Finning helps ASHBROOK to mark 25th anniversary with custom Cat® machine

Plant hire specialist ASHBROOK has taken delivery of a custom-finished silver Cat® 308 to mark the company’s 25th anniversary, while also raising money for charity.

Backed by a fund-raiser for Cancer Research, the excavator has been finished in silver by Finning to mark the milestone year. It will be adorned by the logos of suppliers who have donated a set amount to support the charity.

The silver anniversary machine is the 1400th Cat machine that ASHBROOK has bought from Finning during its long-standing relationship. The next generation Cat 308 has had its trademark yellow replaced with a one-off silver vinyl wrap to create the stand-out excavator.

Despite its celebratory appearance, the Cat 308 will become an integrated part of ASHBROOK’s hire fleet, which caters for plant, access and agricultural equipment hire, alongside groundworks and transport. As well as hiring machinery across a wide range of industries, ASHBROOK meets the needs of a wide range of business customers − from large multinationals to individual one-off machine hire.

The 25-year history of ASHBROOK has seen a remarkable success story that began with James Ashbrook owning and operating one tractor before growing the business to become one of the leading plant hire firms in the country.

Through its partnership with Finning, ASHBROOK has seen several industry firsts − taking delivery of the UK’s first Cat 320 SLR, a 20t next generation super long reach excavator. As well as the first next generation Cat 315 GC and the first Cat next generation 305 CR. In addition to supplying ASHBROOK with Cat machinery, Finning has two dedicated engineers to service the fleet − and offers support across the country when needed.

James Ashbrook, Managing Director of ASHBROOK, headed to Cannock to collect the machine in person, he said: “We wanted to do some good as part of our 25th anniversary. Nearly everybody has been touched by cancer at some point and anything we can do to support or raise awareness is good. The idea is that our suppliers sponsor a logo on the machine with all the money going directly to the charity − and hopefully we will continue to add these throughout our anniversary year.

“The silver Cat 308 looks fantastic and will provide a lasting memory of the company’s success − and will no doubt be a talking point for our customers. Finning has been a great support to the company as it has grown, helping us to be at the forefront of new developments, including taking delivery of some of the first new generation machines - and of course they have stepped up to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary in style!”

Finning Account Manager Neil Baxter added: “We’ve been working with ASHBROOK since 2009, and as the account manager I’ve got to know James well. It is a pleasure to work with them and has been great to see how the company has grown so significantly − even today James still likes getting out on the machines and has that enjoyment of the industry. We delivered the 1000th Cat machine in 2019, and now this will be the 1400th, which is interesting in itself as Ashbrook were involved in the trial of the next generation 308.

“With more than 500 Cat machines in the ASHBROOK fleet, every machine has a service contract to ensure that the machines always work at optimal levels while many also use the latest software and telematics systems that Finning offers to maximise productivity and efficiency. This allows their customers to get the most out of their hire vehicles.”

James added: “We’re really looking forward to seeing the 308 out and about, in action, with our customers. Not only providing them with the benefits of next generation technology but also raising awareness and funds for Cancer Research. We have added QR codes onto the cab which takes users directly to the just giving page and the Cancer Research website should they need any support or information.”