There’s nothing plain about this planing division
There’s nothing plain about this planing division
MACPLANE, is the division of MAC Surfacing that deals with all cold milling/planing requirements.
Whether you're looking to hire planing equipment or use it on a contractual basis, MAC are confident you'll be impressed with their machinery. It's all been made by Wirtgen - the world-renowned German company that has manufactured road construction equipment for over 50 years and have offices worldwide. Wirtgen products are top of the class in terms of construction quality and reliability, and MAC wouldn't use anything else.
MAC Surfacing are members of the Safeplane Federation of Planing Contractors - an independent organisation that represents the interests of all road-planing contractors. This means their Health & Safety standards are independently audited on a regular basis to ensure they comply with the minimum requirements laid down by the FPC.
We spoke to the head of the division, Ian Hitchborne, for a more in depth look at MACPLANE
HI: How many planers are there in the in the division?
IH: "Currently, a range of 15 including 0.35m, 0.5m, 1m, 1.5m and 2m planers.We can supply planers with milling widths of 350mm, 500mm, 1000mm, 1500mm and 2000mm with maximum depths of 110mm, 160mm, 310mm and 320mm.
HI: So, how many jobs/contracts can be serviced at one time?
IH: "This can vary depending on how long each machine needs to be at each job but in theory the planing division could service between 15 and 20 different jobs a day depending on location of works."
HI: How many staff are in the planing division?
IH: "Currently, the division is home to 32 permanent staff, with MAC Surfacing employing upwards of 120 people overall which gives us spare capacity to increase labour levels during the peaks.
HI: What are the divisions main objectives? Both short and long term?
IH: "Our ultimate aim is to become the first call nationwide contractor for road planing services.In the short term, that involves building relationships
with key clients which allow our business to grow and expand. Mid-term, we'll then be working to establish these relationships to enable growth. Long term, we aim to develop key depots to offer a nationwide, "local feel" service to our client."
HI: What do you think makes you unique and the best at what you do for the customer?
IH: "We have extensive experience at surfacing level and understand the demands and needs of a surfacing contractor at all levels, with this in mind, we have developed a division that can react quickly but also adapt to an ever-changing environment.
"We employ some of the best operators in the industry and having MAC Surfacing as the established 'big sister', we have a strong team to support the customer in terms of planning but equally if things occasionally go wrong. Additionally, with our trainer, we can continue to upskill the workforce and develop our offering. So, we never stand still"
HI: How long have you been running MACPLANE?
IH: "Originally, the division was set up in May 2010 and I've seen it through its infancy, and through the significant growth in the last 3 years."
We also asked Marc Copson, MAC Surfacing Director about Ian, his division and what makes him the perfect man to lead. Marc told us:
"Ian really understands our operators as he spent many years working at operator level himself. Job satisfaction is key for any employee and Ian understands how to get the most from his team given his previous experience. He's been great for MACPLANE and MAC Surfacing and is a major asset to our team.
"At MAC Surfacing and within MACPLANE, we work hard to maintain great working relationships across the planing industry. This means that we are able to offer our guarantee that your job will be completed on time, within budget, and to your utmost satisfaction. Ian's attitude, experience and professionalism means we are always extremely confident that we will be delivering the highest level of service to deliver our guarantee."
