“Prior to my retirement four years ago I had been employed for upwards of 17 years by the Denby Pottery Company Ltd, as works manager, then Production Director and latterly as Group Operations Director of the Denby Group Plc. Not unnaturally, in those roles, I was ultimately responsible for the purchase of capital plant and equipment, both new and second-hand, and also for the disposal of any such equipment. I had therefore, dealt with Robert Stanley and his company, Pebblevale Ltd, on a number of occasions, particularly during the 1990s as just one of a number of companies trading in surplus plant. During that period I always found Robert to be straightforward, fair and both effective and efficient in sourcing any specific items which we might have been interested in. Items that we did purchase were invariably fit for purpose and in the condition that he had described them.
Post 1996 Denby had acquired a small specialist bone china mug manufacturing business, Wren Giftware, which operated out of two premises in Longton and Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. By 1998, in an increasingly difficult and competitive market, we decided that this business was no longer on-strategy, and resolved to dispose of it. After concluding a successful sale of the business to one of the major Stoke Potters we were left with the need to clear the majority of the equipment from both sites, this comprising in the main:
- Casting slip blungers, arcs, magnets and sieves
- Conveyor belt operated semi-automatic casting plants
- Handle casting machines
- Overhead swing tray dryers
- Shuttle kilns
- Vibro-energy mills
- Decorating belts
- Various ancillary equipment
After arranging a “beauty parade” of suitable factory clearance specialists I eventually awarded the contract to Pebblevale, on the strength of those previous experiences. In the event they succeeded not only in disposing of the whole lot within the timescale which we had specified, but equally importantly, realizing very close to the values which they had indicated as reasonably achievable from the outset. During the whole process Robert remained in regular communication to update me on the progress.
I have, therefore, no hesitation in recommending Pebblevale for this sort of work.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Booth”
