in Birmingham and the Midlands. We’ll go where the work is.”
