Tyre centres have become so much more than a facility where a customer buys a new tyre or gets a puncture repaired as now there are so many other services provided.
In more recent times, there has been a huge emphasis placed on the standards of tyres on all vehicles as many authoritative bodies have put regulations in place that have to be adhered too.
EC regulations requires tyres to have performance labels, with the aim of encouraging people to purchase tyres with superior environmental and safety performance, and also encourage tyre manufacturers to produce tyres whose performance exceeds the minimum requirements specified.
Tyres play a critical role in the safety of any vehicle and its occupants and sometimes this is underestimated by people who are willing to drive on sub-standard tyres.
Many road fatalities have been attributed to defective tyres, so it is essential that more attention is paid to the level of roadworthiness left on our tyres. This is equally as true for people operating agricultural machinery as it is for every day motorists.
Of course, not all of us have a great knowledge of what tyres best suit our needs, but many of the country’s tyre dealers are experienced outfits that are there to cater for the customer.
For this month’s edition of Irish Tractor, we profile Nenagh Tyre Centre where owner Jimmy Creamer explains to us the many services that they provide and why people should pay more attention to their tyres.
Established eight years ago, Nenagh Tyre Centre has grown its customer base considerably due to the quality of service that they provide.
“I had a number of years experience in the industry before I set out on my own. We stock tyres for everything from a wheelbarrow to agricultural machinery,” said Jimmy.
The agricultural sector is a large part of the company’s business and Jimmy revealed that they do their utmost to give the customer what they want.
“We stock all the leading brands for agricultural tyres and we have three vans kitted out that go out on site. Anyone working in the farming industry knows that time of the essence, so when they get a puncture out in the middle of a field, the last thing they want is that tractor or machine sitting around idle for hours, so we will be out as fast as we can and have them on the road again as soon as possible.
“The summer months would be our busiest time for the agricultural side of the business, but we would busy all year round. We provide other services like TPMS valves fitted and programmed, wheel balancing and wheel laser alignment, alloy wheel repair service and agricultural vulcanising.”
A 24hr seven-day a week recovery service is also available in order to ensure that their customers are not left stranded on the side of the road.
Jimmy added that they are continuously investing in the business to ensure that they stay up to date with the latest changes in the industry.
“If we need something we will get it. At the moment, we have the workshop well equipped and a few years back we placed a major investment into the business.
“It is important to move with the times. The legislation is changing all the time and although creates an awful lot more paperwork, it is for the benefit of the industry.”
The company MD also feels that there is a change in feeling towards the standards of tyres people use on their vehicles.
“People’s attitudes towards tyres is slowly changing and they are more conscious of how worn their tyres are. They can stop into us at any time and we will advise them whether they need to change the tyres or not. If your tyres need replacing we will supply and fit tyres from leading brands at very competitive prices.”
Price wise, Nenagh Tyre Centre stock a wide range of tyres to cater for everyones needs including part worn tyres that are imported from abroad.
The nine staff are experienced and there to deal with the customers’ queries. Jimmy’s brother Michael and manager John Cross help ensure that the business runs smoothly.
“We would like to expand and invest more. Unfortunately, we suffered a setback a few years ago when we were broken into and some stock and vans were stolen. We did find the vans, but they had been emptied by that stage.
“Aside from that, we are happy with the direction that the business is going and our customer base covers a big area that includes Nenagh, Limerick, Portumna and Roscrea.”
Nenagh Tyre Centre
Limerick Road,
Nenagh,
Co Tipperary
Tel: 067 32422
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 6, September/October 2018
