Hewden opens new depot

UK Crane rental giant Hewden Stuart is opening a new £3 million (US$5.8 million) depot in Manchester.

Now in its 40^th year, Hewden has 104 locations across the country. The latest depot has been built to provide customers in the region with a single point of contact for a wide range of equipment.

"In addition, the investment in the full scale depot signals the company's confidence in the ability of Manchester's construction industry to weather the [UK's] current economic downturn."

Hewden recently sold its tool hire division but has continued to expand its core plant hire business. "Hewden's recent divestment of the Tool Hire division to Speedy has allowed us to concentrate on cementing our industry leadership position in our core products, demonstrated by the opening of the new depot," said Justin Saunders, Manchester depot manager.

"We anticipate a significant shift of plant equipment to London, in the next four years, to cope with the mammoth construction task ahead of the Olympic Games [in 2012]. However, we expect Manchester to remain one of the top long term construction hot spots in the UK and so it is vital for Hewden to establish a base in the region," added Saunders.