Tanfield invests in UpRight

Tanfield, which also owns Aerial Access, acquired the designs and use of the brand name for all the UpRight powered machines, as well as the distribution businesses in the US and Japan. UpRight International (UI) will now focus exclusively on aluminium scaffolding products in Dublin, with Tanfield also having the sale rights for these products in the US and Japan.Darren Kell, Tanfield's business development director, told AI that manufacturing in Europe would be consolidated at a single site, but would not say whether this would be in Dublin or at Tanfield's large facility in the Northeast of England. Industry speculation suggests a move to England is extremely likely.Mr Kell said the priority was to reduce lead times on UpRight products - currently at around 16 weeks - and to reinvigorate the brand; “There's still a lot of goodwill and sentiment in the market for the brand. We believe if we can regain respect for the UpRight name - improve spare parts and customer support - we'll be able to re-establish it as one of the market leaders.”On the cards is a reintroduction of the larger booms that UI stopped making, with the priority likely to be the AB46 and AB62 articulated booms next year, and after that the SB46/60/80 telescopic booms.In the US, Tanfield has already started to assemble small products from the newly UI distribution facility in Fresno that was part of the acquisition. This operation is headed by Brian MacFarland.Tanfield's Aerial Access products will continue to be produced - a new 13 m working height articulated boom, the S13J, was shown at the SED show - and Mr Kell said the brand would be retained in certain markets. Aerial products will also be offered to some UpRight dealers.Meanwhile, Richard Tindale, the former UpRight product manager, has left TH White - a Bison Palfinger dealer in the UK - and joined Tanfield to help develop the UpRight business.Noel Corcoran, UI's managing director, said; “In both cases, this will significantly increase the level of investment and support available for each product range and brand.”