Back to
All Posts
Archives- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- April 2025
- December 2024
- September 2024
- June 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- December 2023
- September 2023
- June 2023
- March 2023
- November 2022
- October 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- August 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- November 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- April 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- April 2019
Why UK Construction Is Turning to Plant Hire in 2026
The UK plant hire market was valued at approximately £3.56 billion in 2025 and has grown by nearly 24% since 2020. More contractors are choosing to hire rather than own, driven by rising costs, tighter emissions rules and unpredictable project pipelines.
That's good news for hire companies. But a bigger fleet in circulation means more machines on site, more hours clocked and more wear. For the fitters, mechanics and buyers keeping that equipment running and supplied, the pressure doesn't let up.
More Machines, More Maintenance
When contractors hire rather than own, the responsibility for keeping equipment serviceable falls squarely on the hire company. Machines go out to site, get worked hard and come back needing attention. Turnaround times are tight. A machine sitting in the yard waiting on a part isn't earning.
Earthmoving and lifting equipment alone accounts for 68% of plant hire value in the UK. Much of that demand is being driven by large-scale infrastructure projects — HS2, The Great Grid Upgrade and the AMP8 water programme. These are long-running contracts with high utilisation rates. The equipment doesn't get much downtime and neither do the people maintaining it.
Newer Equipment, New Parts Demands
The shift towards lower-emission machinery is also changing what fitters are working on. Wacker Neuson are expanding their battery-powered ranges — rammers, vibratory plates and internal vibrators designed for sites with noise or emissions restrictions. Kubota has developed EU Stage V certified engines across their agricultural, construction and OEM equipment ranges.
Cleaner machines are a good thing, but they still wear. Filters, belts, blades, seals and service parts all need replacing on a regular schedule regardless of what's powering the machine.
Keeping a Tight Parts Supply
One of the biggest causes of unnecessary downtime is waiting on parts. Whether it's a common service item or a less familiar component on a machine you've just taken onto the fleet, having a reliable supplier you can order from quickly makes a real difference.
Barbour ABI expects the plant hire market to keep developing through to 2029, supported by demand from construction, infrastructure, utilities and events. For hire companies, that sustained demand makes a dependable parts supply more important than ever.
At L&S Engineers we supply spare parts for a wide range of plant machinery, site tools and workshop equipment — including brands like Wacker, Makita, Stihl and Milwaukee. We're continuously expanding the models and ranges we cover.
We supply both trade and retail customers. If you're managing parts procurement for a hire fleet, we offer trade accounts and can support your ongoing supply needs — not just one-off orders.
