Boyle having a blast at western base

Gerry McManus set up Boyle Quarries Ltd in 2002. Quarry Manager Dermot Gilheaney was involved in its establishment and as he explained to Cian O Raghallaigh, all at the company have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The quarry has several types of stone for supply

Boyle Quarries Ltd has been in business in county Roscommon for over four years. Although moving into the quarry game may have been a risky business, it has proved a rewarding time for all involved in the company. The hard-working nature of men such as Managing Director Gerry McManus and Quarry Manager Dermot Gilheaney has meant that the company has been prominent in its chosen line of work since they started their trade. The progression of Boyle Quarries Ltd has been constant; the company has consistently looked to the future to improve its lot.

Dermot Gilheaney spoke to Irish Trucker about the company. He began by explaining how the firm first came to prominence and his own role.
“Boyle Quarries Ltd was set up late in 2002 by Gerry McManus who has over 20 years experience in the contract crushing, civil engineering and plant hire business. Although the quarry was a new venture both Dermot and Gerry were already vastly experienced in this line,” he says.
“At the start there were just two others as well as Gerry and myself. Now there are 23 people. There are 14 drivers, eight quarry operators, two office staff and myself as Quarry manager. I’m the General Manager of the quarry so I am responsible for overseeing everything that goes on in the quarry and managing the people who are in the quarry.”
Location is always of the utmost importance for anyone involved in a truck or quarrying business. Deciding to establish a business in a place close to relatively big towns can be a decisive factor in its success. The company is fortunate that they are close to a few big towns, as Dermot explains.

Boyle Quarries was established in 2002

“The company is based in Boyle, Co. Roscommon. In terms of location, it’s worked out very well for us. It’s very central as it’s close to places such as Ballaghadereen and Sligo. These places are all within driving distance of our business,” says Dermot.
All at the company have found it an advantage that their business is confined to a relatively small area. Rather than travel from the quarry all over the country to deliver its product to customers, Boyle Quarries Ltd has focused on the western region. It has helped.
“It’s definitely been a plus that we have concentrated on the local area. We’ve all got to know the area quite easily. In the beginning, I was a new face in the business but I’ve found that I’ve been able to get to know customers quite well.
“And a lot of the customers we have are repeat customers. If you look after your customers, they’ll look after you and come back to you,” he says.

At the moment the company has two DAFs, one Hino, seven Volvos, two Scanias, one Iveco and one Erf. .
The quarry supplies a wide range of stone: these include rock, three inch Crusher Run, four inch Crusher Run, six Inch Crusher Run, 804 and 40mm chips. They have two crushers and two screeners on site. These are a Kleeman Reiner with an 1800 Warrior Screener and One Tesab with a 1400 Chieftain Screener. All of these are running daily from 8am til 6pm.

Some of the work at Boyle Quarries

The Kleeman is a primary crusher which is used to crush rock and produce three inch, four inch and six inch crusher run, while the Warrior screener will produce four inch clean stone. This is delivered to the quarry’s expanding client base and also used to produce the 804 and 40mm chips both of which are the by-products of the tesab crusher and Chieftain Screener.
The quarry also has a range of machines which include a Caterpillar 330 CL which is used to fill the Kleeman Reiner Crusher, two Komatsu track machines, a PC 600 and a PC 450, both of which are fitted with Rammor Rock breakers, a GS 130 on the PC 600 and a GS 110 on the PC 450. There are two Volvo loading shovels: one LC220 which works off the Kleeman and loads the lorries and one LC 180 which works off the Tesab and also loads some of the lorries.

Dermot highlighted that Boyle Quarries Ltd work for companies such as Noel Regan (Roscommon), Sisk and Rhatigans (Galway). The firm has a number of trucks for the company’s operations. Alongside Dermot’s job in the quarry, he is also heavily involved in the purchase of vehicles for the company.
At some stage in the future the company would like to introduce new people to the company and bring personnel up to 50 or 60 people. The firm also intends diversifying their product range as well.

So far then, things have gone according to plan for all at Boyle Quarries Ltd. In the years to come, they will be hoping to build on their success and develop the company even further. Developing contacts in a small area has been one of the reasons for their success. The ability of all at the firm to work hard, starting the company off from scratch and become progressive has also been a major factor in its ability to survive. Their proficiency to deliver their product to all their customers on time has also been at the cornerstone of their success. Boyle Quarries Ltd can expect a good future as a result.