It’s all about attitude

Michael Brannigan of Brannigans Warehousing and Distribution in Kilkenny is proof positive that with application, hard work and determination a business can thrive in spite of unfavourable factors.While conditions within the haulage sector are far from ideal at the moment, Michael Brannigan is overcoming the problems posed by running a tight ship. Brannigans Warehousing and Distribution in Kilkenny is an efficiently run business which continues to go from strength to strength.

One of the secrets of the company’s success is its proprietor’s positive outlook: “At the end of the day, this isn’t the only industry to have its share of problems,” he remarks. “You just have to get on with it and make the most of it. Warehousing and distribution is an important part of the industry and is a good gauge of how the economy is performing at any given time. The economy is going well, so there’s plenty of work for us.”

Michael is optimistic about the future then? “I am, definitely. This is a growth business. If I didn’t think we had huge potential, I wouldn’t have invested substantially in a new warehousing facility. And we’re hoping to build another one soon.”
The new warehouse Michael Brannigan refers to is an expansive 21,000 sq. ft. unit in Kilkenny city, home of the burgeoning enterprise.

Brannigans Warehousing & Distribution was established in Kilkenny city in 1932 by Michael Brannigan, the current proprietor’s grandfather. In those early formative years, they did a bit of general haulage and also operated a coal business.
The founder’s son, Michael also, ran the business for a number of years. When he passed away two years ago, his own son, who had already been active in the family business for six years, took control.

Now, eight years after first entering the family business, Michael surveys all around him and is content with the vibrancy and strength of the company . . . a concern which continues to diversify more and more into the warehousing/distribution side of things.

As well as the Kilkenny parent business, Brannigans also have subsidiary companies in Dublin and Cork. They boast 50,000 sq. ft. of warehousing space in Kilkenny, a 85,000 sq. ft. unit in Dublin (under the trading name of Road Load Distribution) and a third distribution facility in Cork.

Brannigans Kilkenny remains very much the heart and soul of the business, specialising in supplying the south east and midlands of the country with a top class warehousing and distribution solution.

In terms of clients, Brannigans Warehousing & Distribution in Kilkenny deals exclusively with multinationals. This status reflects the tremendous esteem in which the company is held within the industry.

A staff of 24 is employed in Kilkenny, where a modern fleet is used, including artics, rigids and vans. “We use a mixture of everything, although the majority of them are artics,” says Michael. “We keep a very modern fleet, upgrading all vehicles on a regular basis. At the moment, the fleet ranges from 95 to 00 regs, all Volvo.”

Brannigans in Kilkenny specialises in distributing fast moving consumer good products (ie. foods) to supermarkets. They have a customer base of eight multinational companies for whom they handle all distribution in the south east and midlands. Major clients they contract for include Unilever, Smithkline Beecham (for whom they have the complete Republic of Ireland agency), RHM Foods and Nestle Foods.

The Brannigan fleet runs with its own customised livery and the company’s own name. As specialists in wholesale and distribution, there can be a lot more to Brannigans work than meets the eye: “We basically collect and distribute, but we also assemble products for delivery. We receive them in bulk and then break them down for delivery to the multiples, wholesalers and Cash & Carries. The handling and storage end of the business is becoming more and more important which is why we’ve decided to add on the extra warehousing units.”

What does the future hold then? Will Michael continue in a similar vein or is he looking out for possible new avenues to explore? “I think we’ll be reviewing a number of expansion opportunities over the next couple of years to try and keep growing steadily. We’re hoping to implement Phase II of our development plan within the next year or so by building another new warehousing facility.”

Unlike others in the industry, Brannigans Warehousing & Distribution has been blessed with loyal staff over the years. The input of this staff has been instrumental in the company’s success to date: “Most of the employees here are long-serving. Thankfully, we have a low turnover of staff which promotes stability and competence in the workplace.

“We pride ourselves on the complete professionalism of the service we provide. We have a very good system in place. We work with eight of the top multinationals servicing the food industry in Ireland and I think it’s safe to assume that they wouldn’t deal with us unless we were doing something right.”

A Transport Manager in the Kilkenny depot looks after the day-to-day running of the fleet. The company has its own workshop and fully maintains and services its fleet.

The real beauty of Brannigans is that they offer complete warehousing facilities - racked or bulk storage - for all food products, ambient or chilled (they have their own cold house) as well as ambient and chilled distribution.
Because of their unsurpassed professionalism, their future is assured.

www.brannigans.ie
email: brann@indigo.ie