Dig In Deep

What happens when you ask three people from the construction and plant hire industry the questions everyone thinks about — but nobody normally asks?In this episode of Dig In Deep, Mark Kennedy, Mark Scutt and Liam Moore tackle questions with real answers and no filterWhat’s the biggest load of rubbish you’ve ever heard someone say in plant hire? Which customers give you the biggest headache? Which machines are overrated? What’s the biggest waste of money in the industry? And what do people in construction pretend to understand when, actually, they haven’t got a clue?We also get into the serious stuff: business mistakes, deals we should have walked away from, industry myths, red flags, advice we ignored, generational differences and what we’d do if we had to start all over again with just £50,000.Plus, we ask the dangerous ones…**What have you never admitted on the podcast before?**And if you could ask the other presenters one question — and they **had to answer honestly** — what would it be?Expect strong opinions, disagreements, stories from years in the industry, plenty of laughs and probably a few things that really shouldn’t have been said.🎙️ Dig In Deep — real people, real stories and real opinions from construction, plant hire and the people who work in it.Topics: Plant Hire | Construction | Heavy Equipment | Business | Construction Industry | Plant Machinery | Hire Industry | Leadership | Customers | Operators | Construction Stories | Industry Opinions#DigInDeep #PlantHire #Construction #HeavyEquipment #ConstructionIndustry #PlantMachinery #BusinessPodcast #PlantHireIndustry #ConstructionPodcast

SELF DRIVE OR OPERATED? Which really makes more sense in plant hire? 🚜**This week on the **Dig In Deep Podcast, Mark Kennedy hosts the debate around one of the biggest decisions in plant and equipment hire — self-drive vs operated hireOn the surface, it sounds simple. Send the machine out on self-drive and let the customer provide the operator, or supply your own experienced operator and charge accordingly.But which model actually works best when you dig into the numbers?Mark Kennedy, Mark Scutt and Liam Moore get into the real-world arguments around *plant hire profitability, utilisation, operator costs, productivity, machine damage, responsibility, customer relationships and the growing shortage of skilled plant operators.We ask:🚜 Does self-drive actually produce a better return on the machine?👷 Is a great operator worth more than having the latest equipment?💷 Does the extra revenue from operated hire really become extra profit?🔧 Who looks after the machine better — your operator or the customer's?⚠️ Who carries the responsibility when something goes wrong on site?📈 Can an operator actually become one of a hire company's best salespeople?👷‍♂️ Are we short of operators — or just short of good** operators?🤖 And with machine control, automation and remote operation developing quickly, will every machine even need someone sitting in the cab in the future?Then we put Mark and Liam on the spot: if it was their own money and they were starting a plant hire company tomorrow, would they build a self-drive or operated fleet?If you work in plant hire, construction, equipment rental, earthmoving, demolition, civil engineering or heavy equipment, we want to hear your experience.👇 SELF DRIVE OR OPERATED — which would you choose and why?Subscribe to **Dig In Deep** for straight-talking conversations about plant hire, construction, business and the people behind the industry.#PlantHire #Construction #SelfDriveHire #OperatedPlant #EquipmentRental #HeavyEquipment #Excavators #PlantOperators #ConstructionIndustry #PlantMachinery #Earthmoving #DigInDeepPodcast #Business #PlantHireUK

Every day, thousands of trucks move construction equipment around the UK — excavators, dumpers, rollers, telehandlers and access equipment.But how many of those journeys are actually efficient?A machine gets delivered 50 miles from the depot… and the truck travels 50 miles back empty. A low-loader carries one small machine when it could potentially carry more. Two trucks pass each other going in opposite directions — one delivering and one collecting.In this episode of the Dig In Deep Podcast, Mark Kennedy is joined by Liam Moore and Mark Scutt to dig into one of the biggest hidden costs in plant hire and construction logistics:💨 HOW MUCH AIR ARE WE ACTUALLY TRANSPORTING?We discuss:🚛 Empty running and wasted HGV mileage🏗️ Why plant hire transport is so difficult to optimise💷 Why moving a digger can cost hundreds of pounds⛽ Fuel, drivers, tyres, maintenance and the true cost of transport🔄 Why backloading doesn't happen more often📍 The problem with customers demanding exact delivery times🚚 Trucks passing each other while travelling half-empty🤖 Whether AI could transform plant transport planning📱 Could there be an “Uber for diggers”?💰 Should flexible deliveries be cheaper?🌱 The environmental impact of unnecessary transport movements🏗️ Whether competing plant hire companies could share transport capacityWe spend huge amounts of money developing cleaner construction equipment — Stage V engines, electric machines, HVO, telematics and reduced idle times.But are we overlooking the truck that delivered the machine?If a low-loader travels 60 miles to deliver an excavator and then drives 60 miles home empty, we've moved the machine 60 miles — but the truck has travelled 120.Some empty running will always be unavoidable.But how much could better planning, shared transport, backloads, customer flexibility, technology and AI eliminate?PLUS…😂 Man Named🧠 Quiz of the Week🎙️ Construction and plant hire stories, opinions and the usual Dig In Deep debate.We want to hear from transport managers, plant hire companies, drivers, hauliers and construction companies.👇 HOW MUCH EMPTY RUNNING DO YOU THINK COULD ACTUALLY BE ELIMINATED?And would you accept a wider delivery window if it meant cheaper transport?Drop your thoughts and experiences in the comments.🎙️ DIG IN DEEP PODCASTConstruction. Plant Hire. Business. People. Stories. Opinions. And plenty of laughs.Subscribe for new episodes, clips and Shorts.#DigInDeep #PlantHire #Construction #Transport #Logistics #ConstructionIndustry #PlantMachinery #HeavyHaulage #LowLoader #HGV #Haulage #ConstructionLogistics #PlantTransport #Excavators #HeavyEquipment #FleetManagement #TransportManagement #Backloading #ArtificialIntelligence #ConstructionPodcast

What actually happens to a digger when a UK plant hire company sells it?In this episode of the Dig In Deep Podcast, Mark Kennedy, Mark Scutt and Liam Moore follow the journey of used construction equipment after it leaves the hire fleet — from UK auctions and second-hand buyers to machines exported across Europe, the USA, Africa and beyond.We look at the huge global market for used excavators and construction machinery, what determines the residual value of a machine, and whether UK plant hire companies are replacing equipment far earlier than they really need to.That leads to a bigger question: if we're serious about sustainability and reducing carbon emissions, does continually manufacturing new equipment and disposing of perfectly usable three-to-five-year-old machines actually make environmental sense?The team also discusses machine hours, service history, maintenance, emissions regulations, auctions, export markets and whether the sale of used equipment plays a much bigger part in plant hire profitability than many people realise.Plus, Liam and Mark go head-to-head in Week Two of the Dig In Deep Quiz — The Price Is Wrong — attempting to guess the prices of JCBs, Kubotas, dumpers, telehandlers, excavator parts and an enormous 800-tonne Liebherr mining excavator.🎙️ In this episode:• Where do Britain's used diggers actually go?• Who buys ex-hire construction equipment?• Are UK hire companies replacing machines too early?• How important are hours, condition and service history?• Do auctions make more money from disposal than hire companies?• Is constantly renewing fleets really sustainable?• How much profit comes from hiring machines versus eventually selling them?• What would you look for when buying a used excavator?• And just how much does an 800-tonne mining excavator cost?If you work in plant hire, construction equipment, machinery sales, fleet management or the wider construction industry, we'd love to hear your experience.Where do your old machines end up — and should we be keeping them for longer?Subscribe to Dig In Deep for straight-talking conversations about plant hire, construction, business, people and the issues affecting the industry.#DigInDeep #PlantHire #Construction #ConstructionEquipment #HeavyEquipment #Excavators #PlantMachinery #EquipmentRental #UsedEquipment #FleetManagement #Sustainability #PlantSales #JCB #Kubota #HeavyMachinery

How much is your business really worth — and would a buyer actually pay the number you have in your head?In this episode of the Dig In Deep Podcast, Liam Moore puts the questions to Mark Kennedy as they dig into business valuation, preparing a company for sale and the things that can dramatically increase — or destroy — the value of a business.Using construction and plant hire businesses as practical examples, they look beyond the simple idea of multiplying EBITDA by four or five and calling that the valuation.They discuss:• The different ways to value a business• EBITDA multiples and maintainable earnings• Why two businesses with identical EBITDA can be worth completely different amounts• How to value a plant hire or asset-heavy company• Fleet values, asset registers and depreciation• Why you can't simply add the value of your machinery to an EBITDA valuation• Cash, debt and working capital• Customer concentration and recurring revenue• Owner dependency and why it can reduce your multiple• What buyers actually investigate during due diligence• The records and paperwork businesses often get badly wrong• What makes a buyer reduce their offer — or walk away completely• Why cutting investment before a sale can actually reduce business value• How far in advance you should prepare a company for sale• What to start doing today if you want to sell your business in three yearsThe big question isn't simply:“What is my business worth?”It's:“What would make somebody want to buy my business — and what would make them confident enough to pay more for it?”This episode is sponsored by Built By ME Group, creators of the Business Value Index™ — a structured approach to understanding the factors that create, protect and potentially increase the value of a business.The Business Value Index™ looks beyond a headline valuation to examine areas including financial performance, assets, customer concentration, management strength, owner dependency, systems and processes, recurring revenue, risk, growth and overall saleability.Whether you're thinking about selling a plant hire company, construction business, family business or SME, planning succession, considering an acquisition or simply want to build a stronger and more valuable company, this episode is worth a listen.🎙️ Dig In Deep PodcastConstruction. Plant Hire. Business. Opinions. Stories. And the occasional bit of absolute nonsense.Subscribe and let us know in the comments: if you were offered the right money tomorrow, would you sell your business?#BusinessValuation #SellingABusiness #PlantHire #ConstructionBusiness #EBITDA #BusinessValue #BusinessForSale #DueDiligence #Entrepreneur #SME #BusinessOwner #DigInDeepPodcast