TPT September 2009

I ndustry N ews

MAY 1959 saw the official opening of the new East Kilbride factory of JH Carruthers, now Konecranes UK. At that time, the company manufactured pumps and cranes, but by 1967 pumps were discontinued. More than 400 people were employed at the factory, building up to 100 overhead cranes a year, but today, modern computer aided techniques in design and manufacturing mean that fewer people are required to maintain higher levels of production. However, the company has been increasing both its capacity and its employee numbers over the past decade, with an average of 100 people involved in supplying more than 300 cranes a year to the UK and overseas markets. From 1996 to 2007, 25% of the factory space was used for warehousing. The decision was taken to reclaim the space to enable further modernisation and expansion to take place. Managing director Gordon Adie has been the driving force behind the expansion since he took the job in 1992. Mr Adie, whose father also worked for the firm before him, not only has responsibility for Konecranes UK’s operations, but within the Konecranes global group he coordinates many of the worldwide manufacturing and sales facilities. Speaking of the company’s continuing success and growth since it moved to East Kilbride 50 years ago, Mr Adie said: “Our markets are varied by sector and geography. We have been fortunate and, I think, astute enough to keep abreast of our customers’ needs and flexible in our ability to tailor our crane models to suit. Konecranes is also an innovative group and we enjoy cutting edge technologies producing very beneficial components for sector demands.” “Obviously, not all sectors are always buoyant, for example the automotive market at present,” Mr Adie continued, “but others are growing, like the power and waste-to-energy areas, and we are winning orders both here in the UK and overseas.” Konecranes – UK Fax : +44 1355 263654 Website : www.konecranes-uk.com 50 years on, and Konecranes UK is still enjoying healthy growth

 A photograph of the Konecranes factory in East Kilbride taken in the 1960s

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S eptember 2009

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