A Flannery CAT TH337 on a site in West Sussex

UK rental company P. Flannery Plant Hire has ordered its first CAT telehandlers as part of a deal worth GBP16 million (USD24.8 million).

Scheduled for delivery throughout 2015, the 148-machine order is made up of a number of telehandlers, hydraulic excavators, 730C and 740B articulated dump trucks and D6T dozers.

A significant part of the deal comprises Caterpillar's recently launched TH414C GC and TH417C GC telehandlers, along with a number of its TH337Cs.

Purchased through Caterpillar's UK dealer Finning, the machines will be fitted with the company's Finsight monitoring system, which also optimises machine health and productivity.

Flannery director Patrick Flannery, says it's the first time his company has invested in Caterpillar general construction telehandlers. "We have seen increased demand in the Cat TH414 model category, in particular, as the market picks up. We are definitely seeing customers far more focused on fuel burn and productivity. This is why, within this deal, we looked to combine the new equipment with the back-up of the Finning Finsight engineering team that will be monitoring our units no matter where they are in the UK."

Finning sales representative for the South East Matt Revell stresses the importance of this move into the Flannery fleet. "This is vital to us, as more customers are going to be exposed to these types of machines. The continued focus on service is also very positive, as we are able to make a real difference to the end-user's experience through preventative maintenance."

The CAT models will join an extensive JCB telehandler inventory at Flannery.

Wembley-based Flannery, founded in 1972, operates a fleet of 1,000-plus units, including equipment from Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu and JCB.