Originally M&J started out as a sole trader company in the early 1990s and then became M&J Plant and Transport Ltd in 1999. Since its creation it has remained a family-run business that prides itself on providing a first class service.
Based in New Tredegar, South Wales, and with a newly purchased facility in Merthyr Tydfil, almost 60 staff support M&J’s operation. Having amassed over 30 years of experience in providing plant and machinery to meet its clients’ every need, it is now widely regarded as one of the leading plant and transport hire companies and specialises in the hiring of both operated and self-drive plant.
Boss Kevan set the company up in 1990 with a Poclain 60 13T Excavator and just one JCB 3CX. Over the years the company has grown considerably and now has a range of plant from 0.5 ton to 30 ton excavators, as well as also providing road haulage, including Tippers, Beavertails, Hiabs and Road Sweepers, not to mention Crusher and Screener hire. Its operators are CPCS tested and registered, and the company has attained the ‘FORS Bronze Accreditation’. In addition, it has Low Loaders to move both its own equipment and plant and that of a wide range of customers.
Working alongside Kevan, his wife Diane, and Michael Williams; who has been part of the company from the very beginning, is a team of loyal, committed office staff and dedicated workforce. The strength of its workforce has enabled M&J to build a broad customer base that includes house builders, civil engineering contractors and other plant hire companies, as well as landscapers and gardeners, utility services and local councils.
In terms of specific projects that it has been involved in, M&J has had excavators on hire working on a large housing development at St Modwen, Llanwern, Newport. Its Lorries and Road Sweepers have been involved on The Heads of the Valleys new road infrastructure, while it also contributes to works carried out within the local councils.
Thanks to the breadth of its offering, M&J has been able to accommodate the changing demands of its client base. For instance, its customers are increasingly using mini diggers rather than JCB 3cx. The use of rubber tracks also seems to be proving more popular, so excavator hire is on the up, especially on new housing developments and smaller projects where the excavators are more easily manoeuvrable in smaller spaces.
The fact that M&J has a variety of heavy plant and machinery, not just specialising in one type of machine, means that the company can not only provide excavators for hire but also transport to and from site using their Low Loaders and Beavertail. It also has a fleet of lorries for muck away and road sweepers to work alongside them.
Despite the experience and broad range of plant it has within its armoury, M&J is not without its challenges. At the moment one of the most significant it is facing, like others in the industry, is the change in the fuel it uses and the rising cost. This has led to an increase in the amount of theft taking place within the industry so the company is looking to improve its security capabilities.
Challenges aside, M&J is keen to keep building on its standing within the marketplace by continuing to provide a strong service to all its customers and ensuring that all their needs are met. It is currently expanding its Merthyr Tydfil yard in order to provide a Screening and Crushing facility and further enhance its offering for clients.