Quarry company set for the long haul

Allman Stone Ltd have proven themselves in both the haulage and stone-crushing business over the last few years. Now they aim to maintain their success writes Cian O Raghallaigh.

Since going into the quarry business, Allman Stone Ltd have managed to build a good market for themselves. The firm was already involved in haulage and decided to broaden its horizons. Going into this line of work was never going to be easy but it has all proven worthwhile. Times may have been lean initially but since then, the company has managed to carve out plenty of work for itself. With a hard-working and loyal work crew, there is little reason why the firm cannot continue to go from strength to strength.

Managing Director David Allman took time to speak to Irish Trucker about the work which his company does. He explained that there were two aspects to the business: stone-crushing and road haulage.
“We operate out of a small quarry crushing stone. We are also involved in haulage. I work in the office most of the time and also drive machines on the road.
“There are four of us in the quarry and the rest of us are out on the road. We are involved in delivering stone and ready mix to various companies. We deal with places like Kerry County Council, JKS Developments, companies like Boyle Brothers Builders, Tom Walsh Plant Hire, Mid Cork Group and Brendan Nolan Developments,” he says.
David’s background is steeped in plant hire. His family history probably helped.

He worked in general haulage for a few years before he decided to start his own haulage firm. His own business started in 1999. Things were going well and he began broadening his horizons and established the quarry side of his business in 2004.
He explains that the company has developed significantly since he began working there. Initially he had to work hard to develop a customer base. Now he has the satisfaction of knowing that although he is competing against big businesses, he is more than capable of mixing it with them. In short, Allman Stone Ltd has become established.
“We’ve an awful lot more work now than we used to – we have a number of haulage subcontractors and two drivers who are full-time.

“We are kept busy for twelve months of the year. That said, it is all done in a fifteen mile radius around Listowel so that makes things easier. Our working base is only around five miles from Listowel itself. I am from Banemore myself which helped when we were trying to start out,” he says.
When he entered the haulage business (and later stone-crushing), he was fortunate that Ireland was beginning to grow economically. Although there were the usual difficulties in attempting to make a mark in the business, he was lucky that with the economy in a healthy state, he was establishing himself at the right time. Rather than the recession of the 1980s, the boom of the 1990s was significantly helping businesses. Allman Stone Ltd was one of those companies which profited from the upsurge in building work.

“There was a big demand from the construction business and I suppose I saw that there was room for one more firm at least in that respect,” he says.
“From then it developed and expanded fairly rapidly. At the moment I am happy with where it is at but we are looking at what we have going for us at the moment. If further offers came in for development, we’d have a look at them.”
Despite the success which his business has generated over the years, he is well aware of the problems which those in his industry are up against. Although the business is now well-established, there are everyday headaches to consider although he accepts that this is part of the game.

“There are a number of difficulties in the haulage business. Costs are the obvious thing. The price of diesel, staff and labourers are all quite an expensive part of the game. As well as that, it is important that you are able to get the right people working for you and I’ve been lucky in this respect. Insurance costs are huge but you have to put up with it as it is part and parcel of the thing,” he says.

You would also imagine that working for yourself would mean long working hours, weekend work and an inability to switch off. However David reveals that he tries to ensure that he works regular hours.
“I try to keep the hours as regular as I can. I’d finish most days at six or seven in the evening,” he says.
It also helps that he and his fellow staff members are well-motivated to develop Allman Stone Ltd. Without that, there would be little chance of having achieved so much in such a short space of time. He faced initial discomforts but now David Allmann and all at Allman Stone Ltd can be optimistic of a bright future.