Hird expands with new West Midlands depot

UK minicranes, glass lifting and powered access hire specialist, Hird has expanded its network by opening of a new depot in the West Midlands.

The company’s Western Operational Hub on the Hayes Trading Estate in Halesowen, West Midlands, will offer a full range of minicranes, glass lifting equipment, access platforms and training courses.

It fills a strategic gap in Hird’s hire network, allowing the company to offer its services more easily in Birmingham and the West Midlands and throughout the West of England along the M5, M6, M40 and M54 corridors.

The new depot has 20,000sqft of high-quality indoor space for storage and machine maintenance and is the regional centre for Hird’s industrial training services.

Hird’s managing director Phil Hird said, “We’ve planned this move for some time and we’re already extremely pleased with the level of interest in our services in the West Midland region and beyond.

“We’re located just 10 minutes from the M5 with fantastic transport connections throughout central and west England and into Wales, so we’re excited to take this opportunity now.

“The Covid-19 pandemic complicated our planning, but we’ve overcome this, and our new depot is part of much longer-term strategic plans, so we’re confident that expanding at this time is the right thing to do.”

Hird has appointed Alan Peck, a highly experienced crane and plant sales and hire professional, as its area manager in the West Midlands.

He said, “Hird is bringing an unrivalled range of hire services and lifting expertise to the region, which has been welcomed by current customers and a fast-growing number of new ones.

“We’re stocking a complete range of new machines, lifting equipment and training expertise on site so we can quickly fulfil the requirements of our customers. The West Midlands is still the industrial heart of the UK so there is huge potential.

“We’re already ordering additional equipment to increase our fleet size as our stocks are been so highly utilised. Also, our ability to offer a one-stop solution to customers has seen our training courses become fully-booked within days.”

Hird has its headquarters in Hull, East Yorkshire, and now operates four depots, the Northern Hub in Hull, a Central Hub in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, a Southern Hub, in Redhill, Surrey, and the new depot in Halesowen.

It is the UK’s leading hire specialist for Valla pick and carry cranes, Maeda tracked spider cranes and for glass lifting equipment, including vacuum lifters, and glazing robots.