Quinn Building Products is a leading manufacturer and distributor of cement and insulation, which are used to provide a range of building solutions for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes.
The Derrylin, County Fermanagh-headquartered company recently took delivery of six new DAF articulated tractor units as part of a major capital investment programme to replenish and add to its one hundred and forty strong haulage fleet.
The tractor units, which were purchased from TBF Thompson, will soon be added to by four new bulk cement tankers, and four new DAF tractor units, fitted with blowing equipment. This phase of the upgrade programme also includes the modernization of Quinn Therm’s nineteen-strong fleet of trailers. TerraMar Networks have provided state of the art GPS vehicle tracking systems, which are fitted to each of the new trucks. The tracking solution is designed to enhance the fleet productivity, lower vehicle and driver related costs and extend vehicle lifetime.
“The new additions to the fleet will be instrumental in facilitating the delivery of increased production of cement. The new lorries are just the beginning of an ongoing investment programme to replace the full fleet over the next three to four years” Quinn Building Products Transport Manager, Gearoid Gilheany explains.
“The scale of the investment will encompass every aspect of the transport fleet including the purchase of multiple tractor units, block lorries, pre-stressed concrete lorries, rigid curtain-sided trucks for Quinn Therm Insulation business, as well as a number of eight-wheel tippers.
“Our objective is to bring the average age of the fleet back down to three to four years old. The whole team are obviously delighted with the progress of the business in the last year and also with the renewed confidence in the sustainability of the business that has enabled this investment” stated Gilheany.
“As well as operating its own fleet and employing 150 drivers, Quinn Building Products also utilizes the services of numerous sub-contractors which are essential for the delivery of increased exports of bagged cement, Therm and Lite Pac insulation products, pre-cast concrete products, Quinn Lite blocks, roof tiles, packaging and ordinary blocks to the UK.
“We have in excess of 200 lorries on the road every day when sub-contractors are taken into account. We employ a team of reliable and highly –skilled drivers, who endeavour to provide a professional and dependable service. The company provides in-house training for all our drivers, including CPC and Health and Safety, upon which great emphasis is placed.”
“Co-ordinating such a large fleet provides a diversity that is unique to our companies. The co-operation of the Dispatch teams in all divisions is essential to the efficient service provided to our Customers. The fleet is maintained in-house by a competent and experienced team of workers in our well-equipped garage” Gearoid added.
Quinn Building Products’ origins lie in the supply of sand and gravel to builders and farmers in the border counties of Fermanagh, Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan. Founded in 1973 by Sean Quinn, it has transformed over the years from a small local enterprise into part of a multinational organisation.
Throughout the 1970’s, the company developed its product range with the quarrying of aggregates, the production of ready-mix concrete and the manufacture of concrete blocks. With the successful base as its foundation, Quinn expanded into the national market in the 1980’s with the establishment of a roof tile factory, a pre-stressed concrete factory and a major cement works in Derrylin.
The 1990’s saw the further expansion of the company with additional manufacturing operations, comprising Quinn Lite Pac Ltd, a leading manufacturer of polystyrene insulation products, Quinn tarmac; a bituminous tar manufacturing plant, and Quinn Lite; an aircrete block-manufacturing plant. Due to an unprecedented demand for cement, a second factory was built in Ballyconnell.
In 2004, the company commissioned a new insulation factory to manufacture and distribute Polyisocyanurate Insulation. In December 2014 Quinn Business Retention Company (QBRC), a consortium of Business Leaders and Directors, acquired the Packaging and Quinn Building Products of the business.
“Things are looking a lot brighter since the takeover. Sales have improved and all divisions are doing well. In fact, July 2015 was Quinn Therm’s best month since its establishment. The current team are committed to growing the company and the modernization of our fleet is obviously a big part of that,” Gearoid concluded.
Taken from Building Ireland magazine, Spring 2016, Vol 2, No 1
