Trailers are the unsung heroes of any industry that they are involved in. All credit usually goes to the vehicle that is pulling them, but one cannot fulfil its role without the other.
Manufacturers have realised this and there are more durable and technically advanced trailers in every aspect of business, farming or commercial use.
There are numerous trailer manufacturers across Ireland, but just three years ago a new manufacturer entered the market and has been making huge strides ever since.
PF Trailers was established in 2013 and it is a subsidiary of engineering firm Prefab Group which is established as Prefab Engineering in 1995 by Edmond Corry and Pearse McCloskey.
Prefab Engineering specialises in manufacturing quarry plant, structural steel and fabrication businesses and is a leader in its field of expertise.
However, not content with dominating their chosen market, Edmond and Pearse made the decision to establish a trailer manufacturing business at their plant in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.
One of the first things that they did was to hire a general manager with experience in this sector and they turned to Sean McCann who is employed as Sales Manager of PF Trailers.
“I had 16 years’ experience in trailer manufacturing before I came here. Already there was an experienced team here and even though it took a huge effort to get up and running, we are delighted with the progress that we have made in the last few years,” said Sean.
“A lot of thought had gone into setting up this end of the business. Edmund and Pearse had initially thought of the idea, fifteen years earlier!”
At present, PF Trailers specialise in the manufacture of agricultural trailers which includes dump trailers, multipurpose trailers, lowloaders, bales/flatbed trailers, grain/silage trailers and scaffolding/timber trailers.
“The trailers are produced to a very high quality and that is something that we have aimed for since the business was first established. Year on year sales have grown considerably and we supply our products to a network of dealerships both here in Ireland, the U.K and mainland Europe to countries such as Finland and Sweden, while we have sold to a trailer to South America.
“Our experienced team of which there are about 35 have the knowledge and knowhow to produce the highest quality trailers, all of which are manufactured with the best of materials.
“The facility here just outside Dungannon houses the best of machinery and we have six fabrication bays throughout the premises which are 175,000sq ft in total.”
Sean pointed out that no sub-contractors were used for any part of their work and that it was 100% carried out in-house.
“We do everything ourselves that way we know what we are manufacturing and we are sure that things will be done the way we want them.”
Ninety percent of their trailers are sold through dealerships, but on occasion they have been known to manufacture a bespoke trailer for a customer direct.
“We are happy to manufacture trailers for end users as well as our dealers. We will work to give the customer what they want.”
New regulations brought in by the RSA in January state that trailer manufacturers must be compliant with all legislation that has been introduced and Sean stated that they are delighted to see these regulations come into effect.
“The new regulations tighten up the industry and manufacturers have to put out a trailer of a certain quality now. I’ve no doubt that this is for the better.
“Quality is key for us and our trailers are competitively priced, our customers know that they are buying a trailer that is not only durable, but built to last also.”
Sean revealed that they are keen to promote the business now south and will be focusing on developing that part of the business this year.
“We have put a rep on the road down south. We have a dealership in Mayo and one in the midlands, but we would like to expand on that. The majority of our trailers are being sold in the U.K at the moment and we want to expand on that.”
Not satisfied with making their mark in the manufacture of agricultural trailers, Sean revealed that the company are about to start manufacturing trailers for the commercial industry.
“This is something that we will definitely be branching into this year. We are confident that we can produce trailers in this sector that will reach the top end of the market.
“A prototype is being constructed and that has to be tested, but once we get the go-ahead, we will begin production. We have all the facilities we need to cope with the extra workload and it is a new era for the business.
“We produce a stronger built trailer for the agricultural industry and the aim will be to do the same for the commercial sector. The company is going well as a whole at the moment and the aim is to push it on to the next level.”
PF Trailers
27 Mullaghrodden,
Carland,
Dungannon,
Co.Tyrone,
BT70 3LU,
N. Ireland
General Info: +44 (0) 28 8776 7410
Ireland/Europe: +44 (0) 77 1233 1131
UK Sales: +44 (0) 77 1233 1131
[email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
