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Business Built Up in 15 Years

12th June 1959, Page 37
12th June 1959
Page 37
Page 36
Page 37, 12th June 1959 — Business Built Up in 15 Years
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By G, Duncan Jewell

IN the course of 15 years, Contractors (Transport), Ltd., Stockport, and its sister company, Contractors (Manchester), Ltd., have risen from small beginnings to a prominent position in heavy haulage, civil engineering and demolition in the North-West of England. By hard work and sheer force of personality the managing director, Mr. Edward Beck, has put his family businesses in the forefront of those catering for these classes of work.

After experience during the war as manager of a large vehicle fleet dealing with heavy and indivisible loads, Mr. Beck launched out on his own in 1945 when, as Contractors (Manchester), Ltd., he operated as a clearing house from Brazennose Street, Manchester. The company's first vehicles were obtained shortly before nationalization when they took over two haulage businesses, Douglas Rourke, Ltd., and Thos. Williams and Co., Ltd., each operating one platform vehicle.

During nationalization these vehicles continued to operate under permit and Mr. Beck seized the opportunity to branch out into civil engineering and demolition work. The registered office was then moved to Greg Street, Stockport.

in 1952, the 31-acre site, with a quarter of an acre of covered accommodation, of the former Shell-Mex and B.P. depot at Georges Road, Stockport, was acquired

B2 and a new company, Contractors (Transport), Ltd., was formed to cover the haulage work. Contractors (Manchester) were devoted to civil engineering and building.

The businesses prospered and after denationalization the transport company were able to acquire 14 British Transport Commission low-loaders. These vehicles were completely modernized at a heavy cost and worked in conjunction with the sister company, who provided gangs of workmen for dismantling, re-erection, loading and unloading heavy machinery and other civil engineering pieces.

At the same time, the Georges Road site was being prepared for the purpose behind its purchase—the ability to offer customers a complete service by providing storage for heavy and indivisible loads, followed by distribution as and when required.

The special-type fleet was built up gradually, and now consists of 17 vehicles capable of carrying pay-loads up to 75 tons. They range from Bedfords (up to 12 tons), E.R.F. (15 tons) and Scammell (20-25 tons), up to the tractive units. The most recent acquisition is a 100-ton gross Foden with a Rolls-Royce engine. The company have found Fodens exceptionally good for their class of work and they figure largely in the replacement programme.

In addition to low loaders, semi low loaders, pole trailers, Tank transporters, mobile cranes and special vehicles for long lengths, the company can provide " flats " for up to 20 tons and tippers. There are nearly 40 trailers available for the tractive units, including Queen Marys, solid-tyre bogies and other special equipment.

Because of difficulties in obtaining suitable trailers for specialist jobs, it was decided that it was essential to be able to control the supply and, since 1955, Contractors (Transport) have adapted the majority of their trailers, dollies and other specialities to suit the particular requirements of their work. It was also found convenient to include bodybuilding in this side of their activities. The staff of 60 now includes engineers, millwrights, 12 office staff and four outside representatives.

The haulage business is now country wide, and journeys have included the movement of heavy equipment to the Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands, Ireland and the Continent. .

The provision of storage over the past 18 months has resolved the difficulties of many customers who are short of factory space or require distribution over an area a long distance from their factories.. Much of the storage and distribution work is connected with large cable drums and hydraulic presses.

Collections are made from Yorkshire, the Midlands, Merseyside and London, and a high pmportion of the distribution is to road-side sites and power stations where there are no unloading facilities. The special-type vehicles , are fitted with power winches, hydraulic jacks, chains, rollers and all the other equipment necessary for loading and unloading.

Because of the increasing work into and out ol store, the company were recently granted a B licence for an additional low loader of 15-16 tons carrying capacity to relieve the pressure on their A-licence fleet.

When a co-director retired in 1958, the business became wholly owned by the Beck family, and the son of the founder, John Edward Beck, who had been apprenticed to the business since he was 16, is now a direcor. A new company, Edward

Beck and Son, Ltd., is shortly to be formed to take over the plant and machinery dismantling and re-erection activities. • The clearing house side of the activities is still in operation; but negdtiations are in progress for Contractors (Transport) to acquire 16 . platform vehicles to take over the work arising from this source.

Contractors (Manchester), the contracting and civil engineering company, are

specialists in demolition, road construction, sewering, building and similar projects. " They have-nearly 30 vehicles on C licence, mainly tippers, and operate over 100 pieces of contractors' plant, including bulldozers, dumpers, excavators. compressors and cranes.

Recent work has included the construction of more than 30 filling stations in the North West and installations at Manchester Airport for major petrol companies. They also removed 100,000 tons of debris in six months from the site of an underground car park in Market Street, Manchester. Eight Austin chassis, purchased from Ministry, sales, were added to the fleet and suitably adapted to help in coping with this work. .

Turnover has more than quadrupled during the past six years and the expanding. business has rendered the present premises in Greg Street inadequate, so that a second storey is io be erected on

• the office building. Plans for a new workshop, 150 ft. by 50 ft., ,of steel and brick, withasbestos roofing, are also in !land. • Much of the haulage company's administrative work is now done by Mr. Guy Claydon, general manager since 1952.


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