Proteus Equipment was established in 1985, based in Bury St Edmunds in the East of England. Initially working from home, the company has grown and now operates out of our own 2 acre site near the A14.

In 1985 Proteus launched the asphalt Hot Box concept into the UK, and has since gone on to design and manufacture a wide range of standard & special model Hot Boxes including our new “Hot Skips”.

In recent years hire has become a larger part of our business and we currently have almost 100 Boxes available in our hire fleet, which are available for long & short-term hire.

In 1986 we launched the first generation of our manhole cover lifters. We have since gone on to develop the concept and now offer a range of three lifters.

By 1990 Proteus had launched the Danish-manufactured Asphalt Duvets – these are still big sellers today. They are ideal for keeping extra heat in the asphalt while being very light & easy to handle when compared with a standard tarpaulin.

In 1991 Proteus launched their first “Friendly Fluids” – Bitukleen^® & Bituslide^®. These two brands have gone on to become a major part of our business today, with Bitukleen^® No.3 being the UK’s best selling user & environmentally friendly bitumen dissolver.

Proteus developed a patented Asphalt Mixer in the mid-late 1990s and have recently developed a new larger model.

Proteus’ policy is to listen to customers’ problems and develop solutions – if you have a need for a product within our area of operations, or an idea that you think will help others, please get in touch and maybe we can develop our next product.

2007 has seen a number of significant developments for Proteus, most importantly the acquisition of the Elston/WTC Hot Box business. The takeover boosts Proteus’ hire fleet and sales range of propane-fueled Boxes to include Elston’s diesel, kerosene and new electric-powered Static and Mobile models.

Also launched this year were a modified version of the Handylift Swinger manhole lifter designed to tackle BT carriageway covers, and a brand new asphalt release agent called Bituslide which is a significant improvement on the old Bituslip product.