The partnership means that the two companies together can supply most or all plant needs of any given site.
Explore Plant is a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and WS Transportation. It took over the construction plant from Laing O’Rourke’s Select Plant division last year, leaving Select focused on cranes. (See previous report here.)
Garic director Neil Richardson said the tie-up would benefit customers of both companies. “Explore has eight depots nationwide and supplies hire products that complement our offering perfectly,” he said. “At Garic we continually strive to give our customers a better service and this collaboration with Explore will help us to do just that. There are a lot of synergies between the two businesses in terms of being well established, we are both leaders in our particular parts of the market and we work across many of the same sectors.
“Now, hiring anything for a site will be much easier to manage as we’ll be able to provide one point of contact to our clients.”
Explore business development leader Warren Wilkinson added: “By joining together we can provide a seamless service supplying clients with whatever welfare and accommodation, plant, equipment and tools they may need.
“We’ll be providing virtually everything for a construction or infrastructure site from form and falsework systems, general plant and small tools to lighting, welfare and accommodation units, welfare vans, plant storage, wheel-washing and environmental clean-up kits – to list just a few.”
The partnership brings together two of the biggest names in the UK logistics sector. Garic is part of the Bibby Line Group shipping empire, while WS Transportation is co-owned by Edd Stobart, the 27-year old son of Eddie Stobart Logistics chairman William Stobart.
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