Astley Hire on the up

19 December 2022

Positive news from Astley Hire as the year nears its end: managing director Martin Doran tells me that the Leigh-based company’s access division had its best ever month in November. 

“We are very busy generally, and the demand for powered access machinery is perhaps partly due to the time of year. We offer a specialist service supplying equipment to companies and contractors for stocktaking at premises like warehouses. 

“One recent order was for 17 machines over a weekend. It is demanding because the equipment usually has to be delivered late on a Thursday, ready for when the job starts the next day, and we back it up with advice on how to get the most out of the products,” says Martin. 

“For example, the user will often need to rotate the machines so that some are in use while others recharge. Some facilities that work round the clock will be using the machines constantly over a weekend.” 

Astley Hire’s team can assess sites beforehand and provide any necessary operator and safety awareness training through its dedicated training division, which offers PASMA and IPAF courses amongst others. 

The company can also supply required items like transformers and electrical cables from its tool and equipment hire operation. 

Martin says that several customers will be taking machines for stocktaking tasks during the period between Christmas and the New Year.  

And while recognising the challenging economic forecasts in some quarters, he is confident about future prospects for the hire industry.

“We continue to invest in our fleet and we increased our hire rates during the summer, which was surprisingly well tolerated. No one want to put prices up but most customers understand that the cost of everything is increasing at the moment.”