Kenward & Son | Tip N Lift – 17 m Reach Lorry Solution for Stonemasons

“It’s exceeded all our expectations. It has changed how we operate day-to-day.”

Tip N Lift Provide the Technology to Help Kenward & Son Innovate.

Trading for nearly 150 years, Kenward & Son is a family-run stonemasonry business serving London and Home Counties. With four offices across the region, Managing Director Alex Batt is keen to drive what is typically a traditional industry to one that continues to show innovation through creative thinking and new technology.

The customer base for Kenward & Son ranges from dealing directly with bereaved families, a strong network of independent funeral directors as well as many of the local authorities and councils in and around the capital. The scope of their work covers designing and installing new memorials, but they also work on projects which involve the removal of memorials from cemeteries for maintenance and repair before re-instating them afterwards.

As part of their innovation drive, Alex approached Tip N Lift back in 2022 as they were seeing a number of potential issues in their operations which meant they needed to rethink some of their processes.

Firstly, access within cemeteries is not always straight forward and needing to move heavy memorials weighing up to a tonne was both manual and time consuming. Equally their existing transport only consisted of a 3.5 tonne vans or the use of small cranes.

Having looked at some new options, Alex contacted Tip N Lift and was instantly impressed with the level of attention and care he received for his enquiry. Alex admits he was a complete novice to lorries but after providing some specifications to Tip N Lift, they were able to engineer a solution which specifically met their needs.

This included a lifting capacity of one tonne but also a reach of 17 metres so the lorry could be parked and positioned in an easy to find spot but still access the memorial locations easily and without disruption to the public.

Moving from small vans to a customised lorry was a significant investment for Kenward & Son and was their first transition to heavy vehicle operations. They needed peace of mind from a supplier that they could understand what they required but also design and create a solution which would be long-lasting and not need changing after a few years.

“It was the classic case that we knew what we needed in terms of basic specification but not how to bring that idea to reality,” said Alex. “We did some research, and reached out to a few suppliers, but it was Tom and Pete at Tip N Lift who really earned our trust. Their expertise as well as attention to detail shone through”.

The vehicle was delivered in 2022 and since its introduction, has revolutionised the way Kenward & Son can work on site. A physically demanding and time-consuming process which could include manually moving memorials across uneven ground—has now become a smooth, mechanised task.

As well as on-site benefits, the vehicle also allows for plenty of improvements off-site too. The memorials are now easier to assemble in the workshop and benefit from a higher level of quality checks before being delivered. This combines a better experience for customers but also improved working methods for employees.

Tip N Lift prides itself on the full customer experience from initial enquiry; through to delivery of the vehicle and even after with its leading aftercare and support. This is something that Alex found of significant importance to his business.