by Nick Drew | Tue 13 Sep 2016
The Cream of Cornwall
Continuing with our series bringing articles which I have previously written for Earthmovers Magazine, with different photographs to life on the internet, with this story on Cornish company Wagner Plant.
Tony Wagner spent much of his formative years living next door to an arable farm in Cornwall. This meant he would often spend many hours watching the various pieces of farm machinery in action out in the fields and dreamt of one day getting behind the controls of the giant machines. It will come as no surprise then to find out that the machinery mad youngster took a Saturday job on the farm, which he continued with until he left school.
Upon leaving school Tony went down the apprenticeship route, spending the first year as an apprentice heavy goods fitter, but the lure of the big tractors and the agricultural game proved too strong and Tony moved on to work for some large agricultural contractors in the area.
However, like most of us, Tony was also very passionate about diggers and when a job opportunity arose to operate a backhoe loader he grabbed it with both hands. Tony joined Liskeard based Ian Stanton Plant Hire, operating a Case 590SR backhoe loader, 1 of 2 models that he operated for that firm over the next 3 years, working on a number of high profile jobs in the South West, including the A30 improvement works, Dobwalls Bypass and Whitleigh School in Plymouth, which is where I first met Tony as I was working on that site too.
In January 2008 the ambitious Tony decided to go working on a self-employed basis, primarily as a driver hire business or by hiring in a machine to operate for a customer as and when needed. Tony soon discovered he was hiring in backhoes all the time, so took the decision to look for a decent machine of his own. Tony had had a long hankering for a Volvo machine and set about finding himself a good second hand BL71. He quickly tracked down a 55 plate example from a company in Tewksbury, which was a bit special as it was the first servo control machine that was sold into the UK market. In addition it had a quick release front bucket and fork carriage. This first machine was the catalyst for Wagner Plant Ltd as we see it today.
Good operators are the life blood of any plant hire and contracting business and Tony has attracted some of the best in the business in the South West, with what is an exciting blend of youth and experience. The company has approximately 15-20 operators on at any one time, with 15 of them being full time employees, ranging in ages from 20 to 60+!
Talking about his team of operators Tony said, “We like to bring on young enthusiastic operators, especially those from farming back grounds who have a good knowledge of hydraulics and how machinery works. We also feel it’s incredibly important that we give the young guys a chance as there is always a massive shortage of skilled operators, which is only set to get worse if we don’t invest in young operators”.
Tony continued, “We also undertake some of our own work as well meaning that some of the younger drivers can gain valuable on-site experience, which the CPCS system doesn't really allow to happen anymore. As we all know it’s incredibly hard to gain experience if you are not allowed “a go” on site”.
Operator Neil Walker, who is currently operating a Cat 308E CR 8 tonne class machine, has been with the firm virtually from day one. Local lad Ryan Stallard is another keen plant man who was the companies first fully employed operator and he was later joined by the highly experienced Graham “Tini” Centini, who we featured in the August 2014 edition of Earthmovers. At the other end of the scale the company has operators like “Jed” Roger Eastwood, who is now in his 60’s and has operated backhoe loaders for most of his working life.
Jed is currently operating one of two BL71’s on the Wagner fleet and describes it as one of the best machines he has operated. The one common feeling I got from talking to Wagner Plant operators was that they are all dedicated machinery men who are passionate about what they do and that it’s more of a way of life than a job, with the camaraderie, craic and most importantly the professionalism being second to none.
Having gone for a Volvo for his first machine it comes as no surprise that the Wagner fleet today is dominated by the Swedish manufacturers machines, with no less than 12 examples working on sites right across Devon and Cornwall for a number of high profile customers that they work for. Talking about his loyalty to the brand Tony said, “I’m a massive Volvo fan, I love the product, not only are they reliable, but they are well built and the attention to detail that they put into the machine design is beyond compare. In my opinion the dumptrucks are without a doubt the best on the market, we are currently running 3 very well maintained A25D’s and even though they are old models with between 11,000 -16,000 hours on the meter they are still very capable of putting in a good shift”.
“The back-up we receive from Volvo is second to none and I have a great working relationship with our regional salesman Richard Shelbourne, he’s a great guy who is very helpful and not pushy like some other salesmen out there, I see it as more of a friendship than a business relationship, which is great”.
Like so many these days, Tony and his operators are big fans of attachments, talking about them Tony said, “I love attachments, in fact anything that makes life easier for the operators and allows the job to be done quicker and more profitable for our customers can only be a good thing, we also feel we get more repeat business thanks to our range of attachments. I am also keen to move forward with GPS machine control systems in the future, with my partner Sam’s engineering knowledge, it could be very interesting”.
One machine on the fleet that is amassing a comprehensive range of attachments is the Volvo EW140D, which is now operated by Graham “Tini” Centini, who took on the new machine following a spell back on the backhoe loaders. This machine has recently been fitted with a Rototilt R4 tilt-rotator, which has certainly impressed and turned a few heads with the customer they are working for. Graham said, “Tilt rotators, especially in my job on the duck are a game changer, I spend less time moving around I can sit in a single carriage way doing drainage and not have to slew the counterweight out into traffic using the live lane, I'm currently doing stone drainage on a 6 mile stretch of road it's certainly won the agent over and should win us more work in the future!”
In addition to the tilt-rotator, the machine also has a trailer and a set of forks in the true Scandinavian style that many UK duck owners are now adopting and a grading beam is definitely on the wanted list. The machine is working the “night shift” and is proving to be an invaluable addition to the Wagner Plant Hire fleet.
The most recent addition to the Wagner Plant Hire fleet is a new Volvo EC220E, which we got hands on with for a recent edition of Earthmovers Magazine.
The current range of Volvo machines on the fleet includes 2 x BL71B’s, 2 x EC140D’s, 1 x EC220D, 1 x EW140D, 1 x EC140E, 1 x 220E, 3 x A25D’s and 1 x EC25D. Machines from the Caterpillar stable include 1 x 308E CR, 1 x 312E and 1 x D6M. Supporting these machines are a New Holland T7040 tractor, Barford 10 tonne dumper and other attachments including hammers, planners and hydraulic compactors.
Like most successful business men, there is often an even more important woman behind the scenes driving things on and Wagner Plant hire is no different. Tony’s partner Samantha Lane, has a degree in civil engineering and has worked in the industry for a number of years, she has recently given up the engineering work and is working with Tony to focus on pushing the business forward, doing pricing of work, invoices and wages. Sam has also recently acquired her street works supervisor and CPC transport manager’s qualifications, which will allow them to move into the transport industry, with a view to buying their own low loader to transport their own machinery around at their convenience. Tony has had great support from his close family and friends in Cornwall and even his young 2 year old daughter Ella is mad about the diggers!
At just 29 years old Tony Wagner has built a great business in a relatively short space of time, with good local knowledge and connections Tony has shown just what can be achieved with the right attitude and approach to the job with a focus on providing a top class service to their customers.