AINSCOUGH Crane Hire is set for a towering ScotPlant debut as it gears up to showcase its extensive range of machinery from its large stand at the heart of the Royal Highland Centre site.
The national crane hire company, which employs over 100 people in Scotland and recently opened its fifth Scottish depot in Invergordon, said that it intends on being a ‘stone’s throw’ away from the needs of its Scottish customers – with a host of its operators set to be on hand to identify solutions for ScotPlant visitors.
Ainscough has a long history of servicing milestone Scottish projects. The firm provided extensive crane capabilities to the construction of the Queensferry Crossing, lifting 122 deck sections into place. In 2022, the company installed Lossiemouth East Beach’s new crossing and has also delivered work at Murrayfield and supported operations on the build of Edinburgh’s St James Quarter.
Boasting a portfolio of over 320 Liebherr cranes, Ainscough is set to showcase a selection of its very best offering – including picks from its mobile tower crane line-up, a 50 and 230-tonne crane, hybrid innovations, battery packs, and a ‘few surprises’ from its stand at D10.
“The hybrid crane will be a big attention driver, as well as the tower crane,” Ricardo Guimaraes, regional sales manager at Ainscough Crane Hire, said, “The mobile tower crane gives great cab visibility. It’s a really useful crane for locations where you cannot extend the boom of the crane; we use them a lot in Scotland.”
Hailing Scotland as being of ‘massive importance’ to the business, Ainscough’s impending ScotPlant debut coincides with the opening of its new Highland base, which joins sites in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Falkirk.
“We want to have a base to support our customers locally,” Ricardo explained. “We’ll be positioned in prime locations to support projects and be a stone’s throw away from our customers and their needs.”
Now in its 50th year, Ainscough is also looking forward to celebrating the important milestone with new and existing customers at ScotPlant.
“When you consider that we started as a family business that was acquired and has then grown organically, it’s really important to show people how strong we are – and that we keep investing,” Ricardo said. “We keep acquiring new cranes, improving on cranes, investing in technology, and driving forward with our main supplier, Liebherr. We keep investing and growing and our goal is to support our customers and show that we’re here to stay.”
Visitors to ScotPlant will be able to see Ainscough’s investment firsthand, with the firm set to have a host of its operators on hand to guide visitors through the various innovations.
“Visitors will be able to see the cranes operate,” Ricardo concluded. “It will be great for our customers to come to ScotPlant and get more than just what would see on a website – instead, they will actually be inside of the crane and speaking with those who operate them. Our operators will be there and will demonstrate the capabilities.”
