MV COMMERCIAL, the Scottish truck sales, leasing and rental company, has revealed plans for a fresh recruitment drive as it reaps the benefits of investing £3.8 million in a major site in Lanarkshire.
The company has centralised its UK operation at a “super site” in Airdrie, where it has already created 30 jobs in roles such as mechanics, administration, painting and fabrication since moving there in the second half of last year. The hires lifted its headcount to 150.
And the firm said the growth it is now seeing has given it the impetus to invest a further £1m in IT systems and infrastructure, while adding a further 25 to 30 jobs in the next six to nine months.
Managing director Steven Cairns said the expansion in Airdrie is “great for the local economy”, stating that the feedback from customers who have visited the site has been “incredible”.
He said: “We feel that only endorses our decision to make this huge investment. Here we have got a truly one-stop-shop facility, which is a fantastic upgrade.
"By bringing it all under one roof, the efficiencies and benefits are already being seen by staff and customers.”
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The investment made at the site in Airdrie, which at a site formerly occupied by TOM Vehicle Rental, effectively replaces the four sites in close proximity operated previously by the firm in Livingston. It also serves the market in England from offices in Manchester and Luton, which also offer full sales and rental services.
Mr Cairns, who has built up MV with chief executive Tom O’Rourke since it was established 15 years ago, said the company was keeping tabs on the unfolding Brexit situation, but said that so far it has not affected its momentum.
He explained: “We’re mindful of the ongoing position of uncertainty, but we feel we have got a robust business plan in place, and we have got a strong management team. We’re cautiously optimistic for the year ahead, however our order book and pipeline for 2019 is already very strong.”
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While MV’s accounts for the year ended June 30, 2018 are not yet available, Mr Cairn said the company had increased turnover over the period by 25 per cent on the £27.7m it recorded from continuing operations the year before (£64.8m when sales from ex-rental vehicles is written back into the accounts).
And he added that in the second six months of 2018 MV had grown turnover by a further 16%.
Mr Cairns said the firm is building a major reputation as a provider of specialist rental equipment such as tippers, grabs, hooks and lorry-mounted cranes throughout the UK. He noted: “As the business has evolved, we have kind of moved more towards the niche products and the specialist assets within the rental sector. We really have got the infrastructure in place in terms of our engineers and support and service staff.”
The company, which has more than 1,500 vehicles in its rental fleet, added another string to its bow last year with the launch of an asset finance division, MV Finance. Mr Cairns said: “That demonstrates the confidence we have in our products - we are prepared to back them through our own finance company.”
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