HATHER HITCHES UP WITH HILL ENGINEERING
by John Lines on August 22, 2011 | Leave a comment
DESPITE the current economic climate, family-run Hather Plant Hire is investing £400,000 in Hill Engineering’s innovative Tefra quick couplers for its fleet of new excavators as it continues to develop the 31year-old business.
The Rotherham-based business operates across Yorkshire, working closely with the construction industry, utility companies and major earthwork developments.
Over the next 12 months Hather will replace the existing couplers across its fleet and will also specify Tefra for the 25 new JCB and Komatsu 6tonne to 45tonne machines it will be purchasing this year.
Gary Hather, managing director of Hather Plant Hire said: “We have had a good relationship with Hill Engineering for the last 20 years and they have always been at the forefront of developing innovative engineering solutions.
“I believe that the Tefra is the best coupler on the currently on the market and that for safety this is the way forward. It is regarded as the single most significant progression in coupler safety over the last ten years.
“It is important for Hather to continue to invest in the equipment we operate and we want to be able to have machines with innovative technology that puts us ahead of our competitors.”
Developed by County Down-based Hill Engineering, the Tefra is a fully automatic, twin locking pin grabber coupler, with a patented and unique secondary locking system, the Hill APS. Together, the unique primary and secondary locking systems act continually to ensure that the attachment cannot be released accidentally. A further unique feature, the Hill Smart Valve, ensures that the coupler must always be in a safe and visible position before the operating process can be commenced.
Ian Hill, managing director of Hill Engineering said: “Hather is a plant hire company that continues to go from strength-to-strength, despite the economic downturn and we’re delighted to be working with them to bring their fleet up to the high standards clients expect in the construction industry.”
With an uncompromising commitment to safety, Hill is a recognised forerunner in industry compliance, and has worked closely with Hather to ensure each machine operative is fully trained to use the Tefra hitch.
Gary adds: “Hill Engineering have been a pleasure to work with and it gives peace of mind to know that we’re investing in machinery that will meet all safety standards and legislation being introduced in the coming years.”
Always follow the full attachment procedure!
by John Lines on November 3, 2011 | Leave a comment
The dangers of failing to follow procedures……
Recently, one of the Hill technical engineers was called out to inspect a machine and quick coupler which had been involved in an incident where a worker was injured when he was struck by a bucket which separated from the coupler. No fault was found during the inspection which could have caused the separation, with both the machine and the coupler working correctly.
Unusually however there was CCTV footage of the incident and this appears to show the driver moving the bucket from within the appointed attachment changing area without following the full locking procedure and testing the security of the attachment to the coupler with the ‘shake, rattle and roll’ method. For most contractors the testing procedure following the attachment change is compulsory. Most sites insist on a protected enclosed area where attachments are stored and changed to protect other operatives. Even if only moving an attachment a few metres operators should ensure that attachments are correctly connected before moving from the appointed attachment changing area.
The Health and Safety Manager for the company involved made the following comment “Thanks to Hill’s quick response we were able to eliminate a mechanical or hydraulic problem with the machine or hitch as a problem. Viewing the CCTV footage of the incident, it does appear that the hitch was being used without a bucket being fully locked in place and that the correct attachment procedure was not completed before the bucket was moved outside of the changing area. However our investigation continues.”
If is determined that the failure to complete the full attachment procedure is the cause of the incident, this accident will become another statistic where the injury caused could have been avoided had all the correct procedures been followed.
Hill system gains accreditation to ISO 14001
by John Lines on August 8, 2011 | Leave a comment
We are pleased to announce that our Environmental management system is now accredited to the International standard ISO14001. Our Quality, Safety and Environmental team, headed up by Pearl Campbell, have worked with our advisors not only to ensure that our system can be accredited but also that it is capable of further development in future. This is in line with our approach to continous improvement, our customers expectations and our impact on the local enviroment in which we operate. It is also consistent with our aim to remain leaders in attachment safety, not only in terms of our products but also in our behaviour as a supplier.
TEFRA Upgrade scheme now launched
by John Lines on May 3, 2011 | Leave a comment
For a limited period, we are offering all Tefra models with a generous trade in allowance, so that users of semi-automatic and non twin locking couplers can gain the benefits of using Tefra – the safest coupler now available.
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Please go to the Contact Us page and call your local Sales Manager for more details and take the opportunity to get Tefra into your fleet.
Sarah Hall to work with Hill
by John Lines on March 10, 2011 | Leave a comment
Sarah Hall, the highly respected PR consultant from the North East, has agreed to work on projects to promote the activities of Hill and the development of the market for our new TEFRA coupler.
She will be working closely with John Lines, Sales and Marketing Director over the next few months as we increase our market activity and develop our profile. Sarah said “I am looking forward to working with Hill on this exciting opportunity”.
WD Lewis choose Tefra
by John Lines on March 3, 2011 | Leave a comment
WD Lewis, a well respected contractor based in South Wales recently chose TEFRA for their fleet replacement programme.
Our product was tested alongside other well known makes of coupler and after extensive testing, was the preferred choice of both machine operators and management.
16 units have now been installed and delivered for work on major projects in the Region.
Lynch Plant continue to specify Hill couplers
by John Lines on February 25, 2011 | Leave a comment
Lynch Plant Hire, the major London based rental specialist, have once again confirmed their commitment to Hill, by specifying the new TEFRA coupler on a major new order for Volvo excavators.
This customer made a significant investment in Hill couplers over 2 years ago and has continued this policy whenever new machines have been purchased. Our involvement includes not only supply of products, but also parts and service back up and importantly, full training for both operators and management.
Machines for the Lynch fleet are deployed on some of the largest and most prestigious construction projects in the UK and we are delighted to be involved with this customer.
Orders increasing at Newry
by John Lines on February 16, 2011 | Leave a comment
Our plant in Newry has seen an unprecedented increase in orders, following the launch of our new TEFRA coupler. In fact, we are now recruiting new production staff to cope.
They are being deployed to help ensure that our lead times do not increase significantly and to increase production of our TITAN bucket range, another innovative product from Hill.
Sales Area re-organisation
by John Lines on February 10, 2011 | Leave a comment
To demonstrate our commitment to our customers and ensure that we can fully meet their needs, we have just re-organised our sales activities into the Regions, to cover the UK and Ireland.
Respected industry sales professional Lee Palmer has recently joined us as Sales Manager too. Talking about our Tefra coupler range, he said “I am really excited about this product – it has some exceptional new safety features and when presenting it to new customers, they quickly realise the advantages it offers”.
Please see our contact page to find out how to get in touch with a member of the sales team.
Hill Engineering are on You Tube
by John Lines on August 23, 2009 | Leave a comment
We have recently set up a channel on You Tube to bring our customers more information about the company and our products. We have a video which introduces Hill Engineering and tells you a little about our history and where we are now, with a focus on safety.
We also have a video showing the operation of the Auto-Loc-3 Hitch with instructions on how to attach and release an attachment using the Auto-Loc-3 Hitch.
