Hird wins Business of the Year Award

The mini crane, powered access and glass lifting hire and sales business has been named Medium Business of the Year.

The company, which is based in Hull, was presented with the award in front of 400 guests at the Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel in Willerby.

Hird Managing Director Phil Hird said: “It was a great moment in what has been a very exciting year for the Hird team.

“We’ve continued our rapid growth as a business, and have invested in a wide range of new equipment and machines.

“To be recognised as the medium-sized business of the year in Hull and across East Yorkshire represents the icing on the cake.

“We are proud to be a Hull business that is doing well nationally. We are showing that with hard work and good business sense there is room to thrive in Yorkshire and across the UK.

“With all the activity around Hull being the European City of Culture during 2017, we hope the positivity about doing business in this part of the world will continue and grow even more.”

During the awards ceremony, the Northern Powerhouse Minister Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole, said Hull had a key role to play in the regeneration of the northern economy.

Hird is playing its part by developing industry-leading services in the supply of mini cranes and glass lifting equipment, in particular.

The company is the UK and Ireland authorised dealer for both Valla mini cranes and Winlet glazing robots. It also supplies glass lifting equipment used in the construction of some of the most iconic buildings in London. In 2016, it was a finalist in the equipment supplier category of the Construction News Specialist Awards.

Innovation and pushing technological boundaries are key components of Hird’s success over the last two years.

It collaborates with some of the world’s most successful lifting equipment manufacturers to design new machines needed by UK customers.

In the last 12 months, this has included: taking delivery of the UK’s largest-capacity glass vacuum lifter; co-designing the UK’s most advanced counterbalance floor cranes; being the first company in the world to place an order for the biggest-ever Maeda spider crane; and supplying a bespoke pick and carry crane to Virgin Atlantic Airways that has revolutionised the way it maintains its aircraft.

Phil Hird said: “Our success, and this award, is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our whole team, across the UK.

“On the bottom line, people do business with people, and Hird people are the best there are in the lifting equipment hire and sales industry.”

One of the key strengths of Hird is its position as a one-stop supplier of all lifting equipment for hire or sale.

From the smallest sling, to the largest contract hire crane, Hird has the right expertise and equipment. This includes a comprehensive range of lifting and working at height training courses.