The ability to diversify can be key to a business’ survival and as the old adage goes ‘you shouldn’t keep all your eggs in the one basket.’
That seems to be a proverb that McCormack Bros have taken literally as they provide a wide range of services to a vast customer base.
The company was formally established by Declan and Padraic McCormack in 2007, but the brothers have a lifetime experience in farming and contractor as their father Patrick worked as a contractor for the past 40 years from their homestead in Terlicken, Ballymahon, Co. Longford.
Growing up surrounded by machinery, it was inevitable that the brothers would get involved in agricultural contracting.
They provide an extensive, high quality agricultural contracting service to the farming community with a wide range of machinery spanning all the needs and requirements of the modern farmer, while their team is highly professional and experienced and can offer expertise in the following areas of silage harvesting, bail silage, slurry spreading, ploughing and reseeding, land drainage, hedge-cutting, tree surgery, muck spreading, fertiliser spreading and crop spraying.
“Our father had a business for many years called P. McCormack and Sons Agricultural Contractors and we would have gained a lot of experience from that. We farm some land at home as well and have sucklers on that,” said Declan.
The brothers realised that from early on in the business that they age profile of their customers was increasing and this could affect their business going forward.
McCormack Bros Rail developed from an Agricultural contracting business to a leading supplier of road rail plant. From their Tractor driving days they now tend to an extensive range of machinery to cover all the needs on rail and farm. They pride themselves on employing from the local community and developing those skills in tandem with the company’s growth and ever increasing potential and appetite for expansion.
So the decision was made to branch out into different areas and while they had always provided a plant hire service also, they felt the need to try out something else.
“A lot of the customers had been with my father for many, many years and they were starting to scale back their farming, if they had no one to take over.
“So to pick up the slack, we decided to make an enquiry with Irish rail to see if they needed any hedge cutting or tree felling doing and luckily we got some work on the Western Corridor. We have been with them ever since and being based in Longford means we are very central to all train lines around the country.
They are now considered an experienced road rail plant supplier in Ireland and their staff have an extensive skill base delivering rail plant services from the following areas railway operations, vegetation management, tree surgery, tree management, drainage services and training services.
From its humble beginnings the company has proven itself to be a leading supplier of road rail plant services and agricultural contracting services. The company continues to expand in all areas and prides itself on employing a workforce from the local community. This skilled and experienced workforce are devoted and committed to supplying a skilled and efficient service to their customers.
“We are busy all year round now. The rail work keeps us busy when the contracting work would be slacker, but all in all there is always something to be done.”
Their rail work has brought them all over the country and Declan revealed that they have invested in machinery for this line of work.
“There are six lads working on the rail lines and we have a number of hedge cutters and other equipment needed to carry out our duties there. We invested in a tree shears which we brought in from Germany and it is one of a kind in this country. It takes a grip of the tree, strips it and cuts it into lengths all in one go.
“Between the agri contracting, plant and rail work we would have an extensive range of machinery at our disposal and we would upgrade on a regular basis in order to keep the fleet in good working order. We have also just invested in a dribble bar on the slurry tank to cater for farmers in GLOS and we are looking into investing in the slurry pipe system.”
The plant side of the business is also busy at the moment as the brothers have two machines based in the Center Parcs Holiday Village in Ballymahon which will see a development of Center Parcs’ Longford Forest holiday village on a 405-acre site in Newcastle Wood.
“We are happy enough with the work load that we have on at the moment. Despite the rail and plant work, we have not lost touch with the farmers and when the works needs to be done, we will do it.
“We cover the Longford/Westmeath/Roscommon area so it is a big enough catchment area that we work in and our main aim is to keep our customers happy.”
This is very much a family run business as the lads’ brothers help out on a regular basis, while their mother Chrissy and sister Martina help to look after the books.
Contact Details:
McCormack Bros
Ballymahon
Co. Longford
Ireland
P: 09064 32442
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 2, March 2017
