Rainy days cannot dampen AJK's spirits (From Northwich Guardian)

Rainy days cannot dampen AJK's spirits

11:10am Sunday 5th August 2012 in News By Andrew Moores

BAD weather might have given many people the blues, but one family business is feeling right as rain.

AJK Plant Hire Ltd – now in its 49th year of trading – has received a trade boost thanks to the constant downpours that have left everyone else feeling under the weather.

“It has been really good for us, but our machines can’t float so like everyone else we’d like the rain to stop,” said Debbie Trickett, Business Development Manager at AJK.

“A lot of people are coming to us saying our machines are keeping them going in the bad weather, which is great and been a real selling point for us.”

AJK supply bulldozers, excavators and dump trucks to people working on historic sites, nature reserves, new developments and golf courses.

Recently they helped construct a bronze-medal winning garden for the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park.

Their machines are able to operate in muddy conditions where other equipment struggles.

Debbie, whose grandfather John Denis Percival started the business in Higher Whitley, said the recession had claimed the livelihoods of some of their competitors.

“It is great to still be here after 50 years especially as there have been so many difficult times,” she said. “It is sad when you see one of your competitors go out of business because at the end of the day that is people’s jobs.”

AJK have used Hydrema trucks for more than 20 years and are the company’s oldest customer in the UK.

They have just received their 100th truck, which has been painted black and gold to mark its significance.

“When they reach a certain number of hours we sell the machines on so there is a significant turnaround, but 100 trucks is an important landmark,” said Debbie.