ON THE GROUND
T
he fluctuating economic climate in
South Africa and beyond has seen
the region’s equipment market
having to make significant changes to
the way in which it operates, including an
increased focus on maintenance of existing
equipment, and choosing plant hire over
purchase. One of the companies that is
taking advantage of this shift in the market
is QuickSilva Burcon Plant Hire.
Established 25 years ago in Blackheath
Industria in the Western Cape, Burcon
Plant Hire, as the company was
previously known, was acquired by
the QuickSilva group of companies in
March last year. “We heard that the
company was for sale and after extensive
research and due diligence, we d ecided
to purchase. At that stage, the company
ran 23 units — mainly backhoe loaders
with one excavator — and had a staff
complement of 29 people,” said Joao
da Silva, shareholder and director of
QuickSilva Burcon Plant Hire.
For the quarter of a century since its
inception, Burcon Plant Hire had specialised
in providing medium- and heavy-duty
plant equipment for the Western Cape’s
construction industry. When the QuickSilva
Group acquired the company, it decided
to use its experience in and knowledge
of southern Africa’s construction, mining,
building, and steel industries as the basis
for its expansion strategy, which included
expanding its entire fleet and limiting cross-
hire to about 25% of its machines.
“Our vision is to invest in businesses
that excel through creating and maintaining
value-added relationships with our
customers, our suppliers, our people,
and our communities within which we
operate, and to create tangible value for our
shareholders,” says Da Silva. “By choosing
us as a plant hire partner, our customers
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