BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

When James Gordon started out in business in the busy market town of Castle Douglas, in south-west Scotland in 1865, he had little idea about how the company would grow over the next 160 years to become one of the country’s largest and most respected suppliers of construction and agricultural equipment.

James began manufacturing turnip sowers and would eventually expand his range of machines to 74 different items, including ploughs, pulpers, cheese presses and even cow ties. Fifty years later, as the business continued to expand, James decided to retire, selling the company to James and William Montgomerie.

Today, it is still owned by the Montgomerie family and, operating under the name of James Gordon Ltd, with Gordons Agricultural Equipment and Gordons Construction Equipment operating separately within the one business, it has developed into a thriving and rapidly growing concern, as dealers for two of the industry’s biggest manufacturers, Develon (formerly Doosan Construction Equipment) and Dieci Telehandlers.

It was back in 2017 when Gordons Construction Equipment was approached to take on the Develon franchise for Dumfries and Galloway, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.

So successful was that initial partnership that in 2018 the territory was expanded to also cover Central Scotland and just last year, in 2024, the Develon franchise was extended

to take in the whole of Scotland, including Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, Highlands and Inverness-shire, Moray, Orkney, Perth & Kinross, Shetland & the Outer Hebrides and Skye, in addition to the county of Cumbria in Northern England.

Kevin Fraser, Group Sales Director at Gordons, said: “Since expanding our Develon franchise throughout the whole of Scotland, we have received a good response from existing customers - as well as new prospects. There is a high existing population of Develon/Doosan machines in the areas we have taken under our wing.”

Develon, of course, is one of the world’s leading construction, quarry and mining equipment manufacturers. Highly regarded for reliability and quality, Develon’s range of construction machinery ensures that you are not only investing in one of the finest, specialist machines available, you are also buying into world-class customer service and product support.

Develon offers a broad selection of products including crawler and wheeled excavators (with operating weights from 1 to 100 t), wheel loaders (covering capacities from 1.9 to 6.4 m3 ), articulated dump trucks (with maximum payloads up to 41 t), compact wheel loaders (from 3.5 to 5 t), dozers (up to 15 t) and products with alternative power sources.

Gordons Construction Equipment is solely responsible for sales and servicing of the Develon crawler, wheeled and mini/midi excavator, wheel loader, articulated dump truck and attachment range throughout Scotland and Cumbria.

Dieci Telehandlers

Earlier this year, in 2025, the company was also appointed the exclusive construction dealer for Dieci Telehandlers Ltd in Scotland. It’s a partnership that marked a fantastic opportunity to bring world-class telehandlers to customers. From compact models to heavy-duty machines, Dieci’s innovative range is designed to tackle the toughest jobs in construction.

“Partnering with Dieci Telehandlers allows us to offer cutting-edge equipment to our customers across Scotland,” said Kevin Fraser. “With a shared focus on quality and service, we’re looking forward to a strong and successful partnership.”

Kevin Fraser Group Sales Director Gordons Construction Equipment

And adds Managing Director for Dieci Telehandlers Ltd, Henry Nash: “We’re delighted to welcome the team at Gordons Construction to the Dieci network in the UK. Gordons Construction Equipment has a strong reputation for sales, service and parts support to their customer base. We are looking forward to helping increase the number of Dieci users in the area.”

Fast & Efficient Service

As a premier distributor of agricultural and construction equipment in Scotland and Cumbria Gordons Construction Equipment is committed to providing a fast and efficient local service for machinery, attachments and – most importantly – the best possible aftersales support. It operates out of six strategically placed depots at Castle Douglas (HQ), Dumfries, Whauphill, Strathaven, Galston and Carlisle.

The company has five dedicated construction sales representatives, with customers benefitting from a superb on-site service network, covering everything from emergency repairs to routine maintenance. The company’s 12 field based factory-trained engineers have many years of hands-on experience of repairs and servicing of all types of plant and machinery.

"AS A PREMIER DISTRIBUTOR OF AGRICULTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT IN SCOTLAND AND CUMBRIA, GORDONS CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING CUSTOMERS WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE AND SUPPORT."

“We also have three dedicated parts facilities – at Castle Douglas, Strathaven and Carlisle – as well as a courier service providing direct deliveries to the customer’s own premises,” says Kevin.

Expanding Customer Base

Employing over 100 members of staff, and at more than 160-years-old, Gordons Construction Equipment is still growing as is evident by a steady stream of new machines being delivered across Scotland.

Recent happy customers include AB Gairns Contractors Ltd who took delivery of a new Develon DX225LC and a new Develon DX140LC, while D Mason Joinery recently took delivery of a new Develon DX10. A new Develon DX140LC7K was also acquired by WB Grieve; and a new and powerful Develon DX300LC-7K was delivered to Gordon Robertson Plant Hire, while Paul Davidson, a loyal Develon customer for many years, invested in a brand new Develon DX160LC-7 high track excavator.

Now, with sales of Dieci telehandlers also beginning to build, and demonstration models available to allow customers to put these machines to the test, Gordons Construction Equipment can look forward to another busy year ahead as the company continues to expand into the future, while ensuring its diverse customer base will at all times receive the best possible service and support.