Boherduff Truck Bodies introduce new light weight body

Boherduff Truck Bodies Ltd., based at Newtown, Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow was established in October 2000 to manufacture quality truck bodies at competitive prices. Manager, Donny Nolan reviewed the company’s progress to date and talked of future plans with John Loughran.

Boherduff Truck Bodies Ltd., was established with a very simple business philosophy - to supply the market with quality innovative products at competitive prices. It was a sure fire recipe for success. Some 18 months down the line, the company has earned a reputation for delivering high levels of customer service, quality products and competitive prices, that are the envy of the competition.

The company has invested heavily in research and development in order to be proactive in meeting customer needs. This policy has led to the introduction of a new light weight steel tipper body. Made from hard wearing yet ultra light hardox steel the new body has proved a huge hit with construction hauliers.
Donny enthused: “We designed the bodies before the demand was there. We pre-empted the market’s move towards lighter steel bodies. The new bodies are 30 per cent lighter than traditional steel bodies. They are about 800 kgs lighter than a normal body. That represents a significant improvemnet in pay-load.”

He continued: “The market is now demanding a light weight body. Truckers are looking for a lighter body in order to carry a heavier payload. One thing that sets us apart from the competition is that we are continually bringing new designs to the market. We are continually designing better, stronger and lighter bodies.’
The company can normally supply a body in ten working days. To facilitate the manufacture of the new light weight bodies the company had to invest in new equipment. “We had to acquire some new machinery including a CNC plasma profiler for cutting the steel and a pressbake for bending it. We also invested in new CAD system software,” Donny remarked.

In designing the new body the company dispelled the fallacy that quality can’t come at competitive prices. “We put every emphasis on quality. We can produce quality products at competitive prices because of the systems we have in place. It is down to the speed of manufacture and the machinery you have in place. We have highly trained and experienced staff throughout the whole operation. Our CAD software design system is also state-of-the-art. That is why we can combine quality with competitive pricing.”

Companies such as North Dublin Commercials, Sheridan Daewoo, Kerins & Murtagh and GPT Hire have been quick to realise the company’s quality workmanship, allied to its competitive pricing structure. Indeed, after starting from scratch, it didn’t take the company long to establish a healthy customer base.
Donny’s father Eddie, who owns Boherduff Construction and Boherduff Engineering conducted extensive research into the market before the company was established. “We knew there was an opening in the market for the type of products we wanted to make and we knew we could fill that gap. Our sales team did the rest,” Donny commented.

Ongoing market research indicated a similar gap in the trailer manufacturing market. Donny revealed the company has now successfully entered this market. “It was always our intention to break into the market. We put in extensive research into the trailer market before we got involved. The opportunity arose and we grabbed it.’
The volatile nature of the truck body building business particularly in relation to the construction industry hasn’t gone unnoticed by the company. In fact it was one of the motivating factors in the company’s decision to diversify.
“There is a demand for bulk feed trailers for carrying food products such as grain, potatoes etc... No matter what way the market goes we feel there will always be a demand in that area. That is why we got involved.”

Market research also revealed a gap in the box body and curtainsider market. The go-ahead company began production earlier this month and the initial feedback has been very positive. “We are delighted with this latest development and we are very optimistic for the future,” Donny commented.

The Boherduff Group of companies operate side by side from the same premises at Newtown, just outside Bagenalstown. Donny explained that additional floor space was required to house all the entities. “We have built a new 7,500 square foot unit on the premises to house the structural steel business. The expansion has doubled the size of our premises. In turn, we moved the trailer manufacturing facility into the vacated building.”

At the tail end of last year, Donny noticed a slight reduction in orders. However the slump was sort lived and he is confident of future growth in the market. “We expect to expand our customer base again this year. There has been a slight downturn in the market but we feel the economy will pick up again. We will be ready to take advanatge of the upturn when it happens. The day you stop going forward is the day you start going backwards,” he concluded.