Hy-Ram Engineering are the market-leaders for designing and manufacturing specialist tools and equipment for plastic and metallic distribution pipelines. Known on a global scale, Hy-Ram specialises in the water, gas, wastewater and industrial sectors, offering an unparalleled suite of products and services crucial for the seamless jointing, installation and maintenance of utility distribution networks.  

We recently spoke with James Thornton, Commercial Director, and Ben Norman, Senior Hire Desk Controller, about the key-role Hy-Ram has played within this niche industry, as well as how inspHire Office Edition has been supporting their day-to-day operations within their hire services for nearly 20 years.  

Established in 1976 by Peter Hallam, Hy-Ram specialised in the design and sale of hydraulic rams, pumps, power units, manifolds and other associated components. Then, in 1979, Hy-Ram acquired Britton and Kimberley, including ongoing business, stock, all assets and workforce. This kickstarted the growth and diversification Hy-Ram to this day pride themselves on.  

“Throughout the 1980’s, Hy-Ram played a pivotal role in the supply chain, supporting the mining industry, as well as the offshore oil and gas sector. We quickly developed a strong reputation for high-quality engineering and pioneering solutions in both areas. This led us to work alongside British Gas, supporting with troubleshooting and offering consultancy services to challenging situations as polyethylene pipelines began to increase in popularity in the gas distribution in the UK.  

The development of the equipment and correct installation methods for polyethylene pipes needed to be developed quickly, whilst maintaining the highest standard, and Hy-Ram are proud to have played its role in that ground-breaking time.” - James Thornton, Commercial Director

Key milestones that mark Hy-Ram's impressive growth in the earlier years: 

• 1984: Hy-Ram had launched its first butt fusion machine range with 180mm, 250mm, 315mm and 400mm offerings with manual handpump hydraulics.  

• 1987: Hy-Ram obtained full British Gas approval for their butt fusion equipment. 
• 1990: Hy-Ram launched its fully automated butt fusion machine range, capable of a fully controlled process, offering the highest quality PE pipe installation.  
  

Having built a strong reputation in the manufacturing process, Hy-Ram then launched its UK hire business in 1988. This was a strategic business decision after identifying a gap in the market for this type of hire in the utilities sector, and still to this day, Hy-Ram is the only UK business that offers both the manufacture and rental of these specialist tools and equipment for plastic and metallic distribution pipelines.

That's where inspHire enters the picture, having had the privilege of supporting Hy-Ram for nearly 20 years. Ben Norman, Senior Hire Desk Controller, oversees Hy-Ram's inspHire Office Edition, utilising our software to ensure the business maintains optimal equipment utilisation, reports are quickly turned around and sent out to customers each week, as well as managing the overall hire operation side of the business.

“Hy-Ram utilise inspHire Office to push through all the hire and repair operations side of the business. The system saves us a lot of time, especially on a typical Monday morning for the reporting side of things. Using the report scheduler, we can instantly send out 60,70+ live hires, as well as receive automatic reports that enables us to analyse the on-hires, off-hires and exchanges from that previous week. Without the scheduler, we would physically have to do the reporting which would take us at least a few days. Whereas with inspHire Office, it can take 5-10 minutes, gauging all the information from our depots, brings it into one central place and then we can analyse it and move forward from there.” - Ben Norman, Senior Hire Desk Controller

Hy-Ram operate hire and repair from three depots across the UK, located in North Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester and North London, with the addition of their head office that acts as their manufacturing site also in North Nottinghamshire. However, by having a strong base in the UK, this has not limited their audience reach with clients situated across the globe, including North America, Australia, Europe and many more locations. Therefore, the demand for stock is high and to ensure Hy-Ram are proactive, they rely on inspHire Office to notify of any shortages, what's in repair or service, ultimately enabling them to forward-plan for those busy periods and commit to jobs without hesitation.

“Within our inspHire Office solution, we utilise the stock availability percentages and minimum stock levels and this enables us to be active and proactive by being able to see what’s available in each depot, where we need to put more stock, what we need to turn around, what equipment is in repair or in collection. And that just continues to help us grow.” - Ben Norman, Senior Hire Desk Controller  

Hy-Ram's impressive selection of utilities equipment available for hire include:  

• Butt Fusion 

• Electrofusion 

• PE Pipe Squeeze Off 

• Flow Stopping 

• Pipe Cutting 

• Under Pressure Drilling Technology 
• General & Safety Tooling 
  

"Our rich history and deep expertise in hydraulics manufacturing and functionality has provided us with a unique advantage. To this day, we proudly produce our own hydraulic rams and cylinders in-house, which features on our butt fusion equipment and larger diameter PE pipe squeeze-off tools. The commitment to maintain our in-house manufacturing is part of our foundations and core DNA that makes us Hy-Ram! Our butt fusion machines are now the 5th generation and illustrate our 40+ years of expertise.” - James Thornton, Commercial Director

A big thank you to Hy-Ram Engineering with speaking with us and sharing their success story! It’s an honour to support and collaborate with impressive hire businesses and we look forward to the next 20 years! If you would like to learn more about Hy-Ram, visit their website here: https://www.hy-ram.co.uk/