A business that began in a back bedroom but now employs ten people is celebrating 30 years of successful trading.
M A Hydraulics Ltd imports hydraulic pumps and valves, predominantly from Italy, and supplies them to companies all over the UK. The firm, based at the Ashley Industrial Estate, Exmoor Avenue, Scunthorpe, was first formed in 1994 by Martin Allery, who was originally from Essex.
Duncan Rhoades, who is the operations director at M A Hydraulics, and has been with the business for 17 years, said: “Martin started his own hydraulics business from his spare bedroom in West Butterwick. He knew the industry inside out.”
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In its early years, M A Hydraulics operated primarily as a regional distributor for UK-sourced hydraulic system components. After securing two overseas suppliers, Martin – who passed away in 2014 – took a unit at South Park Industrial Estate and employed a couple of staff.
The business moved to the Ashley Industrial Estate in about 2000, increased the size and scope of the unit and took on more employees. The company has since seen steady growth, doubling its size in 2016 by expanding into another unit, and has evolved into a “well-regarded force” in sourcing and distributing a wide range of mobile and industrial hydraulic pumps, valves and allied components.
M A Hydraulics is now exclusive agent for several European and worldwide manufacturers and competes on a national level with its offering. Duncan said: “You hear everything about the steelworks but there are myriad businesses in Scunthorpe who are quietly getting on and doing their own thing.
“We are a success story, having been going 30 years. We should be shouting it from the rooftops, really.”
Duncan said: “You hear the term just-in-time and a lot of industry runs on that. When, for example, that container vessel got stuck in the Suez Canal and everything ground to a halt, we had stock here so we could continue trading.
(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)
“Brexit has done us no favours but we have to run with it. We are able to cope with it, having managed the stock levels we have over 30 years.”
Duncan said people who joined M A Hydraulics tended not to leave. “We have just had one member of staff retire who is 71 and a lady we have working in accounts is 75. My PA has been here 12 years – no one wants to go!
“I’d say we have the best job in the world. We’re here and doing what we do best.
“I’d love to get some new people into the business. If anyone was to come knocking and say ‘have you got any jobs?’, I’d be happy to speak to anyone.”
Duncan added: “There are other businesses doing well in Scunthorpe too, you just don’t hear about it.”
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Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
