The farming industry and in particular dairying has changed greatly over the years as new milking systems have revolutionised the market.
For the past 28 years, Cookstown Dairy Services Ltd. has been providing farmers with a quality service both north and south of the border.
Operating from their head office in Ardee, Co. Louth, the company was established in 1986 and is now one of the leading milking equipment suppliers to the North East and all of Northern Ireland. The continued growth of Cookstown Dairy Services Ltd has seen the business open farm shops and service depots in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim and more recently The Downs, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, which was in fact just opened in March this year at Thomas Flynn and Sons’ premise.
Thomas Flynn and sons Ltd. have teamed up with Dairymaster and Cookstown Dairy Services to add a full Dairymaster Service centre to their facility in The Downs, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. In excess of €100,000 has been invested in fitting out the new Service depot which will allow farmers to avail of a full range of dairy consumables. Also, offering advice and planning on existing parlour extensions and upgrades. It will be run on a day-to-day basis by the experts from Cookstown Dairy Services.
Owner and managing director of the business is Sean Reid and the Louth native tells us about the origins of the company and how it has grown over the years.
“We 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,” revealed Sean.
“I use to work with the Reilly brothers in Kilberry before I decided to go out on my own. For the first few years at CDS, we initially offered service and maintenance.
“It was around 1994 that we got a break in Northern Ireland as there was huge growth in the farming industry up there. Things had been fairly quiet down south here even though we were still working away, but getting into the Northern market was huge for us.
“I got a contract with Dairymaster Northern Ireland to install their products and it just took off from there. Dairymaster milking machines was a product that was different to the other milking machines that were on the market and it is a superior milking system to the rest,” added Sean.
The level of installations in the north saw Sean open a second outlet in Ballymoney in 2010, such was the demand in Ulster. “Dairymaster milking equipment would be milking about 30% of the cows in Northern Ireland. The Dairymaster brand really sells itself and when you are providing such a quality product and backing it up with a good after sales and service team then the customer will always be happy.”
Cookstown Dairy Services offer 24hr technical support to all their customers and the service team are highly trained meaning they efficiently deal with any problems that may occur.
The company also has a dedicated installation team that can fit up to 20 units per week. “It takes about two years for an employee to learn what’s needed for the installation work. There is a three-week course to be taken, but the practical experience takes much longer, but all employees have the proper certificates under the Irish Milk Quality Co-operative Society Limited needed to carry out their duties.”
Sean 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. The systems are increasingly becoming computerized and we are continuously learning about the latest technology used. We have a dedicated software team that look after this area. These continuous innovative products help keep us and our customers at the forefront of the dairy industry”.
Cookstown Dairy Services not only install and maintain milking machines but the company offers wide range of service to its ever increasing customer base.
The company supplies equipment for milking and feeding as well as scraper, aeration, wash-down and heat detection systems. They also provide water boilers/heaters for the agricultural industry as well as cluster back flushing and a wide range of second hand equipment.
“We offer a comprehensive service to all our customers from initial contact to designing plans to best suit their specific requirements while offering advice and expertise on their plans. Once the plans have then been approved by the customer, a team of fitters will install the plant. 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.
Of course, to get the best yield from a cow, feeding is the most important aspect of doing so and parlour feeding offers tremendous advantages to the dairy farmer as it has been proven to increase cow flow, decrease milking time and cater for the individual nutrition requirements of cows therefore increasing milk yield.Dairymaster FeedRite in parlour feeders are a very precise and convenient way to feed cows in the parlour.
“We are delighted with the direction that the company is heading and opening the latest outlet just outside Mullingar will enable to try and break into the market in the midlands and further. Our aim is to continue providing a reliable service and with the quality products that we are selling, there is no reason why we can’t continue to do so.”
Cookstown Dairy Services Ltd.
Cookstown
Ardee
County Louth
Tel: 00 353 41 6856262
Fax: 00 353 41 6856262
Email: [email protected]
Cookstown Dairy Services LTD.
24/26 Market St.
Ballymoney
Co. Antrim
Tel: 028 2764 9284
Fax: 028 2764 9284
Flynn Machinery, Thomas Flynn & Sons Ltd.
The Downs,
Mullingar,
Co. Westmeath.
Tel: 044 9376100
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 1, May 2014
