For over four decades, Ellis Crane Hire has built a reputation for providing reliable, professional crane hire services throughout Gloucestershire and beyond. Since Bill and Irene Ellis established the business in 1982, the company has grown through hard work, strong family values and a commitment to putting customers first – principles that remain at the heart of Ellis Crane Hire today.
In October 2025, Ellis Crane Hire officially became part of Tiaki Holdings Group, joining fellow crane hire specialist Dewsbury & Proud. While this marked a significant new chapter for the business, the relationship between the two companies stretches back many years. Founded in 1977 by Anthony Proud and Jeremy Dewsbury, Dewsbury & Proud has grown into one of the Midlands’ leading crane hire and lifting specialists, while Ellis Crane Hire, established less than a decade later, built an equally respected reputation throughout Gloucestershire and the South West.
Long before the businesses officially joined forces, the Ellis and Proud families had developed a close relationship through their shared passion for the crane hire industry, regularly working together, supporting one another and building a mutual respect that has spanned decades. With similar family roots, values and approaches to customer service, bringing the two businesses together was a natural progression of a relationship built over many years.
Although ownership has changed, Ellis Crane Hire remains very much the business our customers know and trust. Our blue and white colours remain the same, our Gloucester depot remains the same and, most importantly, our people remain the same.
The existing team continues to work throughout the business, maintaining the experience, local knowledge and familiar service our customers have come to rely on. Simon Ellis also remains actively involved as a Director, having been part of Ellis Crane Hire for 40 years. His continued involvement provides an important link between the company’s heritage and its future, helping to maintain continuity as Ellis Crane Hire enters its next stage of development.
For our customers, becoming part of Tiaki Holdings Group brings the best of both worlds: the personal service, local knowledge and responsive approach associated with Ellis Crane Hire, supported by the resources and capabilities of a much larger organisation.
Together, Ellis Crane Hire and Dewsbury & Proud now form one of the largest independent crane hire operations in the UK and Ireland, ranking as the seventh-largest crane rental group.
This increased scale gives our customers access to a much broader range of equipment. Alongside the existing Ellis fleet, we can now draw upon a wider fleet of all-terrain cranes, mini cranes, spider cranes, tracked carriers, lorry loaders, truck-mounted cranes and other specialist lifting equipment from across the group. New equipment is also being introduced into our Gloucester operation, providing even greater choice, flexibility and availability for future projects.
The partnership is also creating opportunities to further strengthen our operational standards. Supported by the experience and established processes already in place across the wider group, Ellis Crane Hire has achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification and is progressing towards additional industry accreditations, management systems and recognised standards.
But this next chapter is about more than expanding our fleet and capabilities – it is also about bringing people together.
Shortly after the acquisition, employees from Ellis Crane Hire and Dewsbury & Proud came together in Gloucester for an introductory meeting. It provided an opportunity for colleagues to meet, share experiences, ask questions and learn more about the wider organisation. It also highlighted just how much the two businesses have in common, with similar cultures, values and ambitions for the future.
“Ellis Crane Hire has always been built around its people, its customers and providing a service we can be proud of. Becoming part of the Tiaki Holdings Group gives us the opportunity to build on everything we have established over the years while retaining the identity, values and personal approach that have always been important to us. The relationship between Ellis Crane Hire and Dewsbury & Proud goes back many years, and it’s exciting to see the two teams coming together. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve as we take Ellis Crane Hire into its next chapter.”
– Simon Ellis
Being part of the wider group also opens up new opportunities for our employees, with access to additional training, increased support and enhanced career development pathways. By investing in our people, we can continue developing the skills and expertise needed to support the business for years to come.
Alongside this investment, we are working towards ambitious sustainability and social value objectives. Drawing on knowledge and experience from across the group will help us strengthen our environmental performance, community engagement and responsible business practices as the expectations of our customers and the wider industry continue to evolve.
Ultimately, becoming part of Tiaki Holdings Group is not about changing what makes Ellis Crane Hire successful. It is about building on the foundations established by the Ellis family and giving the business, its people and its customers even more opportunities for the future.
Our customers will continue to work with the same dedicated team and receive the same personal, dependable service they have come to expect – now supported by a larger fleet, greater resources and expertise from across the wider group.
As we look to the future, we would like to thank our customers, suppliers, employees and industry partners for their continued support.
The Ellis Crane Hire story is far from over. This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, and we look forward to sharing it with you.
