Q&A: Iain MacDonald

7 May 2021

Iain MacDonald is sales director with the busy independent Eagle Plant Hire, which has depots in Glasgow and Edinburgh and recently added a Survey & Safety activity. Iain entered the industry in 1985 and has worked for a number of hire companies, joining Eagle three years ago. 

How’s business? 

It’s extremely busy. We completed our financial year end in March and, despite Covid affecting two full months’ trading in March and April 2020, we have delivered an extremely satisfying conclusion to the trading year, with March 2021 seeing us achieve a record trading month in our history.

What’s in particular demand at the moment? 

We are a strong supplier to the utility markets and this has seen us invest over £500,000 in new Kubota excavators recently, all of which have found homes already.

What is the main challenge facing the industry? 

I think a lot of manufacturers are having issues with lockdown restrictions in Europe, which is affecting production and, sadly, is having a knock-on effect here in the UK. 

And what are the biggest opportunities? 

We are now supplying electro-fusion equipment which has seen us place our third order for units in so many months. We can’t keep up with demand. This is a specialist line of products and we have been recruiting technicians and training existing staff.

How did you get into the industry? 

My younger brother was working for a hire company called Powertech (later acquired by Hewden) which had a depot in Stirling. However, it wasn’t really his cup of tea. He recommended me to his then manager and after a ten-minute interview I started the next day on a government YTS Youth Training Scheme placement. I was very much thrown in at the deep end of a busy hire desk. That was back in 1985. In 1999 I went to Martin Plant Hire and I later worked for Speedy before joining Eagle Plant Hire. 

What one thing would make business easier generally? 

It’s great when money flows down the way. If customers pay us on time then we pay suppliers on time and everything works much better. 

What’s the most challenging hire request you’ve ever received?

I was once involved in supplying concrete equipment to the top of the ski slope in Glencoe, where we had to organise helicopter lifts to get the kit in. They were building a new visitor centre and ski lift. 

What annoys/frustrates you? 

Poor timekeeping. If you can’t be anything else be punctual, my old dad used to say.

What was your favourite school subject?

I was too busy playing football and most other sports at school to really apply myself, although I enjoyed art and music, and left with qualifications in accounting and maths.

If things had been different, what other career might you have chosen?

I played football and had trials with several senior clubs as a teenager but sadly for a number of reasons that didn’t work out.

Tell me a surprising fact about yourself.

I have two different coloured eyes: one green, one blue. My siblings used to call me David Bowie, which I used to hate but now I quite like.

Do you follow a particular sport and/or team? 

I am a passionate rugby fan and regularly attend the Six Nations. If it hadn’t been for Covid, I would have been at Twickenham to see Scotland beat England this year, and in Paris to see the game against France. I watched it on television and it is the most exciting match I have ever seen. 

What’s your favourite music?

I was brought up during the 80s and still consider myself as a bit of a Mod, although I’ve never owned a scooter or visited Brighton on a bank holiday! I like groups like The Who and The Jam, and I saw Paul Weller at Edinburgh Castle shortly before the first lockdown. 

What new skill would you like to learn?

My wife and I love cooking but no matter how hard we try we can never make an authentic tasting Indian curry. So maybe cookery classes.

What’s the secret of success? 

Easy: honesty, transparency and integrity. If you are fair with clients and work with them, you will retain them.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Depending on the size of the win, I would take Eagle Plant Hire international. 

Finally, any future business plans? 

We are looking to expand our Survey & Safety offering and are currently looking at a new branch in Aberdeen. There’s also a potential new site in Glasgow for our main branch to facilitate our growth. 

● Read the recent blog post about Eagle's expansion into electro-fusion equipment here.