The farming industry and in particular dairying has changed greatly over the years as new milking systems have revolutionised the market.
For the past 30 years, Inter Cool Engineering has been providing farmers with a quality service both north and south of the border.
Operating from their head office in Mullagh, Co Cavan, the company was established in 1984 and is now one of the leading milking equipment suppliers to the North East and all of Northern Ireland.
Inter Cool Engineering has continued to move with the times and the company is now the main agent in Ireland for Mueller milk cooling systems.
The company was established by Gene Ormiston and the managing director speaks to Irish Tractor & Agri about the success of the business over the past 30 years.
Inter Cool provides a wide range of products and parts including milk coolers, condensing units, falling film chillers, LS Chiller, pre-heaters and plate coolers, Bulk Milk Tanks, Cold Rooms and Air Conditioning.
Gene started from humble beginnings, but through hard work and endeavour, he and his staff have built the company into what it is today.
“I began engineering work as a 16-year-old in Bailieboro Co-Op where I was servicing machines and it all stemmed from there. During that time, there were a lot more farmers operating,” said Gene.
“I was locally based for a number of years and then in 1994, the Northern Ireland Milk Board made changes that allowed us to work up there. We got a lot of business from that and fifty percent of our work would be carried out in the north.”
When Inter Cool first started operations, they concentrated on manufacturing their own products, but Gene admitted that the high cost of running that end of the business forced a rethink.
“The insurance was colossal when we were manufacturing, so when we got the dealership with Mueller, I thought it would be best to concentrate solely on sales and service and it’s a decision I haven’t regretted.
“Mueller are an American owned company and they are internationally renowned for producing hi-performance products that are 30% more efficient than their rivals on the market.
“We would pride ourselves in offering sales and service to both the smallest dairy farmer to the largest. Our in-depth knowledge of the industry allows us to provide expertise on sales, planning, drawings, installation and after care service 365 days of the year.”
Inter Cool fit and service all equipment that they sell and for them to solely carry out these tasks, Gene has added crane mounted trucks to their fleet.
“We used to sub in lorries to carry the tanks and lift them off, but we found that it paid for us to have our own and not be relying on anyone else. We have invested heavily in the business to ensure that the customer continues to get the service that they expect.”
Gene admits that keeping the customer happy is one of their main priorities. “Our aim is to offer a good service and I think we have been doing that so far, but it is up to us to ensure that we continue doing that or else the customer will take his business elsewhere.”
To achieve their goal of providing a good service, Gene states that he is fortunate to have a reliable and efficient workforce who are each highly trained in their field of expertise.
“There are ten employed here and all are highly trained and very good at their jobs. The foreman Noel Cooney has many years’ experience, while my sister Maureen Donoghue looks after the clerical side of the business and Jimmy Fox does the accounts.”
Gene admits that there have been many changes to the industry since he started out, but it is imperative for them to remain up to date in any improvements on the systems.
“I suppose the biggest change has been the use of software. A lot of stuff is computerised now and we are continuously learning about the latest technology used. We would have a dedicated software team that look after this area. We view the relationship with our customers as a long term partnership. We offer servicing support, emergency service, software support and technical support on an ongoing basis.”
Inter Cool also operate in the field of renewable energy supplying solar panels and heat pumps for the industrial sector, while they do all types of refrigeration work.
“We offer a comprehensive service to an ever-increasing customer base. We provide a nationwide service and hopefully we can continue to develop over the coming years.”
Intercool Engineering
Mullagh,
Co Cavan,
Ireland
Phone:046 924 2194
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 2, March 2015
