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The business
Name: Fergus Arden -
Rola-trac
Location: Lingwood
Sector: Manufacturing
Turnover: £4.5m
Staff: 8 in UK, 6 in Germany + 20 factory
Website:
www.rola-trac.co.uk
Rola-trac
Location: Lingwood
Sector: Manufacturing
Turnover: £4.5m
Staff: 8 in UK, 6 in Germany + 20 factory
Website:
www.rola-trac.co.uk
Fergus Arden -
Rola-trac
Rola-Trac, an easy-to-lay, linking flooring, has proved its versatility since the company was set up in 1999, used for anything from marquees to army tents and field hospitals to music festivals.
And in the past year the company, founded by former mechanic Fergus Ardern, has seen rapid growth in Europe and renewed demand in the UK.
As well as the original Rola-Trac, Mr Ardern has developed sister product Supa-Trac, which can be used as a temporary road surface, spreading the weight of vehicles without damaging the ground below. Light-weight versions of the products have also been developed, along with a light-weight barrier called Banzai, I-Float, a modular pontoon system, I-Trac, which enables vehicles to traverse soft ground, and Terra-Bolt, a product used to anchor objects securely in place.
In the past year, the prolific inventor has also designed a large modular fluid tank which can be shipped on a few pallets and assembled in less than an hour.
The company is now made up of design and manufacturing business Rola-Trac, a temporary roadway rental firm called Terra-XS and Rola-Trac Deutschland, a rental and sales outlet in Europe.
Mr Ardern said: “Rola-Trac has had a good year. There has been no major growth in the UK, more of a consolidation, but we are growing at an incredible pace in Europe. Our German business doubled its turnover and is still heading upwards at an amazing rate, with an insatiable appetite for new stocks.
“The UK is now picking up again and we are increasing our rental stocks as fast as we can.”
Rola-Trac, an easy-to-lay, linking flooring, has proved its versatility since the company was set up in 1999, used for anything from marquees to army tents and field hospitals to music festivals.
And in the past year the company, founded by former mechanic Fergus Ardern, has seen rapid growth in Europe and renewed demand in the UK.
As well as the original Rola-Trac, Mr Ardern has developed sister product Supa-Trac, which can be used as a temporary road surface, spreading the weight of vehicles without damaging the ground below. Light-weight versions of the products have also been developed, along with a light-weight barrier called Banzai, I-Float, a modular pontoon system, I-Trac, which enables vehicles to traverse soft ground, and Terra-Bolt, a product used to anchor objects securely in place.
In the past year, the prolific inventor has also designed a large modular fluid tank which can be shipped on a few pallets and assembled in less than an hour.
The company is now made up of design and manufacturing business Rola-Trac, a temporary roadway rental firm called Terra-XS and Rola-Trac Deutschland, a rental and sales outlet in Europe.
Mr Ardern said: “Rola-Trac has had a good year. There has been no major growth in the UK, more of a consolidation, but we are growing at an incredible pace in Europe. Our German business doubled its turnover and is still heading upwards at an amazing rate, with an insatiable appetite for new stocks.
“The UK is now picking up again and we are increasing our rental stocks as fast as we can.”