West Calder firm has huge crush on new investment

PATON Construction has become the first company in the UK to have an MB BF60 crushing bucket fitted onto a Manitou telehandler.   

The investment has allowed the West Calder-based firm to offer a recycling service to customers on job sites. The bucket enables the company to crush aggregates on site, meaning no haulage, no tippers and no landfill costs.  

This mobile service is offered across Scotland. Owner Aaron Paton explained, “We are crushing predominantly sandstone and whinstone for our customers.  We can crush it down to their desired size, be that 15mm stone or 80mm stone. It’s saving them time and money.”

Paton’s varied customer base includes small landscaping companies who dig up old driveways or paths, and then crush and re-use as Type 1 to lay new driveways using the service. Paton revealed they are helping these customers price jobs more competitively and save money on materials.

The business is also helping farmers to recycle on their farms – be this stone picking in the fields and re-using materials for paths, tracks and gateways, or demolishing and rebuilding outbuildings and barns.

One customer is a small housing company in Edinburgh, which was operating in a restricted space.  With the help of Paton Construction, they crushed the materials from a demolished house in just two-and-a-half days before using the recycled materials to backfill the new house to be built.

Another farmer reportedly saved £20,000 on a renovation project by crushing the material from old walls he had knocked down and re-using it. 

Aaron did his research before offering this service to customers and approached Worsley Plant’s Sean Heron for help. The BF60 has previously been used on larger machines but was fitted to his Manitou telehandler, allowing him to offer the mobile service.

Aaron added, “Investing in the MB bucket has provided me with a new business opportunity. 

“I’m attracting new clients, helping them recycle and save money, be environmentally friendly and helping other small businesses thrive.”