Gerry Duffy Machinery is the main agents for Deutz Fahr in Co. Meath. Irish Tractor & Agri learned more about the second generation business based in Ashbourne from Managing Director, Brian Duffy.
These are busy times for Gerry Duffy Machinery and the plan for the team down in Ashbourne is to keep the good times rolling down in Ashbourne, Co Meath throughout 2019.
Set-up in 1994, the company operates with eight staff from its base and is headed up by Brian Duffy, the son of original founder and company namesake Gerry Duffy.
Gerry first started selling Deutz Fahr machines around the area back in 1982 (the company was then known as Kilmoon Agricultural Machinery) and is now retired from the business he officially set-up a quarter of a century ago.
He moved to Kilbrew in 1994 and ran a dairy farm before setting up Gerry Duffy Machinery.
Today, Gerry Duffy Machinery provide sales and service for Deutz Fahr, Same, Lamborghini, Hustler, Stoll, Quicke, Sulky, Imants, Amazone, Verdo, Spearhead, Guttler.
They also offer a range of used equipment for sale throughout all seasons and specialise in breaking Deutz, Same and Lamborghini tractors.
The company has a full range of machines which they are breaking ready for shipping or collection.
“We’re a main dealer for Deutz Fahr and for the last five or six years we’ve been a main dealer for Same in the area as well,” Brian outlined.
“Our main business has always been Deutz and before Christmas last year we started up a new part to the business in engineering and hydraulic hoses and it has been going well for us since.
“We are modifying and fitting loaders, front links, hitches etc to all makes of tractors.
“We decided we wanted to expand the business a bit and saw it as the best way to do so. We’d outsource a lot of the engineering to locals in the area.”
The Deuz Fahr tractor product range starts at 40hp all the way up to 440hp, meaning that Gerry Duffy Machinery can provide the right tractor solution no matter what the application is.
The company also specialises in supplying parts and service solutions for Same and Lamborghini tractors and possess a workforce that highly trained with many years of experience and knowledge of Deutz Fahr tractors.
It’s little wonder why so many of the firm’s clients continue to choose them first for all their Deuz Fahr needs.
“Right now we’re operating with three service vans on the road and we’ve a truck here for collecting tractors nationwide,” said Brian.
“All of our customers would be looking for hydraulic hoses as well so that’s part of the reason why we decided to bring in the service and we have a mobile unit on the road for them.”
The company also has a toys catalogue on its website for farm loving children which can be viewed in the chop section of their website (www.gdm.ie).
All in all, it seems Gerry Duffy Machinery is broadening its horizons more and more in recent times, especially when you take in the recent addition of engineering and the supply of hydraulic hoses to the business.
The hope for Brian and Co is that it will attract more and more business in the coming months, with these past two year in particular having already been successful ones for the second generation company.
“We have a very busy workshop in general and right now we’re busy with parts and sales,” he said.
“We’d a lot of new tractors sold here in 2017 and 2018. So far 2019 has had a slow enough start and we could put that down to Brexit.
“We find the machinery side of it is up though and hopefully in a couple of months tractor sales will be up again to what they were in the last two years.”
This year sees Gerry Duffy Machinery celebrating a landmark as it’s officially been 25 years since the company was set-up.
Asked on what he feels the secret to its success has been after all these years, Brian finds it difficult to pinpoint but knows that it’s original founder deserves a huge chunk of the credit having obtained so many loyal customers during his time in charge.
“We have a lot of repeat business and you’d have a lot dealing with ourselves because of the generation of families buying Deutz Fahr tractors,” Brian stated.
“We have a lot of good loyal customers because we’re at it nearly 39 years now. We’ve been persistent over the years and my father would have kept great records here up until computers came out. We never broke away from Deutz Fahr either and that has definitely stood to us.”
Being Deutz Fahr agents means that Gerry Duffy Machinery can provide customers with the right tractor solution no matter what the application is.
The staff in Kilbrew has immense knowledge of the machinery which Deutz Fahr produces, with one product in particular being the most popular at the moment to pass through and from the gates at Gerry Duffy Machinery.
“The Deutz horsepower 6185 is the most popular tractor in recent times with our customers,” Brian outlined.
“Hopefully this year will see new tractor sales go up but there’s just that uncertainty with Brexit at the moment.
“It’s just a doubt in people’s heads and it’s affecting beef prices which, of course, had a knock-on effect for businesses like us.”
Right now the company us setting up a web shop which is in the final stages and they will be holding an open day in the summer where they plan to invite all customers in for a family day with food and games to show off all the new changes.
Gerry Duffy Machinery have also recently set-up a hire part to the business where they hire out tractors and machinery, including, plus fork lifts to their customers.
Going on form of recent years, it’s safe to say that the excellent work at Gerry Duffy Machinery will continue for years to come.
Gerry Duffy Machinery
Kilbrew, Ashbourne, Co Meath
Tel: 01 8352 556
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.gdm.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 7 No 3, June/July 2019
