Atut Rental and Travis Perkins add Thwaites dumpers

Polish rental company Atut Rental has ordered 18 new Thwaites site dumpers for its fleet. The first batch arrived in January and the rest will be delivered before the end of this month.

Thwaites has meanwhile also announced the sale of 160 of its 1 t dumpers to Travis Perkins in the UK for its tool hire operation.

The Polish order with Atut is significant because it is the first time the company has bought new dumpers from Thwaites. It started adding used Thwaites dumpers to its fleet in 1996, and they were used mainly for placing concrete in areas where a pump or concrete truck couldn’t deliver.

John Monaghan, president of Atut Rental, told IRN; “From simple beginnings the demand grew and the usage grew but only recently were we in a position to consider new machines. We decided to add 18 machines and phase out the older models.

“We felt that as the importer and distributer for Thwaites in Poland that we should have the safest and newest machines available for our clients.”

One of the new machines is a 2 t power swivel version to suit concrete contractor Modzelewski and Rodek, which is working on the construction of the Warsaw Metro.

Mr Monaghan said the Polish construction market was changing; “The last few years have been concentrated on motorway/infrastructure construction together with new Stadiums for Euro2012 competition in June last year. Current trends are towards railway and power generation projects, but a return to traditional apartment building has also begun, hampered like elsewhere by a lack of credit.

“The business climate is cautious due to lack of projects and late agreement of EU budgets and therefore funding for Poland. The revised downward growth forecasts for the economy as a whole led to uncertainty in capital purchases and construction companies favour renting as a result.”

Atut is also expanding its operation, with a new depot – its thirteenth - opening in Lublin in early April. In February is opened its first ‘in-store’ rental location within a Bricoman building materials story in Warsaw.

Back in its home UK market Thwaites is celebrating a 160 unit order with Travis Perkins tool hire. The 1 t Hi-tip models will be located at TP’s tool hire depots.

“Travis Perkins had an ageing fleet of about 350 dumpers supplied by another manufacturer and dealer that needed replacing,” said Richard Dey, group hire director or Travis Perkins.

“This is the first order Travis Perkins has placed with Thwaites and with the dumpers now in the fleet, we are pleased with their build quality, performance and of course the back-up from Watling JCB [who supplied the machines]”.