COMPANY PROFILE
Seal of
approval
With a number of sole UK dealerships, forestry is one of
the largest markets for supplier Approved Hydraulics.
Forestry Journal spoke to Adam Hindle, head ofattachment sales, about what the firm has to offer.
66 AUGUST 20 19 FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UKS
TARTING life as a one-man
operation servicing and repairing
hydraulic equipment out the back
of a van 34 years ago, Approved
Hydraulics is now one of the
UK’s top suppliers. From an initial focus
on mobile truck equipment in the civil
engineering sector, the business has
evolved and now serves a variety of
sectors including forestry, rail, industrial,
demolition, subsea and offshore, to name
but a few.
Based in Stockport, Approved Hydraulics
covers the whole of the UK and Ireland and
frequently exports items into Europe and
beyond.
“As the repair business became less and
less sustainable due to a lack of engineers
and longer free service contracts from
equipment manufacturers, the company
decided to move into more of a sales role,
using the years of hands-on experience to
ensure customers would not only receive
the correct parts for the job, but also the
backup and knowledge support on how
to fit and install the component correctly,”
explained Adam Hindle, head of attachment
sales and son of company founder, Geoff
Hindle.
Adam had wanted to work in the family
business since the age of three, but he
wasn’t just handed the job, despite being
the son of the boss. He recalled: “I was
not allowed to simply join the company.
I first had to go and get a National
Diploma in electrical engineering, then a
Higher National Diploma in mechanical
engineering, before finally getting a BEng
degree in mechanical engineering.“Coming into the business when I
was younger meant I had always been
around and was used to seeing hydraulic
equipment and, therefore, had a slight
leg-up on many my age at the time. Over
the past few years I have worked my way
through the company, from handling stock,
to sales, and now head up the attachment
sales department, along with also being a
shareholder.”
Approved Hydraulics holds eight UK
sole dealerships, most of which offer
forestry equipment. Of those, the three
brands which focus mainly on forestry are
Intermercato, Baltrotors and FEMAC. “To
become a market leader in any market, you
need to have good quality behind you, as
well as support and knowledge. We believe
these three dealerships offer all of this,”
Adam said.The firm has been the sole UK agent for
Swedish manufacturer Intermercato for over
a decade. Adam explained: “Intermercato
offers the largest range of log grabs
and tree shears on the market. They are
predominantly known for strength-to-weight
ratio and many in the market consider them
indestructible.”
On Latvian brand Baltrotors, Adam
said: “Baltrotors produce one of the most
extensive ranges of rotators available on the
market. These already have a great name
in the forestry market and now all their GR
range comes with a two-year warranty as
standard.”
Adam said of Italy-based FEMAC:
“FEMAC produce one of the most
comprehensive ranges of excavator-
mounted flails and fixed-tooth mulchers.
This year, they have increased the range