2023: ANOTHER RECORD YEAR FOR HARSH

31 January 2024

ANOTHER RECORD YEAR FOR HARSH WITH NEW PETERBOROUGH DEPOT LEADING THE WAY

With sales significantly up across all product sectors, HARSH UK had another record year in 2023, with the company’s new southern depot in Peterborough leading the way by exceeding all expectations in its first 12 months of trading.

“For many of our customers, there’s simply no substitute for HARSH actually having a locally based full – service facility” says depot manager Matt Bryant. “Our workshop has been fully occupied since our third week” he adds, “and since then we’ve never looked back. Customers come to us, and we go to them – so all the time we are building ever stronger relationships. Really, it’s all about working with people 1 to 1.”

Of particular importance to HARSH Peterborough is the high number of 44t artic tippers in the region (many working in agriculture), resulting in an almost constant supply of new and used tractor units requiring wet kits.

“Tractor kits are now a major part of our business” says Harry Hustler, HARSH Business Development Manager for southern England. “Although generally similar in layout, we can nonetheless optimise our installations for working with any type of trailer, whether a standard bulk tipper, a walking floor, an ejector or even a liquids tanker. We offer every customer a bespoke service built around our proven knowledge and expertise, top quality components and a fast turn-around. 

Particularly for chassis dealers wanting to get new trucks quickly on the road, that’s exactly the package they want.”

Peterborough’s parts and service activities have also grown rapidly too, whilst also offering the supply and fit of additional chassis equipment such as full width catwalks, toolboxes and lightbars. As a result, extra staff have been taken on with the company also adding two new Service vans during the year.

Looking to HARSH’s traditional business heartland in the industrial north, similar growth has also been made with a particular emphasis on the company’s tipping gears, skiploader and hookloader products.

Across the whole company, stabilised tipping gear sales are up 50%, wet kits up 60%, skips and hooks up 15%, sheets up 8% as well as Parts and Service revenues up 30%.

As an added bonus from HARSH’s latest product line, another £3m worth of RASCO’s innovative Lynx road sweepers have also been sold, including the first units for Bradford Metropolitan Council.

“As with almost everything in our industry, lead-times for either truck chassis, bodywork or components have been prolonged, which has obviously restrained what we can physically get out of the door” says HARSH managing director Adam Hargreaves. “However, the situation is steadily improving and we continue to streamline our supply and workshop activities as much as possible to meet our ever increasing customer demand.

Despite the difficulties, 2023 was our best year ever, and we’ve also managed to increase our headcount to over 40 employees over the year. With an ever expanding customer base, our prospects for 2024 look every bit as promising.”