Thomas Group __________________________________________________________________________________________________
done quicker . As a result , there has been a notable shift in the UK over the last five years where even small landscapers and house builders now recognise how much fuel and labour they are saving with machine controls . Those machines don ’ t require as much staff on site and therefore grant design engineers much more time to focus on design activities . This shift was anticipated , and Thomas Group was at the forefront , led by Wayne Stevens , a renowned figure in the machine control industry . Wayne ’ s expertise , gained from his involvement in major projects like Hinkley Point , has positioned Thomas Group as a leading provider in the field . We now own the biggest fleet of machine-controlled equipment in the country . Moreover , considering our fleet of plant equipment that is machine control ready , we can provide a full package to our customers . This means clients can hire a site cabin as well as a dozer equipped with GPS machine control and get comprehensive guidance on their site designs from our engineers . I believe that our success
with machine controls is not solely attributed to being in the right place at the right time , but there was certainly an element of it when the shift to machine control occurred . Thomas Group has consistently progressed from strength to strength since adopting machinecontrolled equipment over the past four years ,” he highlights .
For the remainder of 2024 , Thomas Group will focus on investments in its fleet . “ As a plant hire business , regular fleet renewal is key . Because we deal with many Tier 1 contractors , we will need to get rid of machines that are coming to the end of their cycle , as those customers will generally expect machines no older than three years . Hence , we try and renew our fleet every three-tofour years . Besides the push on fleet renewal , 2024 will be about acquiring more businesses mainly in the South of England where we seek to establish a foothold ,” Ian ends . ■
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