Ipswich-based plant hire company Watson & Hillhouse has invested £1million in three new piling hammers, made by BSP International Foundations at nearby Great Blakenham.

Two of the hammers were delivered at the end of 2013 and have already been deployed by contractors on construction sites around the UK while the third will be delivered shortly.

Watson & Hillhouse’s managing director, Phil Bell, said: “We have owned and operated BSP piling equipment since we started 42 years ago and have always found the hammers to give great performance.

“BSP has a proven product line-up which is reliable and stands he test of time. With BSP just five minutes from our office we have always maintained a first-class relationship.”

The order involved heavy duty CG180 and CG240 models, which can be fitted with different dropweights from 12tonnes to 20 tonnes, to meet the requirements of civil engineering contractors for hammers in specific weight ranges, plus a CX110 model, the largest of BSP’s four-model CX range, which has a dropweight of 9tonnes.

Watson &Hillhouse, based in Whitehouse Road, Ipswich, has been selling and hiring piling equipment both in the UK and overseas since it was founded by Robin Watson in 1972.

The company operates a comprehensive hire fleet of more than100 units, comprising vibrating and hydraulic impact hammers, excavator-mounted vibrators, pile presses, water jetting units, air hammers, leaders, power packs and ancillary equipment.

The company’s philosophy is not only to own and operate state-of-the-art piling equipment but to ensure it is fully prepared and tested before every hire and delivered to site on time. The company also offers advice on hammer selection, operation, safety and boasts and on-site servicing.

It employs a team of highly experienced service engineers, many of who have completed Watson & Hillhouse’s four-year apprentice scheme, who are on call to support customers wherever they are located.

Workshop technicians based at the company’s headquarters and engineering facility in Ipswich carry out running repairs, servicing and, when necessary, major overhauls. The company also has depot in Warrington to it provide national coverage.