Between sister companies Electrical Dairy Services Ltd. and Electrical Generator & Pump Services Ltd., Tipperary man Gerard Cantwell has been providing farmers throughout the Munster and Leinster regions with a wide range of vital services for the best part of three decades. We visited his busy base in Thurles to find out more.
Electrical Dairy Services Ltd. (EDS) is a respected provider and installer of milking machines, water pumps, power washers and yard scraper units. They only supply high-quality products sourced from trusted manufacturers at competitive prices and these are available to purchase or to hire, for either domestic or industrial use.
As a member of the RECI, EDS’s reputation for quality products and excellent service is second to none, with a dedicated team of specialists on hand to provide expert guidance in terms of what constitutes the best equipment suited to each particular job.
As well as installation, a 24/7 emergency service is also offered as well as expert aftersales servicing and parts.
Meanwhile, Electrical Generator & Pump Services Ltd. (EGPS) is one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of diesel generator sets and water pumps, with coverage extending nationwide. EGPS specialises in the supply and service of internationally-accepted leading brands of diesel and petrol generators, sludge pumps, PTO generators, diesel engines, spare parts, manual handling equipment and associated equipment.
The company HQ in Thurles incorporates 90,000 sq. ft. of office and storage space, accommodating an extensive range of generators, water pumps, power washers, etc. as well as genuine parts and spares.
All products comply with the highest international quality standards and the companies have achieved accreditation to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. Brand-name generators offered include SDMO, Gesan, and Pramac with John Deere, Perkins, Volvo, Yanmar, Honda, Lister or Hatz engines. Some of the alternator brands available include Leroy Somer, Marelli, Newage Stamford and Mecc Alte, with generator output ranging from the small portable 2 kVA unit to larger standby sets up to 2,000 kVA. All products are covered by a twelve-month warranty.
Generators can be supplied with or without weatherproof and soundproof canopies, featuring full electrical protection by way of circuit breakers.
Reflecting on the genesis of these successful businesses, which between them provide a range of complementary products and services to farmers, secretary Mary Cantwell notes: “Gerard set up EDS 27 years ago to offer a range of products including milking machines and then established EGPS shortly afterwards, diversifying into generators and sludge pumps.”
The two businesses work hand in hand and would generally be appealing to the same customer base – a farmer who is interested in installing a new milking parlour might also be in the market for a generator. The founder / proprietor comes from a farming background himself and also brings a wealth of engineering expertise to the table.
Generally speaking, the vast catchment area catered for includes all of Munster and many parts of Leinster.
On the milking machines front, EDS is an agent for Gascoigne Melotte and is also an authorised fitter of Dairymaster systems. Services and repairs are offered on all makes of milking equipment.
“The maintenance and back-up service is vitally important,” Mary continues. “There are eight people here in total between the two companies, and six of those are out on the road providing around-the-clock customer support. We provide a 24/7 emergency call-out service and one of our technicians is always available. Gerard himself is hands-on; he’s out in the field meeting with customers and dealing with their queries and making sure that everything is going smoothly.”
The two biggest developments in the dairy sector of late have brought contrasting fortunes for farmers – the abolition of quotas is good news, while depressed milk prices are placing enormous strain on livelihoods nationwide. On the positive side, the removal of quotas allied to the availability of grants has had a positive impact on business, as Mary confirms:
“Sales have come back in the last couple of years. We used to do a lot of extensions and refurbishments on existing parlours but there has been a trend towards more and more new units. We’ve done quite a few larger new milking parlours because the grants are very good now. Whereas in the past, ten- and twelve-unit parlours were popular, we’ve been asked to do a significant number of 22-26-unit parlours.”
Gerard’s reputation for quality products, service and expertise precedes him and the unrivalled service levels offered result in a high volume of repeat business. “We have a lot of steady customers who come back to us year after year and you’re always picking up some new business as well,” says Mary. “Indeed, in some cases, we are dealing with people today who are sons and daughters of the people Gerard started working for in the late 1980s.”
While the agricultural sector accounts for a large percentage of business, Gerard’s customer base isn’t comprised exclusively of farmers. “A lot of the generators would go into the construction sector, mining, quarries, building sites etc. Because of all the storms this winter and the increased likelihood of power cuts, we’ve also sold a lot of PTO and diesel generators to farmers as well, where they purchase them for the farm and then make sure to also have enough to power their dwellings.
“In the last few years, four-inch and six-inch sludge pumps are also in big demand. We sell and hire those and there has been huge demand lately, with all of our own generators and sludge pumps out over Christmas and right up into February.”
Between the two companies, Gerard and his team are kept busy and the addition of a third sister company will ensure that there’s never a dull moment at the Thurles HQ. Cantwell Quality Water Services Ltd. (QWS) supplies portable drinking water to both the public and private sectors in response to any emergency water outage. They can also provide a complete water supply for festivals, concerts, sporting events and private corporations.
Using a wide range of drinking water equipment such as articulated water tankers, water storage containers, water bowsers and pumping equipment, QWS can provide alternative water supplies wherever required. Tankers are double-skinned to ensure the highest quality drinking water is delivered from source to destination. These services can be planned as regular deliveries or ordered on an ad-hoc basis in the case of emergencies.
Going forward, consolidation is the aim: “We’ll keep things as they are and try to grow each of the three businesses,” Mary concludes. “At the moment, there’s no talk of adding anything new. Demand for sludge pumps was huge this year, so we will probably add some more of those. Outside of that, our goal is to continue to provide all of our customers with the high levels of service for which EDS, EGPS and QWS are renowned.”
Electrical Dairy Services Ltd.,
Thurles,
County Tipperary.
Tel: 0504 44437
Email: [email protected]
Web: edairyservices.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
