Heavy Haulage, High Growth: Fitzgerald Plant Services are Driving Industry Transformation on The 2022 Wales Fast Growth 50 Index

Fitzgerald Plant Services (FPS) is an established provider of specialist services and sales within both the rail and construction industries. It aims to provide a one-stop shop for all its customers’ requirements. It is also involved in the sales and manufacture of specialist rail vehicles and construction equipment and are specialists in repairs, maintenance, upgrades to RIS-1530-PLT, engineering services, manufacturing, part sales and heavy haulage transport.

88% GROWTH BETWEEN 2019 AND 2021

Origins

FPS was started in 2007 quite literally from the back of a van owned by Chris Fitzgerald. Chris started his apprenticeship aged 17 as a mechanical fitter for Mitsui Babcock in Tipton, West Midlands, working at various power stations and steel plants across the UK during the four-year tenure. After finishing his apprenticeship, he took a job with Select Plant as on-site fitter for projects at the Bullring and GCHQ. When his plant manager from Select moved to Amey Fleet Services, Chris was asked to go with him – this was his first introduction to the rail plant. Following a few years of continually working away from home, Chris took a job with Kobelco dealer Molson’s and moved back to South Wales. After buying his first van, he started building up a client base of local customers, servicing and repairing their plant equipment. Focusing on customer service, the fledgling company quickly started to expand, and Chris secured their first depot in Cwmbran, employing a team of four fitters. Their principal customer was Geith – also located in South Wales – carrying out installations and warranty work throughout the UK. The biggest challenges faced during the first few years were administration, Skilled Work force and cash flow, the later being the byproduct of the first issue, administration. Being an extremely customer focused service company, FPS were very good at carrying out the work but not billing it! As the company started to grow the shortage of skilled fitters and engineers slowed our growth ambitions, a problem the company still has today. However, the company has invested heavily in training and the development of the team.

Success Factor

The main factor in the growth of FPS is customer focus, primarily a service-based company. It aims to deliver and exceed customers’ expectations and takes away their problems by offering solutions meeting their ever-changing needs. The development of the firm’s different divisions has been driven by listening to customers and tailoring services to their needs. FPS diversified into machinery sales of construction equipment when it was appointed the main distributorship for Sany construction equipment and Anaconda quarry equipment. The manufacturing of its own brand of specialised rail equipment has enabled FPS to take on UK wide national contracts.

The Future

FPS has always believed that by delivering the best possible service and experience, the company will achieve its strategic growth ambitions and since its establishment in 2007, the company has seen a good, steady growth in business culminating in significant turnover and profit growth during the last two years. In fact, the management team set out an agenda from the start of 2021 to develop and implement a five-year-strategic-growth plan to increase turnover from £7.5m per annum to £27m per annum. An important part of this will be growth in export markets for its manufactured rail equipment, initially establishing itself in key markets such as Ireland, Australia, Canada and Europe.

In partnership with UBS, the world’s leading global wealth manager, this year, Fast Growth 50 will rank the companies based on turnover growth in eight nations and regions across the UK.