Equipped for all types of jobs and weather within the fencing industry is Jim Mackay, who has been running his business for over a decade.
Having started out as a sole trader in 2012, the business become a Limited company in February, 2017.
The small team now consists of Jim and his wife, Ashley and two full time staff members, which are always looking to add the next person to the team.
Mainly covering the Central Belt of Scotland, the business also travels far and wide for some jobs.
How did you get started in fencing?
I always knew I wanted to run my own business, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.
I had always helped the fencer who came to work on our home farm when he came to fence and when I was 18, I was asked to fix a fence for a turf company that I was working for. I seemed to have done a good job and so they next asked me to do a new fence for them.
I enjoyed doing it and I was keen to work with my hands and not just always drive a tractor, so I decided to buy a post knocker and I was lucky enough to put it on my dad’s tractor.
It grew from there. The first chapper barely lasted the year and I was starting to grow the business, so I knew I had to invest in a machine that could handle working every day and that’s when I bought my first Bryce post knocker for the tractor, with a rock spike and from there it really took off and I could take on larger contracts.
What did you do in order to grow the business?
We worked hard to grow our plant and focused on efficiency through continual improvement so that we could keep our day-to-day costs as low as possible. That ensured we were competitive enough to win larger contracts.
A list of services you supply?
We mainly focus on fencing, however our work can vary.
Our repeat customers can ask for additional services, such as hard standings, roads, hedge cutting and general digger works to complete projects which we always try to fulfil for them.
What type of fencing are you undertaking?
We fence all types of fences – forestry, stock, security and temporary – so we have a good balance between stock and forestry fencing mainly.
What keeps you busiest throughout the year?
We tend to see more stock fencing in summer and forestry fencing during winter.
Most profitable jobs?
Security fencing and site works.
What kind of kit are you using?
We have two outstanding Bryce Suma tracked machines, one of which is ideal for crossing extremely soft boggy ground and carrying loads of materials. That is ideal for our forestry and large hill fencing work.
The other machine covers most of our stock fencing where we come across a lot of hard rock etc. With both machines we can put strainers in anywhere, which means there is no time wasted doing it the old-fashioned way.
We have a six-tonne Takeuchi digger which will take on larger jobs to be efficient and keep the post chappers moving at all times by removing obstacles and clearing fence lines. We also use this to roll out our wire and tension when doing forestry fencing.
How much fencing are you able to do in a week?
This varies greatly and is dependent on ground conditions and length of fencing and any other challenges we come across.
However, most recently we averaged more than 500m of deer fencing per day on a large forestry contract, totalling 4250m. Stock fencing is a lot slower due to more obstacles like dykes, more gates, around troughs and keeping the fence to the line especially when doing march fences!
How important are your staff to the business?
Our staff are very important to us as fencing in all conditions can be a hard job at times.
When we started out, we just had a post chapper and a tractor, which was hard going and wasn’t efficient. Now, by having the top of the range machinery, this helps make the job as easy as possible for our staff meaning a top quality job and competitive price for our customers.
How brand loyal are you and which dealerships do you mainly use?
We are loyal. We wouldn’t have any other chappers than Bryce and we love to use Tornado wire for great British quality.
How has the price of inputs affected your business?
Unfortunately, the increasing price of materials in the recent years has been tough to pass onto our customers.
However, it has strengthened our relationships as we have worked hard on transparency of where the price increases come from and have managed to work together to forecast further ahead by holding more stock to try to keep the price consistent for the customer.
How does the weather impact the job?
We are not often affected by weather as we have kit for all weather and all terrain which ensures we are able to fence all year round.
Our auger and rock spike have never seen us beat on hard ground and as fencer, it’s in our nature to like a good challenge.
What advice would you give to a new fencer starting out?
Take all the repair jobs you can, it builds your experience and can lead to larger jobs in the future if you do a good, tidy job.
Key threats to fencing?
The costs need to remain sustainable for business, especially the price of materials, fuel and other operations.
We are continually trying to improve our efficiency to keep costs low for the customer, but that’s not always possible.
But, with the increasing challenges farmers are facing, there will be a good cost:benefit ratio for stock fencing.
What changes have you seen over the years?
Our customers are focused on choosing first class workmanship and quality materials, and there is continual improvements from suppliers to improve the quality of the materials they are supplying as they know we want to push for materials that will last.
Problems within the industry?
Poor craftsmanship and low grade timber can often see us attending jobs to fix, or replace previous trader’s work. This can have a negative reputation for fencers out there who are working hard to create a solid fence and not take shortcuts.
Best and worst bits of fencing?
The best bits would be the visual satisfaction when a job is complete, to stand back and admire the view and appreciate a good piece of work complete that will stand there for years to come.
When I go on holidays with my family, I drive my wife nuts by saying ‘look that fence over there ... I did that!’ when really she’s interested in the scenery, not a fence or my thoughts of a masterpiece.
However, the downside has to be keeping up with the paperwork. It is definitely not my forte.
How are you future-proofing your business?
Working hard to deliver customer satisfaction every day – we are focused on optimising fencing that’s our passion.
Any concerns about the future of the industry that you service?
The support needs to be there that farmers require to continue to make their business feasible and still require fencing.
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