Aughton Hire
Aughton Hire provides UK-based test and measurement equipment rental and UKAS-accredited calibration services to engineers, commercial and industrial firms, and utilities customers. Operating for 40+ years from Liverpool as a division of Aughton Automation, it offers short- and long-term hire with nationwide delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersLiverpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aughton Hire does
Aughton Hire (legal name: Aughton Hire & Calibration Services) is a UK-based test and measurement equipment hire and calibration services provider, operating as the test and measurement division of parent company Aughton Automation. Founded in 1984 and headquartered at 115 Evans Road, Venture Point Business Park, Speke, Liverpool, the company rents professional testing instruments across nine categories: calibration, electrical recording, electrical test, environmental monitoring, flow metering, partial discharge detection, portable gas detection, pressure metering, and thermal imaging. The fleet comprises branded instruments from manufacturers including Fluke, Megger, Additel, KATflow, Riken Keiki, Elcometer, Monitran, Seaward, Yokogawa, and Time Electronics, with weekly hire rates ranging from £30 to £595 per week.
The company's principal technical asset is its UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory in Speke, Liverpool, which delivers instrument calibration traceable to UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL) standards. Laboratory capabilities include high-voltage testing up to 60KV AC/DC, pressure calibration from -1Bar to 100Bar, and hydraulic dead weight testing up to 1,200 Bar. Aughton Hire complements hire with new and used equipment sales (used items supplied with 12-month calibration certificates) and supports customers through a nationwide delivery and collection fleet offering next-day service. Compliance credentials include ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, Achilles UVDB Silver Plus, Cyber Essentials, CEMARS Gold, and RoSPA membership.
Revenue is generated through three streams: weekly equipment hire (usage-based pricing), professional calibration services, and one-time equipment sales. Distribution is sales-led via direct telephone, online enquiry forms, and field delivery across the UK. Customers comprise professional engineers, commercial and industrial businesses, and utilities sector firms; EDF Energy has been a customer for over 10 years, with other named logos including GE, Trust, and TR. The company has 101-250 employees, is privately held (no public ticker), and has not raised disclosed external funding. Leadership comprises Technical Director Keith Corcoran and long-tenured customer service representatives Kathy and Roy.
Aughton Hire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aughton Hire
- Legal name
- Aughton Hire & Calibration Services
- Website
- https://aughtonhire.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Aughton Hire provides UK-based test and measurement equipment rental and UKAS-accredited calibration services to engineers, commercial and industrial firms, and utilities customers. Operating for 40+ years from Liverpool as a division of Aughton Automation, it offers short- and long-term hire with nationwide delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aughton Hire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Test and Measurement Equipment Rental
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (8112), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)
- SIC
- Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services) (IMAGAFAH)
Keywords
Where Aughton Hire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liverpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aughton Hire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Equipment Hire: Weekly rental of test and measurement equipment including calibration instruments, electrical test equipment, thermal imaging cameras, and environmental monitoring tools. Minimum hire period of one week with extensions charged pro-rata or at full weekly rates.
- Calibration Services: UKAS accredited instrument calibration and repair services performed in their Speke, Liverpool facilities. The company collects equipment using their fleet of vans and provides calibration certificates traceable to NPL standards.
- Equipment Sales: Sale of new and used test and measurement equipment. Used equipment is function-checked and calibrated, supplied with a 12-month calibration certificate.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Weekly | Weekly equipment hire rates from £30 to £595 per week depending on equipment type |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Aughton Hire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aughton Hire rents test and measurement equipment on a weekly basis to engineers and commercial/industrial businesses across the UK, covering calibration, electrical, thermal imaging, gas detection, flow, pressure, and environmental instruments. The company also delivers UKAS-accredited instrument calibration and repair services from its Speke, Liverpool laboratory, and sells new and used equipment with calibration certificates.
Product overview
Aughton Hire is a UK-based test and measurement equipment hire company established over 40 years ago, offering short and long-term rental of professional testing instruments along with UKAS-accredited calibration services. The product portfolio comprises multiple equipment categories: Calibration Equipment Hire (including Additel dry well calibrators and ADT760-MA pressure calibrators), Electrical Recording Equipment Hire (Fluke power quality analysers and energy loggers), Electrical Test Equipment Hire (oscilloscopes, cable analyzers, insulation testers, relay test systems), Environmental Monitoring Equipment Hire (surface roughness testers, thickness gauges, vibration meters), Flow Metering Equipment Hire (KATflow ultrasonic flowmeters, air velocity meters), Partial Discharge Detection (Fluke ii910 acoustic imagers), Portable Gas Detection (Riken gas monitors), Pressure Metering Equipment Hire (test pumps, pneumatic calibrators), and Thermal Imaging Equipment Hire (Fluke thermal cameras). The company also sells new and used equipment, with calibration services performed in their UKAS-accredited laboratory in Speke, Liverpool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Calibration Equipment Hire
Quantifiable outcome
- Equipment calibrated with traceability to NPL through UKAS accredited laboratories
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Aughton Hire
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aughton Hire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aughton Hire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Aughton Hire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Fluke Corporation: Global manufacturer of professional test and measurement tools (oscilloscopes, multimeters, thermal imagers). A leading equipment supplier to Aughton's hire fleet rather than a competitor, but ecosystem-defining in the T&M category.
- Beamex: Finland-based manufacturer of calibration instruments and integrated calibration software. Not a direct competitor but a key equipment supplier/adjacent ecosystem participant in the calibration category where Aughton provides services.
- Ashtead Group (Sunbelt Rentals): FTSE 100 equipment rental group operating Sunbelt Rentals in the UK and US. A much larger incumbent with broader industrial and specialty rental, including test and measurement categories that overlap with Aughton's offering.
- Megger: UK-based manufacturer of electrical test equipment including insulation testers and cable analyzers. A primary equipment supplier featured prominently in Aughton's hire inventory (Megger LTW425, MIT520/2, TDR2000/3), making it an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Aggreko: Global specialist in temporary power and temperature control equipment rental. Comparable as a UK-headquartered, asset-heavy rental business serving industrial customers, though focused on power generation rather than T&M measurement.
- VP Plc: UK-listed specialist equipment rental group operating multiple hire divisions including test and measurement. Broader portfolio than Aughton, but T&M rental through its specialist divisions creates direct category overlap in the same UK market.
Direct peers
- HSS Hire: UK tool and equipment hire business serving trade and industrial customers with collection/delivery service. Operates an overlapping hire-first model with telephone-led sales and nationwide delivery, comparable to Aughton's direct-sales rental approach.
- Speedy Hire: UK-listed equipment hire company offering tool and industrial equipment rental across construction and industrial sectors. Operates a similar hire-led model with broader category coverage, making it a directly comparable UK rental peer despite larger scale and wider portfolio.
- Trescal: Global calibration services provider with accredited labs across Europe and beyond. Directly comparable as a pure-play accredited calibration operator, though Trescal is significantly larger and does not focus on equipment hire as a primary line.
- Transcat: US-listed calibration services and test/measurement instrument distributor combining accredited calibration, equipment rental, and product sales. Closely comparable to Aughton's hybrid hire + calibration + sales model, though operating primarily in North America.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aughton Hire social profiles
Digital presenceAughton Hire compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Aughton Hire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aughton Hire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Aughton Hire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aughton Hire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aughton Hire
What does Aughton Hire do?
Aughton Hire rents test and measurement equipment on a weekly basis to engineers and commercial/industrial businesses across the UK, covering calibration, electrical, thermal imaging, gas detection, flow, pressure, and environmental instruments. The company also delivers UKAS-accredited instrument calibration and repair services from its Speke, Liverpool laboratory, and sells new and used equipment with calibration certificates.
Is Aughton Hire a public or private company?
Aughton Hire is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Aughton Hire founded?
Aughton Hire was founded in 1984. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Aughton Hire based?
Aughton Hire is headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Aughton Hire make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Equipment Hire is the primary driver. The others are calibration Services and equipment Sales.
Who are Aughton Hire's main competitors?
Others on record are Fluke Corporation, Beamex, Ashtead Group (Sunbelt Rentals) and Megger. Broad incumbents are Aggreko and VP Plc. Direct peers are HSS Hire, Speedy Hire, Trescal and Transcat.
Does Aughton Hire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aughton Hire.
What industry is Aughton Hire in?
Aughton Hire's product category is Test and Measurement Equipment Rental. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAC, Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches), with a secondary code of IMAGAFAH, Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services). Its NAICS code is 54138 and its SIC code is 3825.