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At the helm of the family business, Jarvie Plant, itself just 10 years younger than the SPOA, David has spent many years in the industry and has a very clear focus on what he is looking to achieve as President:
“The plant hire industry is facing several challenges including economic pressures from UK Budget measures, most notably the recent changes to Business Property Relief, increased theft of plant and fuel, skills shortage, increased operational costs and the path towards decarbonisation.
“If I can move the dial on some of these challenges to improve the outlook for our members and the industry, then I will look back proudly. But first I’m keen to get out and about and hear what our members want us to prioritise.”
Removal of Business Property Relief (BPR)
David is urging members to act and participate in the consultation on planned reforms to Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) announced in the Autumn Budget:
“The recent government initiative to remove the 100% BPR relief will impact our members immensely, many of whom are largely private independent companies. Plant hire is inherently capital intensive, and this measure will take most over the £1m allowance for BPR. We already have a shortage of staff in the industry and initiatives like this will only serve to aggravate the problem.
“I would urge members to make sure their voice is heard. The SPOA continues to lobby on this issue on your behalf, but we need individual businesses to actively participate as we try to influence these reforms.”
Tackling the skills shortage
Hot on the heels of David’s first act as President - the launch of the Youth Sports Sponsorship Fund - David is on a mission to engage with young people and attract them into the plant industry:
“Young people are vital for the future of the industry. We have a skills shortage and I believe that there is work to be done to improve the image of the plant hire industry so that we can attract and inspire young people to want to join.
“According to a recent report by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the UK construction industry needs to recruit an additional 217,000 workers by 2025 to meet demand. This highlights the significant gap in skilled labour that the industry is currently facing.
“The purchase of the Tenstar simulator a couple of years ago has been a great tool to introduce young people to plant at schools and colleges. We need to do more of this, and I would encourage members to use this resource and organise events in their local area. It is a challenge to attract young people into plant as there is an abundance of career options available to them these days, but we need to rise to that challenge.”
Apprenticeships are key to tackling the skills shortage and David believes that a partnership approach is important to ensure that apprenticeships work for everyone:
“Lots of progress has been made to highlight apprenticeships. The SPOA now has annual SPOA Apprentice of the Year Awards to recognise the achievements of our young people and every year we shine the spotlight on apprentices during Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
“We need to encourage and provide support to plant hire companies to take on apprentices. This means working with them to develop career paths that will attract ambitious young people into the industry. We also need to work closely with Skills Development Scotland and the CITB to ensure that apprenticeships are aligned with the needs of industry.”
Decarbonisation
For David, there is a lot of work to be done to improve the environmental credentials of the plant industry. An issue that is increasingly important to young people, improving this will only serve to enhance the reputation and image of the sector as it strives to address the skills shortage.
David explains: “Scotland has a target to achieve net zero by 2045. The clock is ticking, and we are not doing enough in this area. As President, I want to bring decarbonisation firmly into focus. I want to help our members access the knowledge and innovation being developed that will enable the industry to meet this target.
“That means workshops and demonstrations delivered by industry leaders on alternative fuels such as HVO, cutting-edge machinery powered by hydrogen and electric, and knowledge sharing on how to improve efficiency and use of fuel on site.
“I’d like to hear from our core members of owner-operators and hirers on how the Association can best support them in this transition and I would appeal to our Industry Supplier members to come forward with ideas on how they can play a role in increasing knowledge in this field.”
Heart of the plant hire community in Scotland
David believes that the SPOA is the heart of the plant hire community in Scotland, and he wants to build on that by encouraging new members and increasing the opportunities for members to meet up and share the challenges and opportunities they may be facing:
“The SPOA is the heart of the plant hire community in Scotland. Having come from outside industry myself, working in banking initially, the SPOA served as a good medium for interacting with other members and sharing common industry and economic challenges with a view to how we tackle them as an industry. The networking events, in particular the Annual Dinner is still going strong after 75 years and offers members the opportunity to entertain their customers and staff in a friendly and fun setting with many familiar faces.
“There is so much knowledge and experience within the SPOA membership. Combine that with an Executive Committee that is passionate about the industry, its people and securing the future of the industry for generations to come and you have a formidable force. I hope that as President I can inspire more discussion, more collaboration and partnership working around the challenges and opportunities that unite us.
“Visit https://www.spoa.org.uk/ to explore our initiatives, discover the benefits of membership, and find out how you can contribute to shaping the future of the plant hire industry in Scotland. Together, we can make a difference.”