Products Used vehicles New vehicles Hire Service Careers News About Contact Us ABOUT ECON Customers are at the heart of our business Econ Engineering is a market leading, 2nd generation engineering manufacturer, we build a range of vehicles each year that have been specifically designed to meet the needs of the winter and highway maintenance sector. Our range of gritters, road mending, multipurpose and swap body (demountable) vehicles can be seen at work on many highways across the UK, throughout the year. Learn more about Econ: Careers Setting the standards Sectors Case studies Accreditations & affiliations History Econ vintage museum Company background Our expertise With extensive knowledge of the UK highways market, Econ are renowned for our innovation, tailor made products and a customer service culture that is 2nd to none. Being able to adapt our products to accommodate customer requirements requires a level of flexibility that not all businesses can achieve. But as Econ design and build all of our components from the chassis up using flat metal which is cut and crafted into each finished vehicle, we are able to tailor make and adapt products ‘on demand’. Our centres This extends beyond the factory through every aspect of the Econ business. From our Sales Team who partner customers to spec and choose the right combination of features to best serve their particular tasks; our Design Engineers who ‘figure out’ how to meet these requirements; the Support Team who ‘manage’ the scheduled or ad hoc service requests for either the hire fleet, contract maintenance or customers own fleet and the Mobile or Service Hub Engineers who undertake’ these tasks; customers continue to commend us on our can ‘do approach’ to getting the ‘job done well’. Our vision and proposition Our customer first approach is at the cornerstone of every business decision, and over the years we have adapted to market conditions to innovate our service and product range with you in mind. Starting with the diversification into the highways market, with our first gritter built in the early 70’s on the desire to improve the efficiency of road clearing after Britain suffered a series of bad winters. And the introduction of a hire division that was born out of a need for customers to continue to clear their growing road networks with less money after a budget freeze back in the late 90’s and the subsequent introduction of “on lease“ payment terms that reflect customer budget phasing for winter vehicles. This flexible, adaptive and innovative customer first approach to business has served us well for the last 50 years and hopefully will do so for many years to come, with the support of our staff and the 3rd generation of Lupton’s becoming part of our business. Our management team Sustainability Econ Mission Our company’s foundation is built on our values, which distinguish us and guide our actions. We conduct our business in a socially responsible and ethical manner. We respect the law, support universal human rights, protect the environment and benefit the communities where we work Business Strategy ECON put customers at the heart of our business. Our customers continually strive to create more sustainable operations, and we seek to enable this through the products that we provide. As an ethical company, who manufacture motorised vehicles for the winter market, we are extremely aware of the impact of global warming on the environment. We have had to modify our business to develop more multi functioning vehicles as the winters have become less harsh and customers managing certain geographical areas or urban environments have less demand for stand alone gritters. We take our impact on the environment seriously which is evidenced by our continual investment in sustainable measures to offset and reduce this. Sustainability is therefore a business imperative for Econ. Whilst we are working with partners to develop a viable sustainable vehicle for this sector – we focus our efforts on making our manufacturing as sustainable as possible, helping our customers to make smarter choices with regards to donor vehicles that meet or exceed the future Government directives for carbon emissions. Econ Sustainability Approach ECON strive towards carbon neutrality in the manufacture and development of sustainable highway maintenance vehicles. As a manufacturing business, Econ have unavoidably high levels of power consumption and are continually reviewing our carbon footprint as part of an over-arching Environmental policy. This policy is in line with the UK Government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 and the Renewable Energy Directive target of generating 15% of UK energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. Our Power & Carbon Achievements We take our environmental credentials very seriously and are committed to ensuring we work in the most environmentally way possible. We have invested over £4M in sustainable measures and infrastructure development since 2015, to reduce carbon and energy consumption where possible. In the last financial year, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 1587 tonnes in power reductions and 274 tonnes with localised service centres. As a result of ‘material optimisation’, upto 83% of waste materials have been re-used and landfill reduced by 18%. 800 solar panels on our factory roof, will generate 15% of our power from renewable sources and offsets 62.5 tonnes of carbon. Our third laser cutting machine promises 600% greater yield for 51% less electricity, saving approximately 41.41 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere. 2 strategically placed service hubs, reduced distance travelled for maintenance, saving 154 tonnes of carbon pa. A bespoke lighter ‘on demand’ vehicle operation system developed with DAF, makes the vehicle 5% more efficient in fuel and carbon emissions, saving 10 tonnes of carbon pa. Movement sensing lower energy lights save 109 tonnes of carbon pa and provide a far brighter and safer work environment. Our strategy is paying off. During the last 3 years, whilst outputs have increased by 19%, for only an 8% increase in electricity, we have burned 15% less carbon and provided 15% of energy from renewable source. We are proud of our efforts so far, but we realise there is still more work to be done. We are committed to using any savings created in a continuous program of sustainable development, to further reduce our consumption or carbon output and have a long term vision for sustainability. We are forming collaborations to develop more sustainable winter maintenance vehicles in the future. In the meantime, the most effective way to reduce our environmental impact is to: Invest in the ongoing development of energy saving measures within the manufacturing processes Reduce carbon outputs through the supply chain Convert to low or no emission vehicles wherever possible Optimise salt distribution for winter clearing to reduce erosion We work within the 3 core pillars of the sustainability framework, to Regenerate, Restore, Reduce. You can read more about the work that we have undertaken so far here. Legislation We currently work within ISO 9001 and are working towards ISO 14000 We anticipate and contribute to the development of new legislation and standards, specifically around the type and application of de-icers to reduce unnecessary erosion. Land Use Take account of environment issues in its approach to the control in respect of land use on these premises and adjacent local habitat. Water Use Introduce water management systems whenever practicable, taking full account of ground water protection and discharge. Apprenticeships Econ actively seek to invest in the future by employing the youth of today. Econ offers a diverse range of career paths for individuals with modern apprentice placements Future Sustainability As a 2nd generation family run business with 3rd generation in training. We are committed to the ongoing development of our products to meet the changing and growing needs of our customers, and as such we have a recurring investment in product development to help keep ahead of changes in legislation and operating practice. We are systematically changing to more carbon neutral, environmentally friendly products, by designing new salt and brine distribution systems and working with partners who can help us to develop viable alternative fuel sourced vehicles. In the meantime, we are working with the same partners to improve the efficiencies of the existing systems. We have just launched a new pedestrian and cycle path sprayer, which will help our customers/councils to meet their obligations to protect and increase the number of non motorised commutes over the next 5 years. We plan to upgrade our renewable energy sources when we achieve payback on the solar panels, and we will continue to replace equipment with more energy efficient versions as they become due for renewal. With a strong leadership team, who are committed to our business aims for customer first, sustainable and ethical practice, we are confident that we will continue to improve our sustainable credentials in the future. Local community Local groups Econ Engineering supports community groups such as Young Farmers Clubs, colleges and clubs with visits to our factory site in Ripon. The factory visit explains the history of Econ, a visit to our museum containing historical equipment manufactured over the years by Econ and a tour of the existing site with live demonstrations of the modern technology that has been introduced such as our laser cutter. These visits are led by members of the existing Econ team who provide information on the career opportunities that exist in an organization of our type. Local employment opportunities Econ Engineering has a long standing and loyal workforce with many employees, including the owners, working their way up through the business who now form part of the senior management team. Of course, natural wastage such as retirement means we are always seeking candidates to fill various posts and offer a diverse range of opportunities for both skilled and unskilled. Supporting local events Econ Engineering have a long history of supporting local charitable causes that are important to our staff, such as the Thirsk Harriers, supporting YMCA fundraising events and are a business funder for St Michael’s Hospice Want to join our community There is a vibrant energy at Econ. We are always looking for good people who want to lead, advance and enhance our business. Check out the latest vacancies or job roles that we typically recruit into, here at Econ in our Careers section. Apply online for any that you feel fit your skills and experience. We look forward to hearing from you. Econ Extra Products Winter Vehicles Swap Body System Multipurpose Road Patching Contract Maintenance Used gritters and spreaders Service Hire About Setting the standards Sectors Case Studies Accreditations & Affiliations History Econ Vintage Museum Careers News Contact Us Contact us Headquarters Ripon Econ Engineering Ltd. Boroughbridge Road Ripon North Yorkshire HG4 1UE UK Tel: 01765 605321 Fax: 01765 607187 Email: sales@econeng.co.uk Alloa Depot Econ Engineering Ltd. Block 9 Dumyat Business Park Bond Street Tullibody Alloa FK10 2PB Tel: 01259 230350 Fax: 01765 607187 Email: repairs@econeng.co.uk Cardiff Depot Econ Engineering Ltd. 4 Brindley Road Cardiff CF11 8TX Tel: 02922 749907 Fax: 01765 607187 Email: repairs@econeng.co.uk Privacy Policy Quality Policy All correspondence is treated in the strictest of confidence. Company Reg. No. 644062