With over 14 years of delivering projects, Putnam Construction know a thing or two about quality.

Constantly Investing

Starting off on his own, Managing Director Jake Putnam has built his business on delivering a customer-centred, high-quality service, building the business up to being a nationally respected demolition and earthworks contractor.

Over his years of building the business up, Jake has been constantly investing in a range of machines and attachments designed to allow him to increase productivity and reduce the time they spend on site.

Latest Project from a Repeat Customer

One of the company’s latest projects was for a repeat customer whom Jake has undertaken several successful demolition and site clearance projects for over the years.

The huge site in Bootle, Liverpool was initially opened in 1968 by Girobank, part of the Post Office and was the first bank in Europe to offer interest on current accounts and the first to implement telephone banking. Known locally as ‘The Giro’ the bank was eventually being taken over by Santander with the building inline for redevelopment. Changes to the financial markets and the bank’s needs eventually saw Santander closing the doors on ‘The Giro’ and moving its business away from Bootle leaving the buildings empty.

A Fleet of Modern Demolition Equipment

Whilst Jake’s fleet of modern demolition equipment and attachments was capable of taking down some of the smaller buildings on site, the main office building standing at over 50m in height gave the company something to think about. ‘We have several high reach machines in the fleet which can undertake the bulk of our demolition operations.’ Jake commented. ‘But with a height of over 50m, the building meant we had to look at other alternatives for demolition. With long lead times for new kit and the client’s needs for the remaining structures to be demolished, we made the choice to source a second-hand machine, eventually settling on a good quality CAT 349E with a Kocurek 37m telescopic arm. This purchase gave us the ability to cost effectively enter a new market for us and meant that we were able to remove The Giro from the Bootle skyline quickly and safely.’

Bespoke Attachment

Already having a range of attachments for his existing fleet, Jake was keen to add a bespoke attachment for the new base machine to ensure the reinforced concrete structure could be taken down without any fuss. ‘We have been dealing with the team at Worsley Plant for several years and have several of their Rotar demolition attachments in the fleet.’ He commented. ‘I’ve found the Rotar kit to be very reliable and capable of withstanding the punishment they get on site. I know that if anything was to go wrong with them, Worsley have the team capable of backing them up and quickly getting us working again.’

Rotar RDC25S Joins Putnam Construction Fleet

The latest addition to the Putnam Construction fleet is a Rotar RDC25S Combi Shear. The RDC25S boasts a maximum 900mm opening at its widest point and yet measures just 720mm in width allowing it to get into the tightest of spots with ease. Boasting over 100 tonnes of cutting force, the RDC25S is fitted with a set of removable tips and shear blades which can be quickly swapped over as and when required.

Complimented by Lehnhoff Variolock Automatic Coupler

Fitted with a Lehnhoff Variolock automatic coupler, the combi crusher joins a range of other products sold and serviced through Worsley including several Rotar RG selector grabs and a range of Montabert hydraulic breakers. ‘I have been impressed with the Montabert breakers since their arrival onto the fleet.’ Jake commented. ‘Pound for pound they are one of the most productive on the market.’

Excellent Customer Service from Worsley Plant

The new high reach has been handed to highly experienced operator Matthew Thackray who has been taking the 12-storey building down. ‘The Rotar has been performing very well since it arrived.’ He comments. ‘I’ve used several Rotar attachments over the years, and they have always been a great attachment. This is the first RDC I’ve used, and it must rank as one of the best combi tools I’ve been able to put to work. The cycle times are very impressive, and it has plenty of power to deal with some of the tougher concrete columns. Whilst this job doesn’t require the tool to be changed too often, having the Lehnhoff hitch has also made very appreciative of the technology allowing the tool to be swapped very quickly.’

‘We have been dealing with the Worsley team for several years and find their customer service excellent.’ Jake comments. ‘They have an excellent knowledge of their brands and what their customers need, the equipment is first class and to put it simply, we like dealing with them.’