Based in Ashbourne, Co Meath, Plant Services Ireland specialises in plant and agri sales and services on a nationwide scale. Irish Tractor Plant & Agri touched base with Managing Director Brendan Commins to find out all about the company – from its origins to the state of business today.
Plant Services Ireland has enjoyed decent growth over the past seven years and the plan for owner and founder Brendan Commins is to try and continue that trend well into next year.
Established in 2015, Brendan has taken on several agencies since and has been involved in plant, agricultural and civil demolition machinery for decades now.
This past June saw Plant Services Ireland adding its newest agency after signing a deal with Zetor Tractors which will see the company supplying its tractors and genuine parts.
Today, Plant Services Ireland employs seven full-time staff and has a diverse customer base which ranges from quarrying companies to farmers across Ireland.
Irish Tractor Plant & Agri spoke with Brendan Commins recently to hear more on the ins and outs of the business and the pride he takes in providing clients with a top-class back-up service.
“We’ve all the diagnostics for all agri plant, trucks and trailers and we have a lot of servicing and maintenance service contracts, breakdowns and all that kind of stuff,” Brendan outlined.
“We’ve a few different agencies as well and we have five vans and a jeep which are on the road 24/7 for us when we need them.”
Supplying parts and spares for the plant and agri sectors, the origins of Plant Services Ireland date back to a time when Brendan himself first started out working on the family farm.
It was there that the Premier County native first learned about agri machinery and his interest blossomed as he went on to work for a couple of different local agri contractors before taking the decision to set-up his own venture.
“I was reared on a farm and I was always fixing the farm machinery at home,” said Brendan.
“Then I started working with contractors and ended up fixing their machines. After that, I started getting more and more into the plant side of it and now I’m into the agri side of it again.
“There was always an opening there for mechanics with breakdowns from farmers to quarries to contractors, there was a big opening there for somebody that could provide a very good service. So, I decided to set-up on my own.”
The niche in the market was spotted early by Brendan and the rest, as they say, is history.
When the company was formed in 2015, it wasn’t without its challenges as, like any business, there were a few bumps in the road.
Brendan outlined what it was like getting the business off the ground back then.
“It was like a rollercoaster back then. It was up and down,” Brendan stated.
“We’d a few problems at the start with one or two things, like cashflow and that sort of thing, and it’s a lot easier now than it was at the start.
“We’ve good customers there now and we have a good working relationship with them. We give them a good service and we get paid fairly promptly, so it’s a big help.”
Right now, business is flourishing even in spite of the challenges presently out there for companies.
The Covid-19 pandemic, and the government lockdowns which followed in order to fight the spread of the virus, impacted businesses throughout Ireland and many were forced to shut down.
Brendan is glad to report that Plant Services Ireland kept in operation throughout the pandemic months and that business is still thriving for the company.
“We would have stayed busy throughout the lockdown. We were busy the whole time and we’re still busy now at the moment, thankfully” he said.
“I hope in another couple of months that I will be taking on another mechanic as things are very busy here right now.”
The last two months have seen Plant Services Ireland bringing in new diagnostics that sees the company “fully equipped” on that end, according to Brendan, allowing them to cover everything in that category for customers.
For years now, the company’s customers have been choosing the Ashbourne-based business first ahead of other competitors and, the way Brendan sees it, much of it is down to the fact that they provide “a good turnaround on a breakdown”.
Indeed, Plant Services Ireland can offer servicing and repairs of plant and machinery both on site and in the workshop.
It’s just another reason why the company is first choice for its customers.
Looking towards the months ahead for his business, Brendan says that they will be targeting further expansion overall as they look to continue to keep customers satisfied week in, week out.
“As Main Dealers for Pronar Equipment and Zetor we hope to expand more in the coming months.
“At the moment, we’re trying to cover all of Ireland. We have another workshop down the country that we use and I hope to open another workshop there later on in the year.
“I just want to wait and see how things are going for us. So, we’ll wait and see before making any moves in that regard,” he concluded.
Plant Services Ireland
Unit 5,
Donaghmore,
Ashbourne,
Co Meath A84EY09
Tel: 01 801 0210
Mobile: 086 369 8373
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: plantservicesireland.com
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 10 No 5, September/October 2022
