For the past 30 years, Renihan Refrigeration has been supplying, installing and servicing cutting-edge refrigeration equipment, including an exceptional range of bulk milk tanks to the agri sector. We popped into their busy base on the outskirts of Bailieborough, County Cavan and met Paul Renihan to find out more about this outstanding family-run operation, which offers unrivalled levels of customer service.
Renihan Refrigeration has been at the forefront of the commercial, industrial and agricultural refrigeration and air conditioning sectors since its inception in 1986. Supplying a wide range of bulk milk tanks, coldrooms and freezers as well as draft beer cooling systems, display cabinets and air-conditioning systems, the County Cavan based company guarantees absolute customer satisfaction by providing a professional installation service backed up by the highest level of aftersales care.
Quality and value permeate every facet of Renihan Refrigeration. They supply only the best-performing and longest-lasting products on the market, holding agencies for such acclaimed manufacturers as Liscarroll Engineering and Toshiba. Fully approved and conforming to all standards governing the refrigeration industry, their vastly-experienced and fully-qualified installation teams and service engineers make sure that the service provided is every bit as dependable as the product.
Reflecting on the genesis of this high-performing enterprise, which has its roots very much in agri (and dairy farming specifically), director Paul Renihan notes: “The business was established in 1986 by my parents, Denis and Mary. My dad served his time with Westfalia, where he worked for ten years in immersion cooling, before spending a further three years with Etscheid in Laois, who did bulk milk tankers.
“Thirty years ago, he decided to go out on his own as an agent for Liscarroll milk tanks – an agency we still have today. We supply and install new Liscarroll tanks and also maintain and repair them. Farming is still the biggest part of our business and would account for at least 50% of turnover, but we have also diversified to offer a number of other products and services – draft beer cooling systems for publicans; commercial air-conditioning through our Toshiba agency; coldrooms and freezers in shops, pubs, restaurants, factories etc.; and refrigerated display cabinets.”
Dairy farmers can choose from both traditional Direct Expansion (DX) milk tanks and Ice Bank (IB) tanks, where the milk is cooled indirectly by circulating chilled water. Typically, the tanks range in capacity from 3,000 litres up to 30,000 litres.
Meanwhile, outdoor milk silos represent a high-quality compact alternative to conventional tanks and Liscarroll Ice Builders allow for instant cooling of milk as it passes to the tank using off-peak power at a low-current draw.
“We also sell and install electric water heaters and heat recovery systems. Farmers can get great value for money as grants are available for all of these systems,” Paul adds.
Renihan Refrigeration also sell a full range of fully-refurbished seconnd-hand tanks and provide a maintenance / repair service to all makes of tanks. “By their nature, as they are made out of stainless steel, milk tanks are very durable. Even if a tank is 40 years old, the actual tank itself would usually be in good condition, so you can refurbish them to a very high standard by fixing up the electrics etc.”
The catchment area comprises everywhere and anywhere within an 80-mile radius of Bailieborough, and Renihan Refrigeration also has access to the Northern Ireland market in conjunction with Express Cooling Service in Omagh, who handle their installations north of the border.
Since its inception, Renihan Refrigeration has prided itself on being a family-run business providing a superb personal touch. Of the ten-strong team employed today, five of those are family members – founders Denis and Mary, their sons Paul and David, and Paul’s wife Ashling. “By giving a personal touch, we have been able to hold onto our customers for life,” says Paul. “We’d know all of them on a first-name basis at this stage. I suppose most of our customers would live within a 30-mile radius but you also tend to get pockets of people further away who hear of the service.”
Indeed, service is very much the keyword with Renihan Refrigeration… “Aftersales and maintenance would be a very big part of the business,” Paul confirms. “Anything we sell, we look after it for the customer thereafter. We have two service technicians out on the road full-time doing repairs as well as an installation / servicing team. The lads are all fully-qualified engineers and they are very versatile in that they can do any job.”
Looking to the future, Paul reveals that there are no plans for any radical departures from the tried-and-trusted, customer-focussed business model: “We are so busy keeping things running smoothly that we don’t have time to think about anything new. To be honest, with the dip in the economy, it was a case of survival for a few years there and we’re glad to have come through that.
“We operate seven days a week. We offer a 24/7 afterhours service and we are always available. Looking after customers is our No.1 concern and that’s what we have built this business on. When a customer contacts us, they know they will always be talking to somebody who is an engineer and who can get them sorted out as quickly and professionally as possible.
“Sales of new Liscarroll tanks have been very steady due to the availability of grants,” Paul concludes. “The new TAMS II grant scheme is coming in, too, and we’re noticing that a lot of people are buying tanks earlier this year.
“Demand is still there and that’s encouraging. In the last two years, our sales figures have been at their highest level in 20 years. Farmers see milk tanks as a long-term investment and we’re busier now that the quotas are gone.”
For market-leading products and a friendly service that’s second to none, get in touch with Renihan Refrigeration!
Renihan Refrigeration,
Finternagh,
Bailieborough,
County Cavan.
Tel: 042 9665297
Fax: 042 9666521
Email: [email protected]
www.renihanrefrigeration.com
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
