About Clan Tools
Read about Clan Tools, our core values and where we came from.
Our History
Clan Tools & Plant Ltd was established in 1980 and is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of rescue equipment to Fire Services, Local Governments, Ministry of Defence and Industries. We are exclusive UK suppliers of a range of products from market leading companies across the globe.
Clan Tools & Plant Ltd was founded in 1980 by Mr Gordon Hamilton,. The backbone of the company was the supply, service, maintenance and repair of the Lukas range of rescue tools, and the relationship between Lukas Hydraulik GmbH and Clan Tools remains as strong today and it did all these years ago. The Clan Tools philosophy of ensuring best in class products are supplied with a service and support structure which is second to none holds strong through the decades, in a changing and competitive market place.
The addition of the Vetter airbag systems (1993), Lampe lifters (1984), Leader Products (2017), Oko-Tec Environmental protection systems (1992) and Akron Brass branches and monitors (2014) continues to provide Clan Tools & Plant Ltd with a first class, proven and reputable firefighting equipment portfolio.
The company’s expansion in 1984 required new premises, these were built in Giffnock, Glasgow, with further expansion adjacent to the existing facility in 1998 which took the total area to more than 12,000 sq.ft.
The company’s growth also meant that the amount of personnel required to service and support the growing product range and customer base grew, and many larger contracts were taken on with the Ministry of Defence and UK Fire and Rescue services. The ability of being able to provide a TotalCare type contract for the supply, service, maintenance and repair of their products throughout their operational lifetime, with a tracking and tracing process from cradle to grave, set Clan Tools & Plant Ltd apart from the competition.
A management buyout in 2008 by John and Julie Bell ensured continuation of growth for Clan Tools, whilst additional service team members joined and the operational equipment sales department was expanded.
The merger with Emergency One (UK) Ltd in 2012 meant that Clan Tools were able to move to larger premises and share resource with another industry leading company. The partnership has worked extremely well given that Clan Tools provide operational equipment for installation onto fire fighting vehicles and Emergency One build firefighting vehicles.
Our customer base continues to grow and we remain excited for the future. Our research and development activities within the Fire and Rescue sector remains very high, which means that the products and services we supply and support are up to or ahead of the demands of today’s challenging Fire and Rescue Service operational needs
Our People
We are proud to have over a 90% track record of retaining all members of our team. We place particular emphasis on regular training and refresher courses for all of our employees. We are proud to be the largest employer in the town of Cumnock and in particular we heavily support the recruitment of apprentices – of which we currently have over 40 young people learning various trade skills over a four-year program (the majority of whom were selected with the assistance of the Prince’s Trust). Most of the apprentices are retained to ensure continuity of the excellent diverse design, engineering, electrical, fabrication and manufacturing skill sets required for such a unique trade.
Our Values
- Act with honesty and integrity
- Conduct all business lawfully
- Accept individual and corporate responsibility
- Strive for customer satisfaction
- Never be wasteful
- Improve and innovate continuously
- Always work effectively and efficiently
Our Vision
Emergency One (UK) Limited incorporating Clan Tools and Plant Limited, will be the UK’s largest and most successful supplier of vehicles and equipment to the Emergency Services, supplying the domestic market alongside Emergency Services worldwide. We will inspire our employees to be the best they can be. We will engage in sustainable practices and anticipate the needs of our customers.
1989 – Now
Emergency One (UK) Ltd are proud to be market leading manufacturers of emergency and fire vehicles within the UK. We offer a bespoke service to our customers
Our Premises
Emergency One (UK) Limited incorporating Clan Tools and Plant Limited, has made a significant investment in new premises and in May 2012, we re-located the organisation to a modern, custom (E1) designed 16,000 sq. m manufacturing plant and after-sales facility.
The new production facility allows appliances to be manufactured on a more efficient assembly line style, thus reducing delivery times and generating cost benefits to our customers whilst maintaining our high standards of manufacturing excellence. Additionally, the combination of the new factory premises and Just-in-Time manufacturing flow processes has increased our build capacity. In Dec 2017, we secured another facility of 15,000 sq.m which will be used to build long term contracts and special vehicles assembly. The facility also provides storage capacity for firefighting and rescue equipment for Clan Tools and Plant Limited. The facility is currently under development to allow Just in Time manufacturing process to meet the build capacity There is office space available in the same location
Quality Assured
Emergency One (UK) Limited incorporating Clan Tools and Plant Limited was first registered on 26th February 2003 for ISO 9001 Standard by LRQA (Lloyds Register Quality Assurance).We understand that an effective Quality Management System actively works to improve business performance, both by understanding customer requirements, and by the control of the business to ensure that those requirements are met first time, every time. We currently hold the International Standard for Quality Management Systems, BS EN ISO 9001:2015 certification.
We liaise closely with our customers during the contract, from pre-production to delivery and beyond, to ensure that a right-first-time approach is adopted throughout the build, and that the customers’ after sales requirements are met.
We recognise that even the highest quality component can fail or be damaged. With this in mind, we endeavour to make available all spare parts and accessories for installed Emergency One (UK) Limited (incorporating Clan Tools and Plant Limited) components and assemblies, throughout the product life of the appliance, at a reasonable and competitive price, and with the shortest possible lead times.
Safety & Risk Management
Safety and Risk Assessment files, for both the production facility, and for the end product, are maintained. Regular audits and updates are carried out on these documents, and on the working practices employed by the company.
Full risk assessment documentation is provided with each contract – addressing any issues pertinent to the safe operation, maintenance and working practices relating to the Pumping Appliance. Feedback from the end-user is sought at regular intervals, to address any further issues that may arise and to assist in the continuing improvement of the product and service offered by Emergency One (UK) Limited (incorporating Clan Tools and Plant Limited). We have adopted, and use, the Firestore HSE Manual Handling software package, which assists us in achieving and documenting a fully compliant risk assessed appliance (with regards to operational equipment stowage offerings).