Ayrshire Businesses Growing Together
Where heritage meets fresh creative thinking.
When Paul McCormack, Managing Director of Blackwood Plant Hire, began working with George Glen, Founder and Client Director of Axia Create, the brief was not simply to build a new website. It was to help tell the story of a long-established Ayrshire business entering its next stage of growth.
That story has become even more meaningful this year, with both businesses recognised by Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce. Blackwood Plant Hire has been nominated for Ayrshire’s Growth Business of the Year Award, 51 employees or more, one of the biggest categories of the night. Axia Create has also been nominated for Start-Up Business of the Year, marking a significant first year for George and the Ayrshire-based brand, web and marketing agency.
For Blackwood, the project came at an important point in the company’s journey. Established in 1960 and headquartered in Stewarton, Blackwood has grown into one of Scotland’s most trusted plant hire, training and support businesses. With over 220 employees, a fleet of more than 500 machines and depots serving Ayrshire, the Central Belt, Nairn, Inverurie and the wider north of Scotland, the company has become a major name in the construction, civil engineering, infrastructure and rail sectors.
The growth of Blackwood’s northern depots has been a major part of that story. By expanding into Nairn and Inverurie, the business has strengthened its ability to support existing customers locally while opening new opportunities across the Highlands, Aberdeenshire and the wider north of Scotland. It is a practical example of Blackwood’s growth strategy in action: investing where customer demand exists, building local support, and maintaining the same service standards that helped establish the business in Ayrshire.
For Axia, the opportunity was to support a business with real scale, strong values and a powerful story to tell. The work began with brand development, helping Blackwood communicate more clearly what makes the business different. The result was a stronger focus around three simple words: People. Plant. Performance.
Those words became the foundation for the wider project. People reflect Blackwood’s experienced workforce, long-serving team members and commitment to developing the next generation through Blackwood Training Academy. Plant represents the strength of the fleet, ongoing investment in modern machines and specialist equipment, and the ability to support customers across Scotland. Performance brings together Blackwood’s service standards, customer focus, digital systems and safety-led approach.
The new website was then built around that positioning. Axia worked closely with Blackwood to structure the site, refine the messaging and create a clearer digital platform for customers, suppliers, operators and future employees. The aim was not to make Blackwood look like something it was not. It was to make the company easier to understand, easier to navigate and easier to engage with.
Alongside the website, Axia supported Blackwood with a wider marketing strategy including copywriting, social media direction, SEO thinking, recruitment messaging, client brochures, award submissions and campaign planning. The work also connected closely with Taylor McInroy at Ayrshire Film Company, Axia’s video production partner, which helped bring the Blackwood story to life through photography and video.
Video has become a key part of the partnership. Blackwood’s latest company film captures the scale of the business, but also the people behind it. For a company built on operators, depot teams, engineers, account managers and leadership, that human side matters. The film gives customers and future employees a stronger sense of who Blackwood are, not just what they hire.
The collaboration also reflects how both businesses are growing in different ways. Blackwood has achieved significant turnover growth in recent years, supported by investment in people, fleet, training, safety systems and northern expansion. Axia, still in its first year, has built momentum by working with ambitious organisations that need clear thinking, strong design and commercially focused marketing.
Digital innovation has been another major part of the Blackwood story. Systems such as Safety Shield, Hiboo, QR code machine solutions and improved internal communication tools are helping improve safety, visibility, reporting and customer confidence. For Axia, the challenge was to communicate that innovation in a way that felt practical and relevant, rather than overly technical.
That balance has shaped the full project. Blackwood brought the heritage, scale, ambition and trust. Axia brought the brand thinking, digital structure, content strategy and creative direction. Ayrshire Film Company added the visual storytelling needed to capture the business properly.
At its heart, this is a partnership between an established Ayrshire success story and a new Ayrshire agency working hard to build its own. Both businesses are nominated by the Chamber this year, but at very different stages: Blackwood for sustained growth at scale, and Axia for early-stage impact and ambition.
Together, the work shows what can happen when Ayrshire businesses invest in one another. For Paul and the Blackwood team, it has helped communicate the company’s next chapter with more clarity, confidence and consistency. For George and Axia, it has been an opportunity to support a major local brand with values that closely reflect its own: hard working, high standards, and focused on long-term growth.
