The Wheeler family that owns Buckingham Plant Hire is getting out of heavy machinery and focusing instead on light plant services offered by the Ace Plant business they acquired in 2016.
The decision follows the demise of Buckingham Group Contracting, the plant hire company’s biggest customer.
Buckingham Plant Hire’s fleet of 72 heavy Volvo and Caterpillar machines will go under the hammer next month.
Latest accounts for Buckingham Plant Hire, published in September 2024, show a pre-tax profit of £1.1m in 2023 on turnover of £22.4m. Its fortunes began to plummet in September 2023 when sister company Buckingham Group Contracting went into administration. Buckingham Group Contracting had also previously been owned by Paul Wheeler until he sold it to an employee ownership trust in 2021, but it continued to hire machinery from Buckingham Plant Hire to the tune of £2m a year. When the contracting company went under, the plant hire business was left with more than £1.8m of unpaid invoices.
“The impact of the financial implications of the collapse of our primary customer for heavy plant services presented a whole range of existential issues which the directors of BPHL had to confront and deal with as a matter of urgency. Not least of which was the inevitable downsizing of the heavy plant business,” Paul Wheeler wrote in Buckingham Plant’s 2023 annual report.
The decision to step away from heavy plant activities coincides with the retirement of Paul Wheeler, who has served as Buckingham’s managing director since 1975.
Reflecting on his career in plant, he said: “Our concept was the delivery of a fully inclusive service to our customers, backed up with a rigorous regime of diligent maintenance, devised to keep our equipment in first-class condition. I’m proud of everything we achieved over the years and immensely grateful for the commitment and dedication we’ve had from so many colleagues who have supported the company and its ethos since those early beginnings.
“Stepping away from our traditional roots in heavy plant has been a difficult decision, as it truly represents the end of an era. However, realistically, the UK heavy plant sector is going through a period of radical transition, and it’s time to hand over to the next generation. The decision to retire the heavy fleet is part of a longer-term business strategy designed to embrace a sustainable future.”
Buckingham’s directors have commissioned Euro Auctions to conduct a single-sourced dispersal sale of its entire heavy plant fleet at its Silverstone Road headquarters, next door to the Silverstone Racing Circuit, on 27th February 2025.
Ace Plant was established in 1973 and acquired by Buckingham Plant Hire in 2016. Operating as a regional light plant specialist, the business became part of Buckingham’s Consolidated Plant Group in 2017 and moved into purpose-built facilities on Silverstone Road in 2021. Ace Plant focuses on smaller machinery, bowsers and lighting towers, much of it lithium battery powered.
George Wheeler leads the third generation’s involvement in the business as operations director of ACE Plant. He said: “By retiring our heavy plant fleet and focusing our resources on Ace Plant’s sustainable lithium-powered range, we’re taking a decisive step towards supporting the UK’s net zero goals. It’s an exciting journey to be on.
“The shift towards sustainable plant operations is not just necessary—it’s inevitable. Our investment strategy demonstrates our commitment to change, ensuring that we operate responsibly while helping to shape the industry’s future. As the utilisation of diesel-powered equipment declines, we’re looking forward to being at the forefront of this vital transformation.”
David Betts of Euro Auctions, who is overseeing the inventory sale, said: “We anticipate substantial interest in the impressive range of machines on offer.”
The catalogue includes the following Volvo and Caterpillar models:
- 2 x Volvo EC 480 EL (2020 plates)
- 3 x Volvo EC 350ELH (2020 & 2023 plates)
- 1 x Volvo EC 300 EL (2020 plate)
- 20 x Volvo A 30 G (2022 plates)
- 2 x Volvo A 25 G (2017 plates)
- 2 x Volvo L150H (2022 plates)
- 3 x Volvo L120H (2017 / 2018 / 2019 plates)
- 1 x Volvo L110H (2017 plate)
- 2 x Volvo L90H (2017 / 2018 plates)
- 6 x Volvo L70H LB (2014 / 2018 / 2019 plates)
- 2 x Cat 352 FLME (2023 & 2020 plates)
- 9 x Cat 320 HSR 2D (2020 & 2021 plates)
- 4 x Cat D6T LGP-R (2020 plates)
- 3 x Cat D6T LGP (2020 plates)
- 2 x Cat D6T LGP-R (2020 plates)
- 2 x Cat D5LGP-VPAT (2021 plates)
- 3 x Cat CS 78 B (2020 / 2022 plates)
- 3 x Cat CS 74 B (2020 / 2022 plates)
This unreserved one-day sale will take place on 27th February 2025 at Blackpit Farm, Silverstone Road, Stowe, Buckinghamshire MK18 5LJ.
