What L & W Contractors does

L & W Contractors Limited is a privately held UK plant hire company established in 1986, headquartered in Billingshurst, West Sussex. The company supplies specialist road-rail vehicles, general construction plant, and CPCS/OTP certified operators to the rail and construction industries across South East England, offering 24-hour emergency response capability from its West Sussex depot.

The company's core offering is built around a specialized rail plant fleet that includes multiple Komatsu PW160 variants (Mono Boom, Triple Articulated, Rail Raider MK1, Rail Raider MK2, and the 2025-introduced -11EO), Colmar T10000FS heavy lifters, Volvo EW180, Komatsu PC138, Komatsu PW118, Thwaites rail dumpers, and a Rail Dozer D3, supplemented by an extensive range of rail-specific attachments. The fleet has been progressively upgraded with GKD Technik computer systems that generate automated lift plans for compliance. Revenue is generated through four primary streams: usage-based rail plant hire, usage-based general plant hire, professional services for CPCS/OTP certified operators, and professional services for transport and operator training. The go-to-market is B2B enterprise field sales with quote-based pricing, primarily targeting Network Rail, its principal contractors, and construction firms.

L & W holds RISQS approved contractor status, ISO 9001:2015 certification, Network Rail Plant Operations Scheme membership, and is a member of the Railway Plant Association, Construction Plant-hire Association, and Road Haulage Association. The company operates a motorsport sub-brand, L&W Contractors Racing, which competes in the British F1 Sidecar Championship. With 51-100 employees and a regional South East footprint, L&W functions as a mid-sized specialist plant hire operator with no disclosed parent entity, institutional investment, or public listing.

Name

L & W Contractors

Legal name

L&W Contractors Limited

Website

https://lwcontractors.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

L & W Contractors is a UK-based plant hire company supplying specialist road-rail vehicles, general construction plant, and CPCS/OTP certified operators to the rail and construction industries across South East England from its Billingshurst depot.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail and Construction Plant Hire Services

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Other Building Equipment Contractors (23829)

SIC

Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

On-Track Maintenance Machines (OTM) & Rail Plant Equipment MRO (TLAKAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction & General Labor Staffing (BPACAEAA)

Keywords

• Rail plant hire
• Road-rail vehicles
• Construction equipment hire
• Plant machinery operators
• Rail infrastructure services

Headquarters

HQ city

Billingshurst

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rail Plant Hire: Supply of specialist road-rail vehicles and equipment for railway work including excavators, dozers, dumpers and attachments. Equipment is maintained to Network Rail standards with 24-hour availability.
2. Plant Machinery Operators: Provision of CPCS and OTP certified operators to operate customer-specified machinery. All operators trained on both rail and general plant through rigorous training scheme.
3. General Plant Hire: Construction industry equipment hire including diggers, dozers, dumpers, forklifts and attachments. Equipment maintained to highest standards by in-house team.
4. Transport Services: Professional transportation service for heavy plant including low loaders, eight-wheeled transporters, rigid and articulated Hiab units, trombone trailers, vans and pick-up trucks. Fleet has extensive knowledge of South East road systems.
5. Operator Training: Training services for staff working on UK rail infrastructure, including Network Rail staff. Fully-qualified staff provide training on plant and machinery operation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

L&W Contractors supplies specialist road-rail vehicles and construction plant along with certified operators, transport, and training to rail and construction customers across the South East of England. Core services span rail plant hire, general plant hire, CPCS/OTP operator provision, equipment transport, operator training, and Plant Operations Scheme support. The company holds RISQS, ISO 9001:2015, and POS credentials enabling it to supply Network Rail and its principal contractors with compliant, audited equipment and personnel on a 24-hour basis.

Product overview

L&W Contractors is a plant hire company serving the rail and construction industries with a unified portfolio of equipment rental and personnel services. The core offering spans rail plant hire (specialist road/rail vehicles like Komatsu PW160 variants, Colmar T10000FS, Volvo EW180, and attachments), general plant hire (diggers, dozers, dumpers), and operator services. Supporting services include transport, operator training, and Network Rail Plant Operations Scheme membership. The company operates primarily across the South East of England from depots in West Sussex, with 24-hour emergency service capability. Rail plant equipment has been upgraded with GKD Technik computer systems for lift plan generation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• L&W Contractors Racing: L&W's motorsport division that competes in the British Sidecar Championship with a sidecar racing team.

Products and services

• Rail Plant Hire 24-hour hire service of specialist road-rail vehicles and equipment for track maintenance, clearance, renewals, and upgrades, with regular servicing to Network Rail standards. Serves Network Rail, principal contractors, and heritage railway operators.
• General Plant Hire Hire of general construction plant including diggers, dozers, dumpers, and attachments, maintained by L&W's in-house engineering team. Serves construction and civil engineering companies.
• Plant Machinery Operators Provision of CPCS and OTP certified operators trained on both rail and general plant through a rigorous internal training scheme to operate customer-specified machinery. Serves rail and construction customers needing qualified personnel alongside hired equipment.
• Transport Services Professional transportation of heavy plant using a fleet of low loaders, an eight-wheeled transporter, rigid and articulated Hiab units, trombone trailers, vans, and pick-up trucks, with staff knowledge of South East road systems. Serves rail and construction customers needing delivery and collection of hired equipment.
• Operator Training Training and assessment services for staff working on UK rail infrastructure, including Network Rail personnel, delivered by fully qualified and experienced L&W staff on rail and general plant machinery.
• Plant Operations Scheme (POS) Participation in Network Rail's Plant Operation Scheme providing independent risk assessment, professional planning assistance, and delivery of plant and machinery for successful rail project delivery. Available to Network Rail and principal contractors.
• Colmar T10000FS Road/Rail Vehicle Largest machine in L&W's fleet at 31.33 tonnes, capable of lifting 13 tonnes on rail. Suited to heavy lifting work including switches and crossings, with Dipper End SWL of 15 tonnes. Available to rail infrastructure customers.
• Komatsu PW160 Rail Raider MK2 Road/Rail Vehicle Road-rail excavator with 2-person cab, 4-trailer capacity, 80 tonne maximum trailer load, and multiple SWL options (Main Load Lifting Point 10 tonnes, Quick Hitch 13 tonnes, Rhino Horn 3 tonnes, Auxiliary Lifting Point 7.5 tonnes). Targeted at rail infrastructure projects.
• Komatsu PW160 Rail Raider -11EO Road/Rail Vehicle 2025 model road-rail vehicle with 2-person cab, 4-trailer capacity, 80 tonne maximum trailer load, and RCI wireless Tandem Lift System for enhanced lifting. Targeted at heavy lifting rail projects.
• Komatsu PW160 Rail Raider MK1 Road/Rail Vehicle Lighter Rail Raider option weighing 23.6 tonnes, with 4-trailer capacity and 46 tonne maximum trailer load, featuring Bucket Pin SWL 10 tonnes and Quick Hitch ALP SWL 13 tonnes. Suitable for rail projects requiring a lighter road-rail machine.
• Komatsu PW160 Mono Boom Road/Rail Vehicle All-rounder rail vehicle weighing 23.9 tonnes with capability to tow 3 trailers at 22.8 tonnes maximum trailer load. General purpose machine for rail infrastructure customers.
• Komatsu PW160 Triple Articulated Road/Rail Vehicle Versatile general purpose rail machine with 3-section triple articulated arm for working in tight spaces such as tunnels. Weighs 25.5 tonnes with 80 tonne maximum towed load across 4 trailers.
• Volvo EW180 Road/Rail Excavator Road/rail excavator for excavation work, weighing 22 tonnes with 2-person capacity. Features Quick Hitch SWL 13 tonnes, Main Load Lifting Point SWL 10 tonnes, and 4-trailer capacity at 48 tonnes maximum towed load.
• Komatsu PC138 Track-Mounted Excavator Track-mounted all-rounder for general purpose rail renewals and tunnel work, weighing 21 tonnes with 2-trailer capacity, 42 tonnes maximum towed load, Quick Hitch SWL 10 tonnes, and Auxiliary Lifting Point SWL 5 tonnes.
• Thwaites 6-Tonne Rail Dumper Robust and reliable rail dumper with 6 tonne payload and 13 tonne gross weight, capable of 16 MPH on plain line and 5 MPH maximum recovery speed. Used for material movement on rail sites.
• Rail Dozer D3 Track renewal and levelling dozer for stone or soil on level ground or gradients. Weighs 10.4 tonnes with rail wheels for safe rail line travel.
• Komatsu PW118 Lightweight Excavator Lightweight excavator for excavating, wet bed digging, and ballast replenishment. Weighs 18 tonnes with 1-person capacity, 5 tonne Load Lifting Point SWL, and 46 tonne maximum trailer load across 4 trailers.
• Civil Plant Fleet Range of construction plant including 1.7 to 20 tonne diggers, 1 to 3 tonne dumpers, a D3 lazer dozer bulldozer, and a Merlo P72.10 forklift, available for hire in the construction industry.
• Rail Attachments Extensive range of rail-specific attachments including trailers, brushes, ploughs, ballast boxes, sleeper balers, thimbles, croppers, de-clippers, excavacs, tin bin excavacs, folding S&C beams, sleeper grabs, log grabs, panel grabs, extendable rail beams, drag clamps, bag lifters, digging buckets, newag buckets, clamshell buckets, flails, rhino horn extensions, triple wackers, hydraulic breakers, pallet forks, tamper, and man cages.
• General Attachments General construction attachments including breakers for 1.7-13 tonne excavators, forks, quick hitch pallet forks, Kinshoffer pallet forks, fuel tanks, flail, and kerb lifter.
• Other Rail Attachments Additional rail accessories including cam locks, A-frames for lifting rail sections, strops in various sizes, and bog mats with chain specifications enabling RRV on-track operations.
• Second-hand RRV Sales Sales of second-hand Komatsu PW160-7 road-rail vehicles from 2008-2015 in Mono Boom and 2-piece Boom configurations, with 4000-17000 machine hours. Targets buyers seeking used rail plant.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 new PW160 Rail Raider MK2 machines added in 2021, with ability to take 4 trailers down the line with up to 80 tonnes at one time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Network Rail (Plant Operations Scheme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerL&W is a member of Network Rail's Plant Operation Scheme (POS), enabling the company to be sent to jobs by Network Rail or principal contractors to risk assess and provide professional assistance in planning correct plant and machinery for successful project delivery. Operators must satisfy stringent requirements relating to organisation, training, emergency preparedness, and competencies.
• RISQS (Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRISQS approved contractor status for the UK rail industry. The company maintains audited and verified status under the RISQS scheme, with certificate valid until 30 March 2024.
• Railway Plant Association (RPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Railway Plant Association, a collective mark representing trusted suppliers in the rail plant sector.
• Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Construction Plant-hire Association, a collective mark representing reputable plant hire companies in the construction industry.
• Alcumus ISOQARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISO 9001:2015 management system certification holder (Certificate Number 4819) through Alcumus ISOQAR, demonstrating commitment to quality management standards.
• CirasminorOthersMember of Ciras (Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis Service) for railway safety incident reporting and analysis.
• Road Haulage Association (RHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRHA membership 2022-2023, supporting transport and logistics operations within the haulage industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Ganymede Solutions: UK provider of workforce and equipment services to rail and construction clients, with an operator and plant capability similar to L&W's. Smaller and more workforce-led but competes for the same Network Rail and principal contractor work.

Broad incumbents

• M Group Services: UK infrastructure services group delivering rail, utilities, and construction services with in-house plant capability. Comparable as a customer/competitor in rail and adjacent infrastructure markets to L&W.
• Speedy Hire: One of the UK's largest tool and plant hire companies with a national depot network and a growing rail-adjacent offering. Competes with L&W on general plant hire but operates at substantially larger scale and broader scope.
• Sunbelt Rentals UK: The UK's largest equipment rental company following the A-Plant merger, with national coverage and significant plant hire scale. Overlaps with L&W on general construction plant hire and represents a major scaling/competitive threat.
• Colas Rail: Major UK and international rail infrastructure contractor that self-performs much of its plant and operator needs via in-house fleets. Serves as both a customer and a competitor to L&W on Network Rail schemes.
• Amey: UK infrastructure services provider with a substantial rail division delivering maintenance and renewals. Acts as both principal contractor customer and competitor for L&W's hire and operator services.
• Balfour Beatty Rail: One of the largest UK rail infrastructure contractors, operating its own rail plant and workforce for major Network Rail schemes. Engages L&W as a supplier while also representing the in-house model L&W competes against.
• Brandon Hire Station: UK national plant and tool hire chain competing with L&W's general plant hire business across commercial and construction customers. Broader portfolio and reach, but limited rail-specific capabilities.

Direct peers

• Quattro Group: UK-based plant hire and rail logistics specialist offering road-rail vehicles, operators, and transport across the rail sector. Most directly comparable to L&W in service mix and target customer base (Network Rail / principal contractors).
• Pod-Trak Group: Specialist UK rail plant and on-track machine provider supplying road-rail excavators, dumpers, and operators to Network Rail and its tier-1 contractors. Overlaps with L&W on road-rail plant hire, attachments, and operator provision.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LWcontractors
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about L & W Contractors