WH McCormack & Sons is your only MAN!

For many years now, WH McCormack & Sons has specialised in the sale, service and repair of high quality used MAN commercial vehicles. Irish Trucker recently got the lowdown on the Strabane-based family-run concern which has been in business for nearly half a century.

Handing over the keys of a new truck to Donald O�Neill of O�Neill Transport are from left: William, Liam and Damien McCormack

Since its establishment 44 years ago, WH McCormack & Sons has earned a countrywide reputation for quality, reliability and excellence. And for much of that time, it has specialised in the sale, service and repair of the entire MAN range from the humble 7.5 tonne truck right up to the 44 tonne tractor unit.

But, somewhat surprisingly, this company isn’t a main dealer. Instead, it prefers to source nearly new, low mileage vehicles in Britain for re-sale in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Operating from a state-of-the-art premises at Fyfin Road, Strabane, Co. Tyrone, WH McCormack & Sons is a wholly owned, family-run company which prides itself on providing an unrivalled service to its many customers north and south of the border. The company was set up by Willie McCormack, who is originally from Castlederg, and is now run by his sons Liam and Damian. Liam and Damian’s respective wives, Lorraine and Martina, are also involved in the business which employs an overall staff of 14, including parts manager Derek Jones.

The McCormack logo on one of the company�s vans

“Our father Willie came to Strabane from Castlederg in 1964 and got the business up-and-running. He’s still involved and I’m sure he has taken a lot of satisfaction from seeing it grow into the business it is today,” Liam McCormack says.
“We specialise in high quality second hand MAN trucks. We bring them in from Britain and give them a complete overhaul, including the bodywork. When we are finished with them, they are the equivalent to a brand new truck.”

The WH McCormack team which includes William, Liam and Damien McCormack

At any given time, WH McCormack & Sons has up to 40 trucks – right across the entire MAN range – on the forecourt. “We go for low mileage trucks which represent extremely good value for money. We sell only quality used trucks,” Liam adds.
Such is WH McCormack & Sons’ reputation for stocking high quality used MAN trucks that it draws customers from places as far away as Cork and Waterford. Its main clients include locally based haulage firms Lafferty Transport, O’Neill Transport and Quinn Transport.
“We deal with all sorts of customers, ranging from people in the transport industry to couriers to people in the construction industry. We’re known throughout the north of Ireland and have built up a significant customer-base south of the border as well.
“We have customers in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Donegal, in fact, throughout the south.”

Two spotless MAN trucks ready for the road

Because of the difference between the euro and pound, Northern Ireland would seem an unlikely location for hauliers in the Republic to source quality second hand trucks and parts. According to Liam, however, the opposite is the case.
“We have a lot of customers coming up from the south because we can supply team with a top quality truck at the right price. There are significant savings to be made, despite the euro/Sterling differential.”
The company’s policy of stocking only low mileage quality used MAN vehicles has paid off spectacularly. Annually, WH McCormack & Sons sells in excess of 100 MAN trucks to a wide variety of customers.

Office staff Lorraine and Martina McCormack

To complement the company’s sales activities, WH McCormack & Sons has a fully stocked spare parts department. “Our spare parts department is always stocked with the most in-demand parts. If we don’t have a part in stock, we will have it for the customer the next morning.”
Liam adds: “There are quite a number of vehicles in the MAN range from 7.5 tonne through to the 44 tonne, and we carry all the popular parts for every vehicle in the range. That equates to a very large parts department.”
In the past, the company dabbled in numerous marques before deciding to concentrate solely on MAN. Liam explains the reason for this: “MAN produces quality trucks that are ideally suited for the road conditions in Ireland. They also offer a full range of vehicles from 7.5 tonne to 44 tonnes. They have a truck in every sector of the market which is important to us from a sales point of view. That is why we decided to specialise in MAN.

A truck bought by Patterson Kitchens from WH McCormack

“At this stage, it’s fair to say that we know MAN inside out. We have a full range of trucks in stock, including box, curtainsiders, tippers, tractor units and refrigerated trucks. We also do fabrication work to suit the customer’s needs and a small bit of body building. We also intend to install brake tester roll-on-road and headlight setter as part of our service.”
WH McCormack & Sons operates from a modern and purpose-built premises located on a six-acre site in the busy border town of Strabane. The premises are being continually upgraded and recently new wash-bays were constructed.

Liam explains: “We are continually improving our facilities to keep pace with the changes in technology. We have all the latest equipment you would expect in a modern workshop. We have state-of-the-art bodywork and spray rooms. We also make a point of keeping the premises neat and tidy. The entire yard is concreted and the forecourt is tarmacadamed for customer convenience.”
WH McCormack & Sons is fortunate to have highly skilled technicians who receive regular and ongoing training to keep to up-to-speed with the technological changes. The company has a bustling repairs business to complement its sales and spare parts departments.

Donegal man Karl Lafferty purchased this MAN from WH McCormack

“When we sell a truck we give it a full service and it will be in perfect mechanical order when it leaves here. Most of our customers who buy from us would bring the truck back to us for repairs and maintenance. We also do a lot of PSV and DOE vehicle preparation work. The workshop is always busy.”

Liam and his staff are fully committed to providing the best possible service for their customers and in keeping with this philosophy, offer a 24-hour breakdown and recovery service.
“You have to offer the customer a breakdown service. Nobody likes being broken down by the side of the road. The service is there for all our customers in the unlikely event of them getting a breakdown,” Liam adds.
WH McCormack & Sons is open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. For further information, telephone 028 81658287.