Stepup Scaffold UK is targeting significant growth after relocating from Linwood to a 76,500 square foot site in Govan, Glasgow.
Director Simon Russell told Project Scotland that the company, which is a subsidiary of US-based Stepup Scaffold Group (a division of Sunshine Enterprises), is ideally placed to play a leading role in the UK scaffolding market.
Sunshine Enterprises bought the production and sales arm of OCTO system scaffolding from Turner Access in 2020. Turner Access remains a key customer for Stepup Scaffold UK, and it is Turner’s former manufacturing warehouse in Loanbank Quadrant that Stepup has moved into.
At the time of interview, a refurbishment project at the premises was almost complete, which will give Stepup the required warehouse and office space to ‘refresh’ the business to the UK market.
Simon Russell said, “Stepup has been in the UK since 2016. We’ve had some changes across the board. We’ve moved location, quadrupled our inventory, and worked on a new business plan for our UK operation. We’ve got £3.5 million of inventory at any one time on the ground in Glasgow, ready to support our UK and European customers, no matter how large the project, with shipments coming in every week to maintain high levels of product availability at all times.
“We have plans in place to develop our technical support offering with in-house design, technical and tender support, and product development, all based from our new UK hub in Glasgow.”
The company’s product offering includes Ringlock, Cuplock, and standard tube and fitting scaffolding. But it is the OCTO system and Ringlock products that the business is perhaps best known for.
OCTO is said to provide greater versatility with its 360-degree joint connection and ‘optimum’ node strength. “OCTO is the quickest and lightest system scaffold on the market,” Simon added. “It has been designed and developed to not only work within the new-build housing industry, but also in commercial and industrial sectors. In the UK it’s a unique product.”
The global nature of the Stepup Scaffold business is emphasised by the fact it has in-house wholly owned and operated manufacturing factories in China and Colombia, as well as two locations in Denmark covering the Scandinavian market.
Simon said the expansion ambitions include developing a base in central England, whilst always being open to the acquisitions of viable scaffold sales related operations in the UK.
He is confident that the company’s ‘niche’ offering will help the business stand out and thrive in a crowded market.
“We have ambitious expansion plans both here and in Europe with the recent purchase of MP House ApS in Denmark, showing we are actively using acquisitions to support our plans,” he added.
