Econ Engineering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Company type | Limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Commercial vehicle body builders |
| Founded | 1959, Otley, West Yorkshire |
| Headquarters | Ripon, North Yorkshire, UK |
| Products | Salt spreaders, Road Menders, Tippers, Unibodies, Hotboxes |
Number of employees | 200+ |
| Website | www.econ.uk.com |
Econ Engineering Limited is the UK's largest manufacturer of winter and road maintenance vehicle bodies, founded as a supplier of agricultural equipment under the name of Agriquipment Ltd on 9 December 1959 by W. George Lupton in Otley, West Yorkshire.[1] As of December 2021, they produce more than 85 per cent of the UK's winter service vehicles, leasing them to councils and highway authorities.[2]
The first Econ prototype salt spreader was finished in 1970 and the machines were launched at the 1972 IWM exhibition in Torquay.[3] The name Econ comes from a Bradford-based company who manufactured industrial heating units called “Econoheat” bought by WG Lupton to balance production whilst developing the salt spreaders.
Econ Engineering manufacture all of their machinery at a custom-built site on the outskirts of Ripon, North Yorkshire, constructed in 1980.[4] In January 2022, Econ reported a turnover of over £40m, boosted by continued investment in the business including satellite facilities in Alloa, Scotland and Cardiff, Wales.[5] This was followed by the opening of a new service site in Sowerby, Thirsk in April 2022. Equipped with 24 service bays, the site cost £7m, with Highways Magazine calling it 'a tour de force of productive investment'.[6] Sustainability was a priority at the site, which has 114 solar panels, LED motion-sensored lighting and a water recycling system.[7]
