Civil engineering specialist CP Groundworks Ltd is a sub-contractor on the M27 Junction 10 improvement scheme in the south of England. It is responsible for earthworks, drainage, kerbing and ducting on the project, which involves upgrading the motorway junction, constructing a new underpass, adding slip roads, and creating a dual carriageway.
Project Manager Jon Morgan has been on site with his team since November 2024 and work is expected to continue until summer 2026. To complete their part of the project, they rely on a varied fleet of Hitachi excavators, from five to 22 tonnes, all supplied by UK rental company Synergy Hire.
The company opts to hire its large equipment to minimise service and maintenance responsibilities, and for the convenience and flexibility it provides. It has relied on Synergy Hire for its excavator fleet for five years. “The most important reason for choosing Synergy Hire is the level of service we receive,” says Jon.
Invaluable support
This aspect is particularly apparent when CP Groundworks receives last-minute requests from its customers. “If I need a machine here tomorrow, the team at Synergy will say, ‘Do you want it this afternoon?’ They would move heaven and earth to transport plant to us. And you don’t often see that approach in this industry. It also makes us look good to our customers – sometimes it feels like they ask us the impossible, but with Synergy’s support, we can make it happen.”
Since it was established in 2014, the company has established a reputation for consistently delivering civil engineering projects safely, to a high standard and on schedule. Time pressure is part of the job when working on road construction projects such as this, particularly if it involves a night-time or weekend closure. If work does not finish on time, then contractors can face significant fines. Using reliable equipment is therefore essential.
To assist with this, Synergy Hire can ensure that routine servicing is carried out on weekends to minimise disruption during the week. “This helps us to meet our targets and programme delivery,” explains Jon. “If a machine is down for two-and-a-half hours for servicing, we lose a quarter of our productivity for the day.”
For long-term projects, Synergy Hire adds signage for CP Groundworks on to the hired machines, which is another benefit for the contractor. “This is 100% important for us when working on motorway projects such as this – you don’t know how many potential customers could be driving past and see it.”
While reliable and high-quality machinery is undoubtedly important to CP Groundworks, the relationship it has established with Synergy Hire is key to the success of their ongoing partnership. “Our relationship with them is really good – it’s the reason we go back time after time.”
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