FORTH is seeking to fill a gap in the hydraulics market by opening a trade counter to cater for West Cumbria’s fluid power needs.
We have expanded our presence on the Leconfield Industrial Estate by taking leases on two additional buildings, growing our already significant footprint.
And the team has made light work of turning one of them around, with the counter now open to both trade customers and the public.
Forth Managing Director, Graham Cartwright, said: “There are a lot of local businesses operating in the agriculture, manufacturing and heavy industry sectors, where daily activity is dependent on well-maintained machinery.
“Our trade counter offers, in many cases, same-day turnaround for bespoke hose orders, meaning revenue-generating hours lost to machine downtime can be minimised.”
A new role of Hydraulic Engineer was created to facilitate the opening, with Gavin Hudson appointed to the position.
Hydraulic and pneumatic systems are central to the operation of machinery across these sectors, delivering the power and precision required for demanding, high-duty applications.
From plant and processing equipment to agricultural vehicles, even a minor failure in a hose or fitting can bring operations to a halt.
With components under constant pressure and subject to ongoing wear, fast access to replacement parts and specialist support is critical.
By bringing this capability onto the industrial estate, Forth is aiming to give local businesses a reliable, responsive option to keep equipment running and reduce costly disruption.
The counter will focus purely on hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, with a full sales and machinery repair function available.
The second building most recently acquired by Forth will be used, in part, to continue its relationship with the Cleator Moor charity, Goodlives.
A section is being used by the charity for the maintenance of machinery and equipment it uses for its groundworks arm and as part of the life skills and employability classes it delivers to vulnerable and unemployed individuals.
Forth CEO Mark Telford, said: “Unfortunately Goodlives was targeted by a landlord who decided to apply an unreasonable, and significantly above-market-rate increase to one of their buildings. We were happy to step in and provide a section of our new warehouses at a significantly reduced rate, to be used for the essential maintenance of their machinery.”
