Ainscough appoints RSS Preferred Rigging Supplier

Ainscough Crane Hire has named Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd. (RSS) a preferred supplier of lifting and rigging equipment. The mobile and crawler crane rental company operates from 30 strategic locations spanning the length of the UK, while Wales headquartered RSS has recently opened its fifth in close proximity to Ainscough’s depot in Hayes, near Heathrow Airport, to the west of London. Steve Hutin, managing director at RSS, said the potential partnership factored into his plans when choosing a second facility in the south of England. The other, in Aylesford, is only a short drive from another Ainscough depot in Maidstone (both Kent). Ainscough sites are also located to the east (Cardiff) and west (Carmarthen) of RSS in Bridgend, south Wales.

He said: “Ainscough’s existing presence in the area coupled with its proximity to a number of major projects we are already working with made Hayes a prime location. Ainscough has a wide range of lifting equipment around the country and logistically it is a challenge to have the required below-the-hook support everywhere and all the time—that’s where we step in.” Plans are already afoot for RSS to open its sixth facility—Hutin is candid about his target to have 10 depots across the country—in Lancashire in the UK’s northwest region, from where Ainscough hires out some of its high capacity fleet, which are used primarily for wind energy and large infrastructure projects. Hutin said: “We anticipate that contract crane lifts and other activity involving the heavy cranes in particular to generate a requirement for our equipment, but the appeal of the partnership is the rental company’s diverse fleet that will work in cohesion with our full range of spreader beams, shackles, wire rope slings, chain clocks, web slings and more.” Mark James, operations director (south) at Ainscough Crane Hire, said: “With the largest fleet of cranes in the country, we value partners in the field giving us access to below-the-hook and other equipment. These partnerships enhance our expertise and rigging solutions in the variety of scheduled and emergency lifting applications that engage our mobile fleet on a daily basis.” Hutin’s relationship with Ainscough goes back to before he took the reins at RSS in 2006, when he worked for Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) in the mid-1990s. Ainscough has used a variety of below-the-hook equipment from RSS in recent years but it was in the mutual interests of both parties to formalise the agreement. He said: “We are essentially geared up ready to meet the demands of the account but also prepared to invest in hire stock and vehicles should the need arise. We will work closely with Ainscough and their clients to ensure all parties lift safely and efficiently with the most suitable rigging equipment, delivered in a timely fashion and supported by the best expertise in the industry.”