Thomas Lupton has revealed his determination to ensure Econ Engineering continues to prosper as he celebrates his fourth anniversary with the family-run business.

Thomas, 26, said the shock death of his father Andrew, a director of the company, in 2022 was a driving force behind his own efforts to contribute to Econ’s ongoing success.

Headquartered in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Econ is the UKs leading manufacturer of winter maintenance vehicles, supplying 85% of the nation’s gritters.

And just four years into his own career journey with the company, which employs 250 staff, Thomas is already playing a key role.

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Following in his family’s footsteps and having already become a board member, Thomas has experienced life on the factory floor, taken a keen interest in the technical side of the operation and has played a crucial role in ensuring the success of the revolutionary E-QCB project, which has seen the development of the first completely electric vehicle of its kind on the market.

Thomas was the lead on the design of the E-QCB which saw him overcome a series of technical obstacles to ensure that the old QCB (Quick Change Body), originally designed for a diesel truck, could be adapted for an all-electric chassis.

Following the E-QCB’s launch, the fully electric highways maintenance vehicles are making a positive impact with customers including highway services provider Ringway.

Thomas said: “When I was in the technical department I designed the E-QCB, which was a huge responsibility. We looked at what chassis were available, and it was clear that we simply couldn’t just put any standard body on it and expect it to work as normal, so we had to make some changes.”

The task of adapting the regular QCB – which allows a vehicle to be switched between gritter, tipper or caged body modes by a single operative within 15 minutes – for an electric chassis, was one which Thomas relished.

“There were so many things for us to think about, from the weight ratio to the performance and ensuring the QCB aspects of the body still performed as we would want them to,” he said.

“We also had to think about protecting the batteries from the salt and making sure the hydraulics worked with the electric power take-off, plus a million little other things that cropped up which we would never have thought of.

“Now it is being demonstrated around the country and people are talking positively about it. It is doing everything that we wanted it to do when we set out at the start, and I really couldn’t have asked for more.”

Founded 55 years ago by Bill Lupton, much of Econ’s modern day success can be attributed to the work of brothers Andrew and Jonathan Lupton who took on the reins from their father and, using his solid foundations, grew the company further.

Thomas said that having grown up around the business, he always knew he would one day join its ranks. Following educational summer work experience, he joined the staff at its Ripon factory full-time, looking to learn the ropes of every department in a business which continues to fly the flag for British manufacturing.

“For me, to be a part of this business is really special,” he said. “We are a family business, which has been very successful for a very long time and all I really want is for Econ to continue to be successful. It is great to see the business thriving and if I can contribute to that future success then I will be really happy to play my part.

“It is a tough act for me to follow, when you look at what Jonathan and Andrew have done to grow the business – what they have done is an amazing achievement. There is a sense of responsibility to continue their work, but I have had a lot of support from both of them, and also various other people within the company to prepare me.

“They [Andrew and Jonathan] have been fantastic in training me, keeping me involved and passing on the knowledge. With all that having been given to me, and the time they have invested in me, I feel it is on me now to make sure I do something with it.

“We have many people who’ve worked here for 20, 30, maybe almost 50 years and that is something which you don’t really find in many other businesses. It shows how special Econ is and what it means to people.”