Well-known English dealer RW Crawford has relocated to a £3 million purpose-built depot at Writtle, on the outskirts of Chelmsford, Essex, in order to strengthen its commitment to customers and staff.
“We are a very service-oriented business and have built a reputation for delivering excellent customer service and support,” said managing director Wes Crawford.
The business was previously located at South Woodham Ferrers; however, a lack of space and facilities limited the expansion possibilities of the growing company.
“We had simply outgrown South Woodham and the location didn’t offer any opportunity to grow,” said Crawford.
“So we’ve been looking for 15 years for a chance to redevelop our Essex operation, and ultimately to own our site and premises,” he added.
After a four-year designing process the new depot was erected on a three-acre greenfield site at a cost of £3 million. The building boasts a footprint of 1,765m²; of which over 800m² are allocated to a six-bay workshop.
The new workshop has space for 12 tractors and is tall enough to house combine harvesters, the workshop also offers room to support neighbouring Writtle University’s engineering department.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Writtle University, and our new premises also provides an opportunity to further the education and development of young engineers,” said Crawford.
A recent open day at the new facilities saw just under 1,000 visitors pass through the gates of the operation.
Visitors were provided with the opportunity to see the larger showroom with extensive product lines, plus a larger stores and spare parts operation that is contained over two floors.
With 32 staff at Crawford’s Writtle depot and 15 mobile technicians, the Essex business is now well-placed to build on what Bob Crawford started almost 40 years ago.
“I like a challenge, I thoroughly enjoy the diversity that agriculture offers, and I enjoy looking after our customers,” said Crawford.
“It’s all down to fantastic teamwork and a trusted partnership between Crawfords and its customers.”
