Swansea-based plant hire company, GR Plant, celebrated its 35th anniversary this February. 

GR Plant Hire started out in 1989, working on small forestry projects in South Wales. Fast forward 35 years, the business has 19 full-time employees and a stock of around 40 machines.

From Olympic Parks to nuclear power stations, GR Plant has worked on a range of projects across the UK. One of their most recent projects is at Hinkley Point C, where they have specialised in crushing and screening services for the past seven years.

Swansea-born, Gareth Rees, started the company at the age of 22. One of their first projects was constructing footpaths and carrying out land remediation work for the Forestry Commission in South Wales. Since 1989, GR Plant has evolved into a multi-faceted company, specialising in crushing and screening operations for recycling and metal recovery across the UK and beyond.

Ranging from 2 to 72 tonnes, the company’s machine stock includes crushers, screens, excavators, material handlers and other specialist equipment. GR Plant’s largest machine, their Terex Finlay i 140 RS, weighs a massive 72 tonnes and is used for demolition, recycling, mining and quarrying purposes.

In the early 2000’s, the company designed and built south west England’s first mountain bike trail, Ridge Ride, near Exeter. Throughout this project, they worked with renowned designer, Dafydd Davies. Using only mini-diggers, GR Plant also created the Lee Valley Velopark within London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

GR Plant’s Managing Director, Gareth Rees, said:

“After starting out by myself with a single machine, witnessing the company reach 35 years is a huge achievement. My daughter, Anna, is part of the company now, so hopefully GRP gets to celebrate many more milestones in the future.”

The company’s Managing Director, Gareth, has taken GR Plant all over the world to countries including Japan, Korea, Spain and Sweden, working with manufacturers such as Volvo.

To celebrate its 35th anniversary, GR Plant decided to give back to the community, donating £3,500 to Velindre Cancer Centre.

Gareth said:

“Velindre Cancer Centre’s dedication to groundbreaking research and cancer care is incredible, and we are delighted to be able to help them continue their extremely important work”.