A United front for Weightlifter
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Last summer, Weightlifter Bodies took over United Trailers (Wisbech), seemingly snatching the firm from under the nose of rival. Wordsworth Holdings. Weightlifter MD David Thomson tells the story.
Words: Andy Salter
UNITED TRAILERS HAS had a chequered history of late, apparently drifting in and out of receivership, administration and collapse on a regular basis However, judging by the levels of interest in the business, it would seem that deep inside the firm there is potential waiting to be unlocked.
Weightlifter Bodies is now the owner, and since the takeover in July 2009, it has been working to reshape the business for sustainability. David Thomson is Weightlifter managing director and is responsible for overseeing activity at United. We met him at the end of last year to find out his plans. First, we discovered the reasons behind the acquisition.
"We are a company that is in to manufacturing and employing people," Thomson says, laying out the ethos behind Weightlifter. -The workforce at United has been retained and we will continue to build and develop the company. This is very much a going concern, which we intend to expand. We haven't bought it to close it down.
"Each operation in our family has to be profitable.The management has lots of experience in the market and excellent knowledge of the sector. United has excellent brand strength; there is a strong order book through the first half of this year, and we have confidence the firm will be successful.
Back from the brink
This confidence and the backing of Weightlifter has to be one of the factors why, on this occasion, it may be possible for United to be pulled back from the brink.
Indeed, the supplier base appears more secure now than it previously had been, and there is a plan behind the activity going on at Wisbech.
"We have been working closely with suppliers," says Thomson. "and clearly some have been bruised by previous activities. However, now Weightlifter is behind the company, this has given them the confidence to work with us. Some have taken a short-term view, but the majority have a long-term relationship with us."
In development terms, Weightlifter's moving floor operation has moved to United's base at Wisbech, although if a customer specifically wants a Weightlifter-branded trailer, that's the badge that will ride on the trailer.
The range will cover blowers, moving floor and ejector trailers, using steel, aimed at the environmental and scrap sectors of the market. Weightlifter and sister company PPG will maintain its focus on aluminium products.
A fairly public spat with Wordsworth Holdings, owner of rival tipper-maker Fruehauf, over the ownership of United and its intellectual property. made for interesting times in autumn 2009, but those differences appear to have subsided, and Thomson is now focused on delivering growth.
Good shape
Six months on from the acquisition, the company is now over its past woes. Thomson reveals He adds: "We've cleared out all the redundant material that was lying around, and we're now focused on selling the products and getting the business rolling, "We expect the workforce to be up to 35-strong by the end of the quarter and the operation to be in good shape."
Closer to home, the Weightlifter business continues to evolve, and while times were tough last year — turnover is down by nearly a third, with profit suffering more — the company is continuing to invest in its product lineup and service network.
"We are looking to fill in some of our geographical gaps in coverage," Thomson ventures, -particularly in Wales and the South-West. The cost of moving things around for us and our customers is huge. and people aren't prepared to do it any more.
"This was why we experimented by moving into Scotland a couple of years ago —to bring our products and services closer to our customers. This has been successful and we will do the same with other regions," he says.
Group pickings
As a group. Weightlifter now employs more than 120 people and manufactures in the region of 1,000 units a year, making it arguably the biggest bodybuilder in its sector.
From the talks we've had with Thomson and his customers, the products appear well put together and, by all accounts, the company offers good service. We suspect you'll be quick to let us know of any contrary opinion.
The United Trailers acquisition no doubt raised a few eyebrows in many quarters, but the intention is to turn the business around. "We don't buy firms to break them down or shut them," he says. "We are manufacturers and we need to keep British manufacturing going by employing local people — that's what we'll do." •
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