When Robert Veitch, Managing Director of Ve‑Tech Concrete, talks about machinery, farming, or construction, he speaks with the calm clarity of someone who has built a business with his own hands and with the help of a fleet of telehandlers that have gradually become the backbone to everything he does.
Back in 2005, Robert was milking 75 dairy cows on around 300 acres. Today, that herd has grown to around 250, but the real transformation has been in the business that emerged from a simple need to lift steel and feed cattle more efficiently.
One Telehandler, Two Jobs, and a Turning Point
Robert’s first encounter with Merlo came when he hired a telehandler for construction work on a shed. That experience quickly turned into the purchase of his first machine, a Merlo P34.10, bought in 2005.
In those early days, the P34.10 started each morning on the dairy unit, feeding cows and handling materials, before heading out in the afternoon to support the growing number of shed‑building jobs Robert was taking on. The rhythm became routine - farm work first, construction work second.
“It wasn’t planned,” Robert recalls, “But once we had the machine, we realised what we could actually do with it.”
The Stabilised Machine That Changed the Trajectory
As the shed‑erection work grew, Robert recognised the need for more reach, more stability, and more precision. In 2007, he bought what he still describes as the true turning point: a Merlo P38.14 - the predecessor to today’s P40.14 stabilised models.
“That was the machine that changed everything,” he says. “Stable, fast, precise - a game changer.”
With stabilisers deployed, the machine could safely lift heavier steel sections, reach higher into rooflines, and work with a confidence that fundamentally changed Ve‑Tech’s capabilities. From that moment, construction moved from being a part‑time sideline and became the core of the business.
As Ve‑Tech’s workload expanded, so did its machinery. By 2010 the business was well beyond single‑machine operations, and today the fleet reflects both the scale and the diversity of the company.
Ve‑Tech now runs six stabilised telehandlers for construction operations, supported by two TF42.7 medium‑capacity farm handlers, each offering a 4.2‑tonne lift capacity and seven‑metre reach - machines that suit the daily demands of a modern dairy unit while remaining capable on mixed‑use sites.
Over time, Ve-Tech gradually upgraded into Merlo’s current stabilised range and today operates a fleet of Merlo P40.13PLUS and 40.14PLUS machines – direct descendants of that first pivotal P38.14. The P40.14PLUS delivers a 4-tonne lift capacity and a 13.5‑metre reach, the closely related P40.13PLUS offers similar load capacity with a slightly smaller overall footprint, a reduced tyre profile, similar lift capacity and one metre less lift height.
Both machines share features that have become essential to Ve-Tech’s steel-erection work – particularly boom side shift, a function Robert rates highly:
“The boom side‑shift is one of the best things about the stabilised machines. When you’re positioning steel, that bit of sideways movement saves you so much time - you’re not constantly repositioning the machine. It’s precise, it’s controlled, and it just makes the job more efficient.”
Robert’s PLUS machines also incorporate chassis levelling and Merlo’s full ASCS safety and load‑management system, complete with live digital load charts, automatic attachment recognition, a 10.1‑inch colour display, integrated weighing and operator profiles. Both machines are powered by 116‑hp Perkins engine and a two‑speed hydrostatic transmission, give Ve‑Tech the precision, stability and lifting performance they require
Another Turning Point in Capability: Enter the ROTO
The most transformative addition to the fleet however, may have been the company’s first Merlo ROTO, purchased at the first ever PlantWorx in 2013. The introduction of a rotating telehandler gave Ve‑Tech access to work that traditionally required a crane, adding flexibility and creating a new hire‑with‑operator service.
Robert’s current Roto 70.24 PLUS represents the pinnacle of that capability, combining a seven‑tonne lift, 24‑metre reach, full 360‑degree continuous rotation, advanced stabilisers, a tilting cab, dual hydraulic pumps, and a powerful 170hp FPT engine.
“It does everything we need” says Robert “and often everything everyone else needs too. It’ll do jobs they didn’t think a telehandler could touch.”
A Full Design‑and‑Build Contractor
From those early days, Ve‑Tech has evolved into a fully integrated design‑and‑build business. The company now spans structural steel fabrication, volumetric concrete delivery, and full construction work. Around 75% of its projects remain single‑span agricultural sheds, but the team increasingly handles more complex structures.
With ten volumetric mixers and 40–45 employees, Ve‑Tech can service multiple sites with concrete daily. Robert’s daughter now runs the concrete division, representing the next generation of the business.
A Dealer Relationship Measured in Decades
Behind the machinery story lies a long and trusted partnership with Ramsay & Jackson, Ayrshire’s established Merlo dealer. The dealership has represented Merlo for decades and was central to Ve‑Tech’s adoption of the brand from the very beginning.
When Ramsay & Jackson’s Knowehead Works depot in Mauchline was destroyed by fire in 2022, the company committed to rebuilding and Ve‑Tech was the contractor chosen to build the new premises.
The completed facility officially opened to the public in October 2025, with hundreds attending the launch of the state‑of‑the‑art building. The reopening marked a major milestone for both businesses. Ramsay & Jackson showcased leading brands including Merlo, reinforcing their position as one of Scotland’s key construction and agricultural equipment dealers.
For Ve‑Tech, building the depot symbolised the strength of the partnership: the contractor and the dealer working hand‑in‑hand, each supporting the other’s growth.
Machinery That Built a Business
Robert is candid about the ups and downs of machine ownership – especially through the component‑supply challenges of the early 2020s, but he is clear about why Merlo telehandlers remain at the core of the operation.
“They gave us the ability to work faster, higher, safer,” he says. “In the early days they let us do farm work and construction in the same day. And as the machines improved and the work grew, they helped us expand.”
Final Word
Today Ve‑Tech balances its agricultural heritage with a thriving construction and concrete business, built on stable machines, a trusted dealer, and a willingness to diversify. The telehandlers that once split their days between milking time and steelwork now anchor a full design‑and‑build operation.
As Robert puts it: “We started with one telehandler doing mornings on the farm and afternoons on site. Now the machines are at the heart of everything we build. They’ve helped us grow from a small dairy shed to a full design‑and‑build business, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”
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