Jobs lost in crane firm’s collapse

An Aberdeenshire crane hire firm has collapsed into administration with the loss of 11 jobs.

Whyte Crane Hire (WCH) provided lifting services and mobile crane hire to customers across a range of business sectors, including oil and gas.

The company, based in Tipperty, near Ellon, operated from two leased premises, including a site in Grangemouth.

Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden of KPMG were appointed as joint administrators on February 18.

KPMG said the business, established in 2001 by the Whyte family, was “historically profitable”.

But it had suffered from declining turnover and profitability in recent years as it faced

“There was no other option but to call in administrators”

increasing competition and challenges in securing work at a sufficient margin to cover the high fixed costs of the crane fleet, the professional services firm added.

Despite bosses putting their own cash into the business to keep it afloat, trading performance deteriorated further and there was no other option but to call in administrators, KPMG said.

A separate company run by the Whyte family, Whyte Crane Services, continues to operate and is unaffected by the administration.

Blair Nimmo, UK head of restructuring, KPMG said: “Despite the extensive efforts of the Whyte family, Whyte Crane Hire Limited was unable to continue trading in light of significant liabilities and cashflow difficulties, having been affected by the challenging market conditions in the Scottish construction and oil and gas sectors.”