Owen Pugh invests £750k in plant manchinery

North East construction firm The Owen Pugh Group has announced an investment in the region of £750k in plant machinery to improve on-site efficiencies across the business.

The full service civil engineering contractor, which employs over 360 staff across five regional sites including its head office in Dudley, Northumberland, has purchased nine new pieces of machinery from Newcastle based distributor Scot JCB.

The new plant machinery has been delivered this week and comprises seven 360° excavators of varying sizes which will be used for earthmoving, demolition and general works by Owen Pugh Contracts team, and two JCB 457 loading shovels which will be used at Marsden Quarry, home of Owen Pugh Aggregates, to load product onto vehicles leaving the site.

Paul Cockburn, general manager of Owen Pugh & Co Ltd which is responsible for the company’s plant hire and haulage businesses, says that the investment will help the business to operate more efficiently.

He said: “This significant investment in new plant machinery is the latest in a raft of efficiency measures introduced across the business.

“Excavators are the lynchpin of our on-site work and are the most used Owen Pugh asset so the new machines will help to maximise efficiency on site. The two new loading shovels at Marsden Quarry will replace ageing JCB equipment. The machinery also boast fuel efficient engines so over time we will see a positive impact on fuel costs.”

Owen Pugh purchased the new machinery worth circa £750,000 from Scot JCB based in Newburn.

Mr Cockburn added: “It’s important for us work with recognised leading industry brands which our customers know and trust. The excellent customer service and the parts and service back-up from Scot JCB also played a key part in our decision.”

Paul Coates, Scot JCB’s Regional Manager commented: “Scot JCB have been privileged to supply the range of JCB equipment to Owen Pugh for many years and we are delighted to be fulfilling this latest order with the new generation of JCB tier4i engines to a company committed to professionalism and efficiency within the industry.”

Owen Pugh recently announced an increase in turnover to £32 million and coupled with a drop in profits of 25%, however the company remains committed to continued investment in emerging technologies, health and safety and to staff training and development.

John Dickson, chairman of the Owen Pugh Group, said: “Our approach is to prioritise the long-term increase in value over the short term achievement of profit. We continue on our growth trajectory and are building a solid base for the business in the future.”

Owen Pugh recently entered the North East’s Top 200 list of companies for the first time and company chairman John Dickson was named Tyneside and Northumberland’s Business Executive of the Year at an annual awards ceremony.

The range of schemes undertaken by Owen Pugh includes all aspects of land reclamation, earthmoving, demolition, port, harbour and sea defences, urban renewal, environmental improvements, main drainage and development infrastructure.

The company also provides plant hire and is a supplier of construction aggregates. Owen Pugh traditionally operates as a principal contractor but has developed close working relationships with a number of large contractors to work as a sub-contractor on larger schemes.

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