THE STORY
Storth Ltd: Built on Experience, Driven by Innovation
Founded in 1999 by Chris Richardson and Alan Looker, Storth Ltd has grown into a leading name in slurry management solutions. The company was born of necessity after their previous employer, Malgar, went into administration. Both founders, with decades of experience in the industry, saw an opportunity to carry on the work they were passionate about—developing innovative and practical solutions for the farming community.
Alan had worked with Malgar for 25 years, gaining a wealth of knowledge & experience, ranging from fabrication, installation, parts, and service and becoming a Departmental Manager. Chris, who was with Malgar for 11 years, worked in the installation & service sector. Both of them had gained great experience in the farming industry and operational challenges, as well as the installation and servicing of equipment.
Having bought their first van for Chris to commence servicing the equipment, Alan started fabricating parts for the automatic scraper systems in a small shed in Alan’s dad’s backyard. Soon it was apparent that the service side needed more help, and within the first six months they employed an experienced work colleague who also had 20 years’ experience in the installation and service side of scraper systems. They then had two service vans to keep customers happy, as service is a key factor with automatic scrapers. Soon, customers were asking if they could make a full hydraulic scraper system, as they had all the knowledge of what a system needs to be on the farm and what the farmer wanted. Alan started to design the full hydraulic scraper system in the small workshop, and it was installed locally and then modified and developed to provide the system Storth sells today.
From Local Workshop to Market Leader
Feedback from farmers is an important factor in developing existing and new products, as this helps to continually improve products and services. Research & development of the scraper sector continued, and automatic scrapers, pro rope scrapers and chain scraper systems were added to the range.
Chris soon identified that their scraper system was unique to the marketplace as they had developed a scraper system with no ram box, which none of their competitors had at that time. Chris then travelled all over the UK promoting the unique scraper system and developing business relationships and increasing the customer base. Demand was fantastic, and additional personnel were employed for the workshop. After two years, Storth had a request to manufacture a Lagoon Mixer, which proved a great success as they built it much stronger than available at the time in the market.
Scaling Up for Success
In 2003, both products were taken to the Royal Show and the Royal Welsh Show. The outcome was extremely positive and had a great response to British-manufactured products. This success fueled further growth. By 2004, they had purchased land and built a 75ft x 40ft workshop to meet demand. Alan also designed a new pump product that gained immediate traction in the market.
By 2005, the workshop was doubled in size to 150ft x 40ft, and staff numbers had grown to 12. The momentum was a testament to the dedication of Chris and Alan, who routinely worked 14-hour days, 7 days a week.
Today: A Global Leader in Slurry and Waste Management
The company was moving forward, and this was a result of Chris and Alan’s hard work: 7 days a week and 14-hour days became a regular occurrence. The company continued developing and improving products which we see today, with over 60 products on the market, manufactured across three workshops with a dedicated team of over 60 full-time employees.
The company attends more than 25 exhibitions annually in the UK and abroad. The sales team has grown from just Chris to a team of six experienced professionals, each with extensive agricultural backgrounds. This team supports a growing global dealer network and helps clients with expert advice on waste management across farming, industrial, water, and anaerobic digestion (AD) sectors.
Storth’s products are now exported to multiple countries, including New Zealand & Canada. Sales Director Chris Richardson sees great potential in the export market without losing focus on the UK market, as this is the largest and most important marketplace for Storth. The company would not be here without the support of UK farmers, and without their loyalty to British manufacturers, stories like ours would disappear.
Committed to Quality and Service
Storth continues to invest in research and development, working closely with farmers to improve existing products and create innovative new solutions. Our flexible, quality-driven manufacturing process allows us to meet the evolving needs of modern farmers and contractors.
