Moving mountains

Bobby O'Connell and Sons based in Ardnacrusha in Co Clare celebrates 25 years in quarrying this year. John Loughran visited the company's impressive 47-acre quarry last month and was overawed by the sheer scale of operations.

Bobby O'Connell entered the quarrying business in 1978. In the past quarter of a century he has earned a reputation as a supplier of high quality crushed rock and associated quarry products in both counties Clare and Limerick.

Indeed the company's ability to produce high quality crushed stone products with a high PSV rating at competitive prices has been one of the cornerstones of the company's ongoing success. Another cornerstone is the quarry's location - just three and a half miles from Limerick city.

Bobby commented: "Location is vitally important. We operate mostly within a seven mile radius of the quarry. That keeps the cost of haulage down."
However, being situated within a stone's throw from a major urban sprawl can have its drawbacks. "The traffic in Limerick is outrageous. We are starting earlier and earlier to try to avoid the traffic. It is taking longer to get the loads out, and that is all down to the traffic," he noted.

A CAT loader put through its paces

The company supplies crushed stone to a wide range of customers in the general construction industry and has built up a solid business rapport with the leading building companies in Limerick city as well as semi-state companies such as Irish Rail and the Office of Public Works. He elaborated: "We are dealing with all the major builders in Limerick and supplying Irish Rail on the Ennis to Limerick and Limerick to Tipperary lines. The whinstone in our quarry is particularly suitable for the rail job."

To complement the company's activities in the construction and semi-state sectors, the company also has a healthy database of customers in the private house building market. In the recent past it has also supplied crushed stone to many of the road projects in the hinterland of Limerick city.

Father and sons Richard (in the cab), Robert and Bobby O'Connell

In what is very much a family owned and operated business, Bobby receives tremendous support from his sons, Richard and Robert, who both play key roles in the running of the company. With a fulltime staff of just 10 people this is a tightly knit and efficient enterprise.

Interestingly, Bobby plumped for predominantly sub-contract haulage instead of running and maintaining a large fleet of vehicles. The company runs just two trucks, but utilises upwards on 30 sub-contractors on an ongoing basis.

Bobby revealed the company's reasons for plumping for sub-contract haulage. "We find that sub-contract haulage works very well for us. We use a mixture of eight-wheeler tippers and articulated tippers. They are all owner drivers and are profit driven. We find them to be very flexible."

He added: "By using sub-contract haulage, we don't have any of the problems associated with buying and maintaining vehicles. We don't have to recruit drivers for the trucks and we don't have to bear the high cost of insurance."

At the quarry face

Indeed the company has adopted a partnership approach with its sub-contracted hauliers to form a mutually beneficial relationship. "Many of our hauliers have been with us for many years. Our credit controller Connie Keith has built up a very good working relationship with the hauliers and the customers.

About 10 of them have their trucks sprayed in the company colours of yellow and red," Bobby remarked. To facilitate the smooth running of the company Bobby has invested in state-of-the-art plant and equipment within the quarry. All activity begins at the quarry face where the raw material - whinstone rock - is blasted.

It is then fed into a mobile crusher, and crushed down into the various different grades. The company also utilises a series of mobile screens, which ensure the end product falls within exacting specifications. In the rough and tumble world of quarrying, maintenance of plant and equipment is vitally important. To that end the company uses 'in house' expertise and can also call on a local maintenance fitter.

Part of the fleet

Bobby remarked: "All our equipment is mobile. We use high quality CAT, Volvo, Komatsu Finlay and Pegson plant and equipment We have a fulltime fitter on site who looks after all the servicing and maintenance. We also use a contract fitter where needs be. In this business you need to keep the equipment in good repair."

To ensure that all trucks leaving the quarry are loaded within legal weight limits, the company uses two separate weighing devices. Boddy explained. "We have weighers on the loading shovels, which are very accurate. We also have a weighbridge at the gate."

This CAT Loader is an unsung hero at Bobby O'Connells

Spiralling insurance premiums has hit the haulage sector hard in the past two years. The quarrying business has been equally affected. Last year alone the company's insurance bill spiralled by 200 per cent despite remaining accident free.

"The insurance companies are blaming the terrorist attacks in the United States two years ago, but I don't believe it. I feel it is just the insurance companies ripping off the customer," Bobby commented.

Another impediment to future growth is the soaring cost of diesel. "Our diesel bill has doubled in the last year or so. We haven't been able to pass that on to the customer because in a lot of cases we are locked into tender prices. We have been forced to increase our prices to our private customers."

Drilling at the quarry face

Quarrying is possibly one of the most dangerous sectors in the economy from a health and safety perspective. However, the company is fully aware of its health and safety responsibilities and employs a fulltime health and safety officer, Paul Heneghan, to ensure the company complies with best health and safety practice.
"In this business you have to be very health and safety conscious because of the type of machinery you are operating. All our staff are trained to the highest level. Thankfully we never had a claim against us in all the years we have been in business," he remarked.

Despite the slowdown in the economy, Bobby is happy to report that the company is bucking the national trend. Indeed the affable entrepreneur is optimistic that the company can maintain its current level of activity for the foreseeable future. "We have had 23 trucks drawing Clause 616 to one job in Limerick since last October. There is plenty of work in the Limerick area at the moment and we are getting our share," he enthused.

All smiles for our snapper

With an eye to the future, Bobby is researching the possibility of producing 'chips' used in road construction and maintenance. He is also considering branching into the production of readymix concrete. This quarry company isn't content to rest on its laurels.


A strategic partnership
Sub-contracted haulage is very popular in the quarrying industry because of the seasonality of the work. It is common practice for quarry owners to draw on sub-contractors during peak periods to complement their own fleet. However, it is quite unique to find a quarry that sub-contracts practically all of its haulage requirements all year round. Bobby O'Connell and Sons is the notable exception.

Weighing up the options - Richard and Bobby O'Connell

Bobby O'Connell and Sons utilises a fleet of 34 sub-contract hauliers from its quarry at Ardnacrusha throughout the year. This is much more than an employer / employee relationship. It is a strategic partnership, which enables the company to specialise in producing and selling high quality quarry products and provides the hauliers with steady and profitable employment.

It is a symbiotic relationship that benefits all concerned. The company has thrived over the years because its hauliers deliver exceptionally high levels of customer service. In a similar vein the hauliers have benefited because the company produces much sought after products at competitive prices.

Connie Keith has been employed with Bobby O'Connell and Sons for the past four years. She is responsible for accounts and credit control as well as being an able lieutenant in the transport and logistics department. She is therefore ideally placed to comment on the vital role played by the company's haulage contractors.

Connie Keith, accounts and administration manager

Connie joined the company in 1999 as transport manager, but as with all things in the quarrying industry, nothing is ever as straight forward as it seems. Shortly after joining, Connie was asked to manage the company's accounts department.
She willingly accepted this challenging position and left transport management in the more than capable hands of owner, Bobby O'Connell. A veritable all-rounder, Connie is equally at home, dealing with the mountain of paperwork, that emanates from the transport department or at the 'coalface' dealing with customers' orders and scheduling deliveries.

"I deal with all the sub-contractors, which can be very challenging from an administrative point of view.
I would check all their invoices. I check that they are charging the correct rate and so on," she quipped.

She added: "I am be responsible for their payments cards and ensuring that their haulage plates and tax clearance certificates are up to date. There are a lot of legal requirements on the company with regards to the hauliers, and it is my job to ensure that everything in order."

On a personal level Connie enjoys working in what is a male dominated environment. She enthused: "They are all individuals and have their own personalities. I must say they are very easy to work with and are very loyal to the company. There is very much a family atmosphere here."

Connie is equally at home scheduling deliveries and taking orders over the phone although that onerous task normally falls to Bobby O'Connell. "I fill in for Bobby when he is out of the office or on holidays. It can be a demanding job, but I like it nonetheless."

Down through the years, the company has developed an enviable reputation for delivering high levels of customer service. Connie revealed the secret of the company's success. "We treat all our customers equally. We prioritise the loads to be delivered and then schedule the deliveries. That way everybody is treated fairly."

The company and indeed its hauliers fully realise that they are only as good as their last delivery. To that end they are prepared to go the extra mile for the customer. Connie commented: "We try to accommodate everybody, but sometimes that isn't always possible. We have a very good customer base, and we are very honest with the customer. They appreciate honesty. That is why we are one of the busiest quarries in the area."

Having a dedicated and highly motivated fleet on hand is also another key ingredient in this ongoing success. "I must say that our hauliers are brilliant. They know all our customers and all the sites. All our hauliers use modern and well maintained trucks, which means they hardly ever have a breakdown," Connie commented.

She added: "They are very dependable. If a haulier goes on holiday, he will always get somebody else to drive his truck. We have built up an excellent working relationship with them down through the years. We can plan on that basis."

A significant percentage of the trucks are liveried in the company's colours of yellow and red which typifies the relationship. "Our hauliers know that the work is there for them and that they will all get a fair crack of the whip. That is why they are willing to spray their trucks in our colours and commit to us."

She continued: "We treat all the hauliers equally. There are no favourites here. We mix up the work so that everybody gets a fair chance. That way we are able to keep all our hauliers happy."

The quarrying business can be seasonally affected with peaks in the summer months and troughs during the winter. However, because of the company's geographical location, close to Limerick city, it doesn't suffer the vagaries of seasonality. "With the exception of the builders' holiday we are busy all year round. That is another reason why hauliers want to work with us," she noted.

There is another cogent reason. "We pay all our hauliers on the 10th of the month, which is important to the haulier. They need to be sure of their money because they have bills to pay also. Everybody gets paid on time," she concluded.

Opening from 7.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and from 8.00am to 1.00pm on Saturday, the company's hauliers get ample opportunity to earn more than a honest crust. The fact that they are working in a happy and harmonious environment, is just the icing of the cake.