Back around the time when punk rock was on its way out and Margaret Thatcher was on her way in, a lot of digging on building sites was still done by hand, excavators were quite expensive and too big to fit through a standard doorway.

David John who ran a family engineering firm in Wales recognised the potential and reckoned that if you could make a really small and very portable digger at the right price, small builders would queue up to buy them.

John who had worked as a designer with plant manufacturer Hymac designed a machine that was both very compact and mounted on wheels, which was not only cheap but also allowed the machine to be towed behind a pick up or even a family car without the need for a trailer.

In 1981 together with his three brothers John launched a business which he called Powerfab to make and distribute these machines.

And John was right the concept took off not just in the UK but around the world. Selling machines to diverse markets from banana plantations to nuclear power plants the firm grew and in its heyday employed 50 people before being sold and discontinued in 2005. And now-phoenix like-Powerfab is back.


The Powerfab name suddenly moribund became available and David John's son Nathan decided to re-register it and revive the brand. With new fire in the dragons belly in the form of innovations and investment Nathan John has made and distributed excavators and loaders in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Now after significant in house trials and testing, a product proven in the field, a patent pending and a host of Unique Selling Points, Powerfab are seeking to sell the manufacturing licence for their product with the largest market opportunity... The Groundsman.

The Groundsman is a 4WD or tracked mini excavator. It has cost saving patents pending that offers significant change and questions conventional tracked mini excavators dominance. Independent in depth research puts the maket size for this product at thousands per annum. These sort of quantities means that it is too large for Powerfabs manufacturing capacity and rather than tool up Powerfab has decided to seek a manufacturer who already has the capacity and a foothold in the market, a company perhaps already attending similar exhibitions. This will leave Powerfab to do what it does best and Research and Develop new concepts whilst also manufacturing their existing walking micro excavator.

The manufacturing licence will suit a company wants to grow and diversify by expanding its product line to take up excess manufacturing or marketing capacity, level out seasonal highs and lows, or simply add to profitability with a proven product. Companies that may not have the internal skills, time, or money to develop their own new products. Powerfab will offer full ongoing support and asks interested parties to please initially contact by email.