An Interview with Robert & Gavin Brown
Pictured above with Colin McVey from Ramsay and Jackson
In the heart of rural Ayrshire, RWHB Ltd stands as one of Scotland’s most capable steel fabrication and building specialists, a company whose growth reflects decades of practical know‑how, community roots, and steady engineering evolution. Officially registered in 2008, the firm’s formal activities include the manufacture of metal structures, engineering design services, and a range of fabrication‑driven construction capabilities.
Beginnings in 1986: A Man, a Digger, and an Idea
The story begins in 1986, when founder Robert Brown purchased his first Caterpillar digger. After ten years of travelling across the UK for construction work, he chose to build a livelihood closer to home – starting with small groundworks jobs and early welding repairs.
“I didn’t want to be living out of a suitcase or driving all over the country,” Robert reflects. “I wanted a life where I could work hard but be home at night.”
As demand grew for groundworks, structural welding and small agricultural sheds, Robert recognised the opportunity to expand into bespoke steel fabrication a capability that would define the company’s future.
A Turning Point: Engineering for Open‑Cast Redevelopment
The company entered a new era during Ayrshire’s boom in open‑cast coal redevelopment. RWHB was commissioned to erect a large steel shed capable of accommodating enormous articulated dump trucks - hulking machines requiring a sheltered space for maintenance and turnaround.
This project marked the first time RWHB worked with a major building kit supplier, purchasing a fully engineered steel structure, adapting it, and erecting it on site. The success of that project opened the door to further building work.
At the same time the team dismantled a much smaller shed from the same site and re‑erected it on their own land, where it remains in use today as part of their operational yard.
“That job changed everything,” Robert says. “It proved we could take on large‑scale steel work and do it well.”
Full‑Circle Evolution: From Buying Kits to Manufacturing Their Own
What makes RWHB’s journey remarkable is how it has come full circle. In the early years, the company relied on purchasing prefabricated building kits from established suppliers. As RWHB grew the business began cutting, welding, painting, galvanising, and assembling entire buildings in‑house.
Today, RWHB erects fewer buildings on site, instead they manufacture and sell complete steel‑building kits nationwide. Every week loads of bespoke steel leave the yard, each building cut and fabricated to precise customer specifications.
Robert says it plainly: “We started off buying kits because that was the only way to take on the big jobs. Now we’re the ones making them. It’s gone full circle.”
From Construction to Fabrication: Two Buildings a Week
The company now employs around 35 people, and includes Robert’s brother Gavin and son Robbie as well as fabricators, welders, steel erectors, designers, draughtsmen, and project managers. Their combined capability allows RWHB to produce around two bespoke steel buildings every week, many shipped directly to contractors as complete kits.
“You don’t build a business like this without good people,” Robert emphasises. “You’ve got to look after your team. They’re the reason we can do the volume we do.”
As the business has grown, its direction has been shaped by both Brown brothers. As shareholders and co‑directors, both Robert and Gavin are closely involved. Hands‑on in daily operations while also driving the strategic decisions that have guided RWHB from the very beginning. As Gavin, who joined his brother almost 30 years ago in in 1997, puts it:
“We’ve both had a say in the direction we’ve taken from early on.”
It’s a genuinely family‑driven structure, where the people making the decisions are the same ones who have built the business with their own hands, ensuring RWHB’s core values stay at the centre of its growth.
Merlo Telehandlers: A Tool That Transformed the Work
Among the tools that have shaped RWHB’s evolution, Merlo telehandlers have become indispensable. In the 23 years, between 2002 and 2025, the company has owned 21 Merlo machines, a testament to their reliability and suitability for steel construction.
Today, the team operate multiple stabilised PLUS models in the 12–17 metre range, including four P40.13PLUS units. These 4‑tonne lift, 12.5m lift height machines are a core part of the RWHB operation, offering the precision and stability required for lifting structural steel.
All their stabilised PLUS machines incorporate boom side shift, chassis levelling and Merlo’s full ASCS safety and load management system, including live digital load charts, automatic attachment recognition, a 10.1‑inch display, integrated weighing and operator profiles. All are powered by 116 hp Perkins engines and two‑speed hydrostatic transmissions, they each deliver the precision, stability and lifting performance RWHB demands.
Robert particularly values the Merlo’s boom side‑shift:
“We’ve tried other makes over the years, but nothing gives us the control a Merlo does - especially the boom side‑shift. When you’re holding a steel beam six or seven metres in the air, a few millimetres matter.”
And as Gavin also points out, the stabiliser legs sit neatly in line with the machine, staying within its footprint rather than sticking out to the sides, meaning RWHB can set up safely in tight areas without losing working space or risking obstruction.
The introduction of the ROTO 50.26PLUS at the end of 2005 marked another step forward for RWHB, particularly for projects requiring significant lift height, reach, and precision. With a 25.9‑metre maximum lift height, 5‑tonne capacity, and full 360‑degree turret rotation, the ROTO 50.26PLUS has opened new possibilities for erecting tall steel frames, accessing complex roof structures, and completing lifts in confined or heavily obstructed areas.
Its advanced stabilisation system works in harmony with Merlo’s ASCS load‑management technology, giving operators complete confidence even at maximum outreach. Operator comfort and visibility are also transformed by the tilting, rotating cab, which allows the operator to maintain clear sightlines and work efficiently from a single set‑up position. This dramatically reduces downtime and eliminates repeated machine movements.
In the early days, RWHB operated Merlo’s heavy lift P101.10, the predecessor to the P120.10. It was used extensively on open‑cast mine sites and was used for maintenance on Europe’s longest conveyor system at the time. Its brutish capacity allowed the team to manoeuvre safely around the challenging site while maintaining full heavy duty lifting performance.
Across projects of every scale, Merlo’s combination of precision handling, exceptional operator visibility, and the trademark boom side‑shift system has proven essential many times over.
RWHB’s long relationship with Merlo is also deeply connected to Ayrshire’s own Merlo stronghold. Ramsay & Jackson, the local dealer with more than 700 Merlo units sold across the region, has been a key partner in keeping the machines running and the projects moving.
As Robert explains:
“Ramsay & Jackson have always backed us. If we’re stuck, they’re on the phone or out on site. You need that kind of support in this line of work.”
Fifteen Years at Dumfries House
One of RWHB’s interesting long‑term commitments has been its extensive work at Dumfries House, a stone’s throw away, where the company has supported the estate’s ongoing programme of restoration, new construction, maintenance, and landscape development for more than fifteen years. Much of the work involves lifting, access and steel placement in tight or sensitive areas where traditional machinery cannot operate.
Merlo telehandlers have been vital here, offering the reach, manoeuvrability and stability needed to work safely around the historic estate.
As Robert puts it:
“Dumfries House is a place where you need the right machine and the right people. The Merlos let us work safely in spots you’d never get near with anything else.”
A Company That Grew Close to Home
From a single Caterpillar digger in 1986 to a major steel‑fabrication operation today, RWHB has grown while staying true to its original values: practical expertise, strong relationships, and building a good life close to home.
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