As a specialist infrastructure contractor, Barron McCann depends on powered access equipment arriving on time, in full, and in working order every single night. Faced with one of their most demanding rollouts to date, leaving the supply chain to chance was not an option – so they turned to YardLink to bring the reliability, transparency, and pace the programme required.

Barron McCann: the infrastructure behind the technology you use every day

Barron McCann delivers infrastructure and EV charging solutions that powers some of the world’s most recognisable retail and commercial environments. Their specialist teams operate around the clock and across hundreds of locations – their work is invisible to end users but essential to keeping environments running.

A programme built on precision: 50 machines a month, zero margin for error

When Barron McCann secured a contract to roll out self-checkout infrastructure across a leading supermarket estate in the UK, the scale was significant. With approximately 25 stores per month requiring two separate overnight visits – a first fix to pull cables and a second fix to terminate and activate the units – the programme demands around 50 powered access machine deployments every single month.

Each overnight window is non-negotiable. Teams arrive after closing, complete their work, and the machines must be gone before the store opens its doors to the public. With multiple trades on site simultaneously, a single failure in the supply chain does not just delay one job. It collapses the entire night.

“On the face of it, people think – oh, it’s just a lift. Just deliver it, pick it up. How hard can it be? Actually, there is so much more behind it. If the quality is not there, the timing is not right, and the management is poor – it can have such a huge impact on the jobs, and ultimately, our reputation with the customer.”
Amy Dowd, Operations Lead Coordinator – Infrastructure

The cost of unreliable powered access support

Barron McCann is acutely aware of the challenges and dependencies that can arise when coordinating powered access suppliers, especially when meeting the demands of a high-volume, overnight programme. When the right equipment does not arrive, jobs get stood down at short notice, leaving teams and other mobilised trades with nowhere to go. It’s also vital that machines arrive on site in good condition, are positioned correctly, and equipment breakdowns are avoided, preventing additional disruption or knock-on consequences for stores and their customers.

The administrative burden can be equally significant. Fragmented communication and unreliable booking systems can leave teams spending hours a day chasing confirmations and managing issues. When problems escalate, unbudgeted costs can spiral, especially when sourcing emergency machinery at £1,000 or more to protect the customer relationship.

Beyond the direct costs, the risk of reputational damage can be significant. Over time, that kind of disruption erodes trust, and in Barron McCann’s world, trust is everything.

YardLink: the reliability and transparency to match the pace of the programme

Barron McCann onboarded YardLink at the start of 2025 and from the outset, their ability to address these challenges was clear.

YardLink’s online dashboard provides Barron McCann’s infrastructure team with an almost entirely self-service experience. Orders are initially placed through YardLink’s operations team, and from that point the team can track every live order in real time, upload purchase orders, access proof of delivery documentation, and review invoicing, all without the need for back-and-forth communication. There is no longer a need to phone, chase, or second-guess whether the information on screen is accurate. What is there is correct, and the team can act on it immediately.

This level of visibility and control has transformed the day-to-day experience for Barron McCann’s infrastructure coordinators and the project managers they support.

“The dashboard has revolutionised the way we work. We can see what is going on, all without much human interaction with YardLink. It has reduced all of the concerns we were hearing from our project managers.”
Amy Dowd, Operations Lead Coordinator – Infrastructure

Alongside the dashboard, Barron McCann benefits from a dedicated operations team member who knows the programme inside out, pre-empts issues before they arise, and ensures every order is placed correctly from the moment it enters the system. The combination of reliable technology and consistent human support has proven to be the winning formula.

From hours a day to just one: the operational impact

The results have been transformative. What once required one team member managing the account for hours a day across multiple fragmented systems, with little confidence in the information being received, has been reduced to approximately one hour of daily administration. Firefighting, chasing, and disruption are a thing of the past.

Across the entire project, YardLink has maintained a 100% success rate on deliveries and collections. Not a single overnight window has been lost to a supply chain failure. Collections are now turned around rapidly, keeping stores clear and project managers satisfied.

A partnership built on performance

Having experienced consistent, zero-failure delivery across the supermarket rollout, Barron McCann had the confidence to bring YardLink into a second, equally time-critical programme. The decision to expand the partnership was a direct result of the operational reliability, transparency, and pace that YardLink had demonstrated from day one.

A second major programme is now underway: a 152-store Wi-Fi access point swap-out, scheduled to complete over a three-month period beginning June 2026, requiring Star 6 and Star 10 MEWPs (mobile elevated work platforms) across approximately 100 locations. The operational demands mirror those of the supermarket rollout, with multiple locations running concurrently, tight overnight windows, and zero tolerance for supply chain failure, and YardLink’s proven model is being trusted to deliver at scale once again.

With two major programmes now running concurrently, YardLink is providing Barron McCann with the forward visibility, operational consistency, and on-the-ground reliability to take on greater scale without greater risk.

If you would like to find out how YardLink can support your infrastructure programme, call us on 0330 808 8897.

From consultancy and fit-out to complete end-to-end construction, DRG Interior and Building Solutions create value for clients at every stage. Based in the Cotswolds, the company specialises in large-scale commercial developments, refurbishments, and luxury residential projects across the UK. DRG works collaboratively with clients to deliver turnkey solutions of outstanding quality, driven by core values that underpin everything they do.

The Challenge

DRG were already using YardLink to manage all plant, tools, and equipment hire nationwide. However, waste management was a different story — they were working with dozens of waste suppliers across multiple projects, and four key challenges emerged:

• Operational delays: Skips often arrived late, exchanges were missed, and collections were unreliable.
  
• Inconsistent pricing: Costs varied widely across suppliers, with little visibility or control.
  
• Compliance concerns: DRG’s team spent excessive time chasing suppliers for waste transfer notes and compliance documentation.
  
• Reporting difficulties: Gathering landfill diversion and recycling data from fragmented sources was time-consuming, inconsistent, and often incomplete — making it hard to report back to clients.

“Managing waste across multiple sites with dozens of suppliers was a constant headache. We were chasing skips, chasing paperwork, and spending too much time firefighting.” — Stacy Cox., Buyer, DRG Interior & Building Solutions`

The Solution

To fix this fragmented approach, DRG chose to consolidate all waste management services with YardLink — just like they had with equipment hire. 

• Automated sustainability reporting, providing reliable landfill diversion and recycling metrics

• A single point of contact to manage all skip deliveries, exchanges, and collections

• Access to YardLink’s procurement platform to streamline scheduling, book exchanges and collections, and check invoices

• Centralised documentation, including all waste transfer notes, ensuring full legal compliance
  

The Results

30% reduction in time spent sourcing suppliers, comparing quotes, managing issues, and placing orders

98% landfill diversion across all waste streams

100% compliance with all relevant waste legislation, including Simpler Recycling

On-demand sustainability reports, with instant access to accurate landfill diversion and recycling rates

“Consolidating our waste management with YardLink was a game changer. We no longer waste time chasing suppliers or worrying about compliance — everything’s in one place, and it just works. The team has saved hours every week, and the sustainability reporting has made a big difference with our clients.”

— Stacy Cox., Buyer, DRG Interior & Building Solutions`

Next Steps

By consolidating waste management with YardLink, DRG eliminated supplier confusion, reduced operational risk, and ensured full compliance — all while saving time and improving reporting. YardLink now provides a single platform to manage both equipment hire and waste services, helping DRG deliver projects faster, more efficiently, and with complete transparency.

Can you give us an introduction to Geo Green Power?

Established in 2010, Geo Green Power has become one of the UK’s leading renewable energy installers, completing over 1 million watts of solar PV systems every month. Initially focused on solar photovoltaic (PV) installations for private homes and businesses, Geo Green Power has grown its product offering to provide a full range of renewable energy solutions, including battery storage, EV charging and heat pump installations.

What procurement challenges did you face before working with YardLink?

We do not operate a one size fits all solution and every one of our projects is designed to meet the specific requirements of our customers in relation to their energy usage and premises. This creates a big procurement challenge for us, because every installation has a unique set of access requirements and we need to source a different combination of plant machinery. 

Often the equipment is needed quickly, and because the nature of our work can be disrupted by the weather, our installation windows are forever changing.

What was your approach to finding suppliers?

We would always approach trusted suppliers from our network, and aim to source the required plant machinery and access equipment using as few suppliers as possible. Although we’d often find that suppliers were limited by their geography or availability, causing us to reach out to multiple suppliers to procure the equipment.

How did this affect Geo Green Power?

Sourcing each item independently, and coordinating unpredictable changes across multiple suppliers was incredibly time consuming and challenging for the team. It also meant we were reliant on a wider number of suppliers being able to fulfil their commitments in relation to delivery times and availability.

Why did you choose to start working with YardLink? 

The option of approaching a single company, who can facilitate all our procurement needs with the suppliers we already love and trust, was very attractive to us. 

We’re also committed to reducing our impact on the environment and it’s important to us that our suppliers are also focusing on sustainability within their operations. We were really drawn to YardLink’s commitment to guaranteeing availability in the locality of our projects, helping us to reduce our supply chain emissions.

How has YardLink helped you overcome your procurement challenges?

YardLink has simplified and smoothed the process of booking plant and access equipment for our various installation projects. They save us so much time and having a single point of contact for our bookings makes it easy to coordinate, raise queries and get issues resolved.