UK: In mid-December a court appointed administrators to Clayton Equipment, initiating insolvency proceedings that could lead to a company restructuring.
Clayton Equipment, with its facility in Burton-upon-Trent, was established in 1931. The firm began producing shunting locomotives in 1946 and has delivered more than 3,500 units to over 60 countries in its history.
The latest published accounts for the 2023015–24 financial year showed a loss of just over £1 mln (€1.2 mln). Staff numbers fell from 46 to 40 over the same period, and the company has offered no comment on the administration.
Clayton Equipment’s current portfolio includes shunters with battery-electric, Stage V diesel, hybrid (battery-diesel), third-rail or overhead line powertrains. Power outputs span 97–566 kW, with tractive efforts of 29–331 kN and weights of 12–135 t.
