There are many Irish people that have become huge successes in business abroad and none more so than in the U.K where down through the years hundreds of thousands have emigrated across the Irish Sea.
The construction industry has been many people’s port of call and the Irish can lay claim to have helped built the likes of London which has been described as one of the fastest growing cities in Europe.
For this month’s edition of Building Ireland, we profile Irish-owned OSW Plant Hire Ltd and company secretary Michelle Oliver about the success of the business.
OSW Plant Hire Ltd was established 18 years ago by John O’Sullivan and Jerry Walsh both of who hail from Co Kerry. Having had a background in plant hire, the decided to put their expertise and knowledge together and they haven’t looked back since.
“John and Jerry took a risk and decided to form a plant hire business,” said the Galway-born Michelle. “They started off with the purchase of only two machines available for hire. They put in a lot of hard work and were determined to exceed.
The duo had to sacrifice a lot but knew that with their combined determination, efforts and knowledge within the industry, they could achieve it all and that they would be able to supply their customers future needs.
OSW now has a range of plant that includes a large fleet of plant available for hire ranging from 0.75 Tonne Micro Excavators to 30 Tonne Excavators, Rubber Ducks, Dumpers and various plant attachments to suit all their excavators.
“Ranging from Hydraulic Breakers to Augers, Grabs and Munchers. We also transport many of our own machines with our Eight-Wheeler Beaver Tail Plant Lorries which comes with a 20Ton Meter Crane which are available on hire to assist our customers haulage needs as well.”
Based in Edgware, Middlesex, OSW is located on the outskirts of London and their services are available to all areas of the English capital and all surrounding Home Counties.
“We serve clients both domestic and commercial companies such as Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Getjar Ltd, Atlantic Contracts Ltd, Mulroy Construction Ltd, Montway Ltd, Masterson Holdings, which is owned by a Mayo man and many more Multinational Companies.
We providing plant hire along with our skilled, experienced and qualified plant operators to various sites.”
Michelle revealed that the 2012 Olympics was very busy time for the company and indeed today, they are involved in many big projects around the city.
“We got a lot of work out of the Olympics and fortunately we are still busy. We are currently involved in the Victoria Station upgrade as well as other projects.”
OSW’s ability to work hand in hand with their customers has played a huge part in their success according to Michelle.
“We work closely with our customers to ensure everything runs smoothly from beginning to end of hire with our professional and reliable service. Our customers always come back for our reliable service at competitive rates for that guaranteed excellent service. We know going the extra mile, we would be able to provide that more personal service to ensure our customers satisfaction to meeting all their needs.”
OSW are compliant with all areas of health and safety and legislation that they need to carry out their duties to the highest standard. They are CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) registered and Members of the CPA (Construction Plant Association).
The company has not been afraid to move with the times and if the work is there, they have know problem meeting the demand by taking on more staff if necessary.
“Due to the demand, the company has expanded and there are 20 employed directly, while drivers will be taken on when needed. We would also upgrade the fleet of machinery on a regular basis and there is a mixture of new and used machinery brought in. We have a couple of full time mechanics here and we would do all our own maintenance work.”
Michelle stated that the John and Jerry have always put the customer first and that is why they have so much repeat customers on their books.
“A lot of customers would be with us for many years going back to when the business was first established. Everyone is treated the same here and once we are employed to do a project, the customer knows that it will be done to the best of our abilities, which always meets their requirements. Once we can continue to do that then, we should have no problems for the future.”
OSW Plant Hire Ltd.
106-108 Burnt Oak Broadway,
Edgware HA8 0BE,
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 8952 2974
Taken from Building Ireland magazine Vol 1 No 2, Winter 2015
