Our History

In 1998, Martin Smithson bought Scott’s Hire from founder Don Scott, who had proudly run the business for more than thirty years from a small holding in Macclesfield. It was a simple set-up, a towable caravan as the office and a single wagon delivering kit to local sites.

From the start, Martin kept the same values that built the business: honest answers, reliable service, and a hands-on approach that customers could depend on. That foundation of trust still shapes how we work today.

By 2001, growth was well underway. Martin acquired D. Buxton Hire Limited, a respected plant hire company operating out of Sandbach. The move doubled Scott’s size and marked the beginning of a new era.

Scott’s relocated to the larger Arclid depot, providing space to expand the fleet, invest in new machinery, and support a growing customer base across Cheshire and the wider North West. The company’s reputation for reliability and straight-talking service quickly spread, setting the platform for continued expansion across the Midlands and beyond.

2002 acquisition of our Brownhills depot in north Birmingham gives us a firm base on the Midlands corridor, improving response times across the West Midlands and pushing our reach further south.

We are still the same Northern business at heart. Straightforward. Service first. Big enough to cope and small enough to care. Directors and site managers trust us because we do the basics well and keep our word. And we are moving again. The acquisition of our most southern depot in north London will be announced soon, extending coverage around the M25 and into the Home Counties while keeping the values that built Scott’s.

In 2008 Martin & his son Josh developed the DigaDoc safety trailer for mini excavators, a patented design that secures the machine without straps and uses a staircase bed for safer loading. DigaDoc won industry recognition including the UK Energy Innovation Award in 2014 and later licensed production with Brian James Trailers. It is now widely adopted across the utility sector.

Identifying a need from our customer base for a reliable and fast-acting vehicle hire company, we founded the new division. Initially, we predominantly supplied transit vans (complete with DigaDoc and excavator packages on the back) to utilities companies across the North West.

The division has grown over the years to offer a wide variety of vehicles, from electric cars to welfare vans, pickup trucks, and various high-spec commercial vans of varying sizes. To date, the fleet has over 250 vehicles at any one time, with CAPEX for 100 additional vehicles every year. Quality and age profile remain paramount to the company, with all vehicles under three years old.

A significant milestone from our humble beginnings, becoming a preferred plant supplier for one of the largest construction companies in the UK. This was a testament to all the hard work put in by our team and the high level of service that translates directly to our customers.

Amey were pleased with our responsiveness and innovative solutions as a supplier and wished to expand the relationship. To this day, Amey remains a key client of ours, serving their contracts the length and breadth of the country. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue working with Amey as they transitioned from HSS to Speedy as their managing partner.

Our largest investment to date. With improvements across various preferred machinery manufacturers, we set out to overhaul the entire fleet, placing huge orders with JCB, Manitou, Komatsu, Thwaites, and many more.

Customers were very receptive to our commitment to market-leading brands, especially at a time when many hire firms were switching to untested manufacturers for cost savings.

This huge fleet investment put pressure on the team to deliver increased utilisation across the board — a challenge they accepted — and we achieved an overall utilisation rate of 81% for the year, our highest ever.

Availability of both machinery and parts reduced tremendously, and price inflation in the proceeding years saw costs to the business rise to levels never seen before.

The company was able to call on long-standing relationships with its supply chain to ensure new machines still entered the business. A relatively low leverage across assets enabled us to weather the storm until normality began to resume.

The rise of towable welfare units was quickly being picked up by our industry partners, and they soon became a common request through the hire desk.

We partnered with Boss Cabins and, since 2023, have purchased over 40 units of various sizes and invested in a dedicated welfare service vehicle to ensure all our units are site-ready and prepared for long hires.

With further orders in the pipeline and demand not slowing for this product, we’re excited to watch this division grow.

A range that has evolved and expanded to continually meet our customers’ needs, always backed by a responsive and fast-acting service department.

A family business at its core — set up from a caravan — has grown into a strong regional player. With a new Southern Depot opening in January 2026, we’re setting the path for the next phase of development for both the business and its people.

Scott’s continues to go from strength to strength. Our fleet now spans thousands of machines across every major hire category, from compact plant to specialist vehicles, supported by an ever-growing team of skilled engineers, drivers, and hire professionals.

This growth has been built the Scott’s way steady, proven, and driven by long-term relationships with customers who trust us to deliver, every time. We’ve invested in modern systems, sustainable fleet options, and the right people in every depot to keep our service personal.

With our North London depot set to open in January 2026, Scott’s will strengthen its coverage across the South East, continuing to provide the dependable, straight-talking service we’re known for
“big enough to cope, small enough to care.”