Midlands-based New England Engineering Ltd is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Originally set up to undertake machinery service, repairs and reconditioning, the company later branched out into machinery dealing which in turn led to asset disposals and auctioneering.

New England’s journey began in 1970 when the company was formed by its four original directors the Turner brothers, Brian Lewthwaite and Ron Hawksford, all qualified engineers. They rented premises in Digbeth, Birmingham at New England Works which is how the company’s name originated.

As the client base and market experience grew and their knowledge of machinery values developed, the business organically grew and followed a natural progression to start branching out into the machinery dealing world, leading to New England becoming recognised as a machinery dealer in its own right as well as a member of both the MDNA and the EAMTM.

The directors then employed Brian Henshall as their first salesman and he was joined in the 1980s by Tom Heath Snr.

Brian Lewthwaite passed away in 1981 and Brian Henshall stepped up as director to continue with the business alongside Ron Hawkesford. Once Ron took retirement a few years later, Tom Heath and Brian Henshall became joint owners of New England.

In 2010 Tom Heath Jnr was brought in to drive the business in a new direction. Having spent time working for an international auctioneer Tom knew the future for industrial and commercial asset disposals was online auctions.

Capitalising on New England’s vast market knowledge and valuation experience, the company has become one of the UK’s fastest growing auctioneers which now attracts disposal projects from blue chip companies, SMEs, private companies and asset-based lenders.

In 2019 Tom Heath Jnr took over ownership of New England and continues to invest in people and technology to ensure they can offer the best possible service to their clients and customers. Throughout its evolution one thing that has remained constant is the company’s reputation for excellent customer service and its core values which in turn have led to constant repeat business and referrals.

The company offers a range of disposal solutions to customers’ asset disposal needs, whether that be single items or complete plants.

Tom Heath Jnr said: “50 years is a real milestone for New England and all involved in its journey should be immensely proud. New England like many other companies has had to be dynamic and evolve to ensure its longevity and is constantly looking at new technology and market trends as it continues to grow — 50 years’ in business proves the value of the company and the reputation it has in its field.

“This year has been exceptionally tough for all businesses, fortunately we have an incredible team who’s loyalty and flexibility has allowed us to continue providing solutions to our clients throughout the Covid-19 situation.”

The New England team have not been able to celebrate their anniversary this year due to lockdown restrictions, but are planning a large event in the spring when Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed.

For more details about New England and the services it can offer, visit the Web site (www.newengland.co.uk).