Liam Mulcaire and CJN Plant Ltd. are synonymous with outstanding agri contracting and plant hire services. We travelled to Rathkeale in West Limerick to find out more about this exceptional operation.
Farmers from within a 15-mile radius of Rathkeale in County Limerick know they can depend on Liam Mulcaire of CJN Plant Ltd. to provide outstanding pit silage, slurry spreading, dual spreading and hedge cutting
solutions. It’s 25 years since Liam started contracting and he has earned himself an excellent reputation for quality service and workmanship during the intervening quarter of a century.
“I started hedge cutting by myself in 1992 and went out on my own at the silage in ’95,” he reflects. “This is what I’ve been doing since I was 16, when I got my licence. I’d have been working for another man – Batt Hennessy, who was originally from Kerry – in agri contracting for many years before taking over on my own.”
Liam and his wife, Aileen, set up CJN Plant Ltd. a few years ago. “As well as the contracting, we also do drainage work for farmers and a lot of local authority work for the County Council and Irish Water [hedge cutting and drainage, etc.].”
In order to provide top-class services to both farmers and the local authority, Liam operates a stunning, versatile and well-maintained fleet of tractors and machinery. This included eight magnificent John Deeres, the newest being a 141-reg 150m for pulling silage. “I have a few 6930s and 6830s and a 7810 with front and rear mowers. I also mow with a 6930 with a trailed mower,” the Limerick man reveals.
All three mowers are also John Deere. Liam runs Herron and Broughan trailers. He purchased a few new Broughans earlier this year and has been very happy with them so far… “They’re 20-foot trailers with wide tyres and a hydraulic, up-and-over back door, which works out very well.”
Other key pieces of equipment in the impressive CJN fleet include a Claas rake, Claas 890 self-propelled forage harvester (bought new from McCarthy Plant and Agri Sales in 2011), a Komatsu 320 loading shovel for putting up the silage (purchased new in 2016) and an O&K L25.5 loading shovel used for covering the pits.
“On the County Council side, we run three modern JCB 3CXs, a Hitachi track machine and McConnel hedge cutters – 2015 and 2012. All the equipment is kept in the best possible condition and we do most of the maintenance work ourselves. The odd time we’d send something to Gearys, who are the local John Deere dealer, but nine times out of ten the work will be done in our own yard.”
Regarding his appreciation of John Deere and Claas, in particular, Liam notes: “I’ve received a great service from the local John Deere dealer and they are very reliable. All they generally need is a good service, and that means a lot. In the long term, when you factor in the easy upkeep, they’re not a dear tractor to run. And Claas is a lovely simply machine to run and very reliable – that’s all you want.”
Full-time employment is generated for five men as well as a number of part-time workers, all of whom are extremely important and valuable to the business.
In terms of contracting, all of the work is carried out locally, within the general Rathkeale, Croagh, Shanagolden catchment area. Liam has always provided exceptional service levels and this is why he benefits from such a high volume of repeat business:
“We’re very reliable and we have a good name,” he states. “When we say we’re going to be there, then we’ll be there. You have to be true to your word. Also, we keep moving and we very rarely break down. At the end of the day, it’s all about service – that’s’ what you’re judged on. We give a very good service and that’s why we’re going back into the same yards year after year. We are very lucky to have exceptionally good loyal customers.
“The gear we have is very good and you have to be prepared to invest in it. It takes a lot of money to keep the machinery moving. Something like replacing tyres is a big hidden cost that has to be absorbed and insurance is another big hit. To cope with all these overheads, you have to be very efficient and we also had to diversify – that’s why we got into the plant hire work.
“You can’t increase your rates because farmers can’t afford to pay, so doing silage alone isn’t going to work anymore. You have to be in a few different things. You have to do all the digger work to keep things ticking over. We also do a good bit of dump trailer work – with NC and Kane dump trailers – to keep things as busy as we can.”
Liam feels that his staff are every bit as vital as his machinery, if not even more so… “The most important thing is that you have good staff, who are reliable, and who are prepared to come back to you every year. To have that continuity is extremely important. Even the part-timers, you want the same lads to come back. And if you are fair to them, then there’s every chance they’ll stick around.
“I feel very privileged to have lads with me here who have been coming back to me since I started. The lads really are the heart and soul of the business and I’d be nowhere without them.”
CJN Plant Ltd. is a close-knit family business that provides a personal touch. Liam’s wife, Aileen, who looks after all the paperwork, has been instrumental in the success of the business over the years. The couple are also kept busy raising their two sons and two daughters.
“It is a family business and all the lads are more or less a part of the family, too, at this stage,” Liam concludes. “It’s rare you’ll see a new face driving with us and the lads who are mowing know every inch of every field!”
CJN Plant Ltd.,
Liam Mulcaire,
Rathkeale,
County Limerick.
Tel: 087 2504301
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 6, September 2017
