Discover how Potter Plant Hire grew its operations from a single excavator to a national fleet
Based in the North of England with multiple depots, Potter Plant Hire (Potter Plant) can efficiently serve the entire country with its fleet of machines and network of skilled operators. The fleet spans tracked and wheeled excavators, dump trucks, rollers, motor graders, tractors, skid steers and dozers, all available with the option of automated machine control. Giles Potter, Managing Director, takes us through the journey from its early days to where the business stands today.
“I started the business in 1994 with just one CAT traxcavator and the simple aim of providing good equipment and reliable service to customers. Originally, our work was more agricultural than construction. From there, the business grew steadily, largely through building long-term relationships with customers and expanding alongside the projects we were involved in. One of our earliest partnerships was with Lumsden and Carroll, and as the years went on, we began supplying increasingly larger infrastructure schemes. We supplied plant to Alfred McAlpine on the Dishforth to Darrington A1(M) upgrade in the early 2000s and then later to Carillion Morgan Est on the A1 Dishforth to Leeming with up to 50 machines. By the time the Leeming to Barton scheme started, we had over 100 machines and operators working on the project. That was a major motorway contract right on our doorstep, and it gave us a real opportunity to invest in the business and demonstrate what we could do. We then followed that with the Aberdeen bypass around 2016, which was an important step for us as it showed that we could deliver at scale right across the country, not just in the North,” he begins.
Today, Potter Plant has grown from that single machine to a fleet of over 900, operating nationally and offering both operated and self-drive plant. At the same time, the company continues to invest heavily in modern machinery, technology, and telematics. While the scale of the business has changed considerably since inception, the principle behind it has remained the same: providing quality equipment, good people, and a dependable service, and building long-term relationships with both customers and staff.
Maintaining those relationships is key to Potter Plant, and this commitment extends to its supply chain as much as to its clients. Throughout its journey, the company has formed several strategic partnerships with leading machinery manufacturers, including longstanding relationships with Hitachi, Finning, CJ Leonard, Hydrema and Bell, that are crucial to the business. “When you are continually investing in your fleet at the scale we are, having those strong relationships with manufacturers is essential,” Giles emphasises. “Some of those go back a long way. For instance, the first machine I ever bought came from CJ Leonard’s at Guisborough, and we still buy used and new machines from them today, which also supports a great family business. What matters is that our goals are aligned. We are all working towards greater efficiency, improved safety, and more sustainable ways of operating, and we are seeing significant development in greener energy solutions, including electric and hydrogen-powered equipment. Close manufacturer relationships allow us to better engage with new technology as it develops and understand where it can be practically introduced into our fleet. In 2025, we invested around £19.5 million in plant and machinery, purchasing 268 new machines. Our investment for 2026 is just over £20 million across a further 231 machines. This level of investment is not simply about growing the fleet; a major part of it is continual fleet renewal. We want to remain at the forefront of the industry and ensure our customers always have access to modern, efficient, and highly specified equipment.”
Investing in people
In addition to investment in machinery, developing people has always been a cornerstone of how Potter Plant has grown, especially amid the current talent shortages in the industry. The business started with just Giles and one machine, but as it expanded, the company brought talented people in, gave them real opportunities, and grew alongside them. That culture of development has resulted in an impressive degree of loyalty and longevity. “We are very proud that a number of the people who were with us in the early years are still with us today. Several of our employees have been here for more than ten years and some of our drivers are now approaching over 20 years of service, so we have a strong level of long service across the company. For us, retaining that experience is just as important as attracting new talent.
“Simultaneously, we are always exploring ways to bring the next generation into the industry. We have built a close relationship with the local secondary school near our Thirsk depot, attend careers fairs and regularly welcome students for work experience weeks. In several cases, the young people joining us have stayed on to build a career with us. Our apprentice Callum is a great example. He first came to us on school work experience, then started working Saturdays cleaning cabs and helping around the yard, and now he is completing his apprenticeship with us. Codey has had a similar journey; he started with us at just 15, working weekends and school holidays, and has since developed into a specialist role where he is responsible for machine control across our operations. Becky and Stephen are examples of employees we have supported through their HGV licences, who are now delivering and collecting plant nationwide. And we have brought many new entrants into the industry by putting people through their ADT tickets and continuing to invest in them to gain additional plant categories and broaden their skills,” Giles elaborates.
Organic growth
Wherever possible, Potter Plant also recruits locally around the major projects it supports. At the ongoing NZT Power project at Teesside, the company has created around 70 local jobs while investing in training and upskilling people from the area. The aim is always for projects to leave something meaningful behind in local communities, beyond the construction itself. Moreover, the company is proud of the growing number of women across its team who are working as machine operators, HGV drivers and in office and management roles. This represents a deliberate effort to shift the traditionally male-dominated makeup of the industry.
Over the next five years, Potter Plant aims to keep strengthening its national presence. Having already expanded beyond its main Thirsk depot with locations in Leeds and Newcastle, the company is now developing a new facility expected to become operational in early 2027. “As our fleet and customer base continue to grow, we will keep assessing where further investment can improve the service and coverage we provide across the country. We will also continue investing heavily in our fleet, ensuring we have the right equipment for the future by incorporating the latest technology, machine control and telematics, whilst also looking at how we can reduce the environmental impact of our operations. We will work closely with manufacturers and customers to understand where electric and lower-emission equipment can be introduced effectively. For us, sustainability has to work alongside safety, productivity, and the practical demands of the job, so we will keep trialling and investing in new solutions as the technology develops. Ultimately, we want to keep growing, but then never at the expense of the service and relationships that got us here in the first place,” Giles ends.
With nearly £40 million invested in machinery across two years, a growing electric fleet and a workforce built from the ground up, Potter Plant is well-prepared for its next chapter of growth.
