Combining state-of-the-art machinery with an unbeatable personal touch, Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing Ltd. has hit upon a winning formula. Building Ireland visited Kilkee in County Clare and met founder / proprietor Gearoid O’Callaghan to discuss an industry-leading operation that invariably delivers projects to complete customer satisfaction.
Specialising in digger hire, drilling and blasting, rock breaking and crushing, Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing has brought its expertise to bear on a variety of major construction and infrastructural / civil projects nationwide for eighteen years and counting.
A fantastic fleet of 70 fresh and immaculately-maintained machines is at the heart of this standard-setting business, which was established by Clare man Gearoid O’Callaghan in Kilkee in 2005.
When it comes to consistently delivering a professional, best-in-class, client-focused and project-specific service, there are a couple of non-negotiables that Gearoid never deviates from: “Having the right equipment for the job is paramount, as is providing a personal interaction in every aspect of the work,” the personable, hands-on owner of APH states.
“You have to be prepared to lead by example, too … I’m on site every day, be it at site meetings or covering on one of the machines, and I never ask anyone to do something that I’m not prepared to do myself.”
Prior to establishing Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing, Gearoid amassed extensive experience working in the plant hire / agri hire sector. He spotted an opening to go out on his own and the rest, as they say, is history: “I started off as a one-man band with one excavator [a 35-tonne Hitachi 330] and built it up from there,” he reflects.
Today, Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing owns and operates a magnificent fleet of excavators (ranging from 13 tonne up to 70 tonne), dump trucks, crushers and screeners, loading shovels, rock breakers and tractors, which are available nationwide and in the UK for contract or hire. Services provided include rock breaking (in quarries or on civil works), contract crushing, land reclamation, site works, bulk earth moving, soil stabilisation and a complete drilling and blasting service.
“We have a vast range of equipment available for hire and we do a lot of drilling and blasting of rock. Where the material can’t be drilled and blasted, for example in a residential or sensitive area, we provide a rock breaking service using rock breakers (from 13 tonne to 70 tonne) and excavators.”
Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing completes a lot of work for wind farms and also regularly takes on large civil works, the biggest of which would be road projects, where they offer their services to a who’s who of civil engineering contractors. One such project recently completed was the N22 Ballyvourney-Macroom Road Scheme in County Cork, which comprised 22km of new dual carriageway bypassing both Macroom and Ballyvourney. Here APH removed 2.5million cubic metres of rock.
Gearoid and his team also removed all the rock for the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road project in County Sligo, which provided 15km of new national road, while the M17 M18 Gort to Tuam Scheme in County Galway was another major long-term project where rock removal services were provided. The N25 Newross Bypass in Wexford, Tralee Bypass and N11 Arklow bypass also called upon APH for rock removal services, The ongoing 3.7km N55 bypass of Killydoon village in County Cavan, due for completion in December, 2024, is another roads project where Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing were called upon to remove rock.
To transport the machinery between sites, APH also runs a fleet of three trucks with low loaders, including a stunning new top-of-the-range Scania 770s from T Nolans Scania in Castleisland, Kerry. The striking new flagship Scania 770S V8 6X4 double drive comes complete with custom paint and detailing by Kings Agri; Kelsa light bars & Suzi bar; 3 in 1 perimeter kit; graphics; retarder; V8 leather pack; Durabrights and front air suspension.
“It turned out very well and we’re very happy with it,” notes Gearoid, who consistently invests in his fleet to ensure that optimal service levels are maintained at all times. “It’s a weekly thing, really, but you have to keep it all updated to make sure you are maximising performance and productivity.”
Of course, outstanding machinery is of little or no value without good men to operate it – an area in which Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing is never found wanting! “You need good operators and we are lucky to have a very good team of men with us,” Gearoid confirms. “I’m noticing a small bit of a slowdown at the moment but in general the work is steady and we are being kept busy, even though a good bit of the work is seasonal. The dump trucks, for example, are mainly in demand between April and October.
“Ireland needs infrastructure. The Government has money to spend and it has to choose where to spend it. Infrastructure is as good a place to start as any.
“Going forward, our plan is to keep investing in the machinery and to continue providing the best service we can in the most energy efficient way possible,” the Clare man concludes. “All the machines are fresh and we update them on a regular basis. We’re trying to assemble a fleet of the most fuel efficient equipment possible, both to protect the environment and also to keep our running costs down.”
With a truly remarkable track record for excellent project delivery, Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing is firmly established as an industry leader and has the machines, the manpower, the experience and the expertise to continue providing a rocksteady service for the foreseeable future.
Atlantic Plant Hire & Contract Crushing Ltd.
Dough,
Kilkee,
County Clare.
Tel: 087 2424111
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2023, Vol 9 No 11
