_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thomas Group
Moreover , we have expanded our portfolio to include an accommodation business specialising in site accommodation , containers , offices and more . We also incorporated a tool hire division primarily serving the northwest of England and North Wales .
“ But that is not all . Thomas Group also owns a hydraulic hose company called SOS Hose Services , a forklift division named Manton Forklifts and Ongrade Machine Control , a specialist division focused on GPS and machine control systems for diggers and dozers . Manton Forklifts and SOS Hose Services retained their original trading name due to their strong reputation in the region where they operate . Similarly , we acquired Mulholland Plant Services , which kept its name while trading within Thomas Group . While we have taken different approaches to the name and branding of our acquired businesses , we still ensure that it is clear they are part of the Thomas Group . We understand that people often have strong associations with a company ’ s particular reputation and name . Even if the operations remain the same and the equipment is identical , people prefer to deal with familiar entities . Hence , keeping the acquired companies ’ original name has contributed to our significant growth over the past five or six years ,” he elaborates .
Ian discusses the benefits of Thomas Group ’ s early adoption of machine controls across its fleet . “ Although machine control has been used in the UK for years in industries like rail , its adoption remains limited due to the weekly cost incurred . Meanwhile , in Scandinavian countries like Sweden , there isn ’ t an excavator , dozer , or roller that is not machine-controlled . Machine controls are the reason why roads in Sweden are built much faster , and their schools and infrastructure are significantly better . It has become undeniable that machine controls offer increased productivity and get the job
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