Sean Kelly’s big break

Sean Kelly Commercials (& Breakers) Ltd. is a long-standing, highly-regarded family business now in its 27th year. Since its inception in the early 1980s, the County Tyrone based company has gone from strength to strength. Having recently moved into superb new premises, all the signs are encouraging that the future prospects are every bit as positive as past accomplishments.

From left: Sean Kelly, Shane Kelly, Paul (customer), Greg, Christopher (to rear), Dan

When you look after your customers, they will – in turn – look after you. It’s probably one of the most simplistic business strategies doing the rounds, but it also happens to be the most effective. By constantly striving to give customers a service they can depend, on at a rate they can afford, Sean Kelly Commercials Ltd. in Trillick has forged a reputation for itself as a complete commercial vehicle specialist – providing a market-leading sales, servicing and parts solution.

The eponymous Sean Kelly founded the business 27 years ago, having served his time as a mechanic with a haulage firm in Kesh. Sean then spent some time on the books of the main Scania dealer in Omagh, before putting all his accumulated knowledge of the industry to good use by setting up his own company.
Covering counties Tyrone, Fermanagh, Sligo, Monaghan, Donegal and Roscommon – as well as further afield – Sean Kelly Commercials specialises in commercial vehicle sales and servicing (predominantly Scania). They have also been breaking since Day One and stock one of the most comprehensive ranges of truck parts in the border region.

Thus, whether you want a new or second-hand truck, a reconditioned gearbox or engine – or just some maintenance, servicing, warranty or repair work carried out – Sean Kelly Commercials is the one-stop shop for all your trucking needs.
Employing a full-time team of nine at present, the business relocated to brand-new, state-of-the-art premises in 2006. The new workshop in Trillick comprises two 60-foot pits, a canteen, changing rooms, show facilities, stores and a spacious office area. To coincide with the relocation, the business was also incorporated as a limited company in ’06 as they continued to move forward purposefully.

Members of the Sean Kelly Commercials crew (from left): Christopher, Greg, Mario, Shane Kelly and Dan

Today, the breaker’s yard is a hive of activity. It was a natural progression for Sean to get involved in this area, as his son Shane explains: “He’s been breaking from the very beginning. A couple of damaged lorries were traded in and Dad broke them down into spares and has never looked back. The breakers aspect of the business is going very well, as demand for spare parts is higher than ever now due to the credit crunch. We sell all over Ireland and are also part of a nationwide delivery network.”
In the majority of cases, next-day delivery can be guaranteed. A huge stock of parts is available in the yard at any given time – suitable for any truck or application – and these are all released in perfect working condition at an affordable price. All spares are 100% functional, with up to 70% of them currently selling into the Republic of Ireland market, due to a combination of the weak sterling and lack of competitiveness in the south.

Sean, Irene and Shane Kelly are the three key personnel at the heart of this renowned family-run operation and the directors are always on hand to deal with all queries and provide a keen, transparent personal touch.
“I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but we really are a one-stop shop,” Shane continues. “We have always prided ourselves on giving the customer the exact service he wants and that’s why customers tend to stick with us. We have a very high percentage of long-term customers and we give each customer – new or old – the product and service he wants. We’re service-orientated and it’s certainly our reputation for great levels of service that has seen the business grow so steadily over the years.

“We also have a body shop here and we do chassis modifications (shortening, lengthening) and spraying etc. Anything that can be done to a truck, we can do it. We break artics, rigids, tippers, cranes etc. and we carry out all the reconditioning – clutches, gearboxes, engines - ourselves at our fully-manned body shop.”
Generally speaking, business is going well at present, despite the obvious worry of the global economic downturn. “Truck sales are good, though it tends to be the cheaper trucks we’re selling these days,” Shane notes. “Finance is more difficult to get, so most people are buying the cheaper lorries. But they’re still top-quality trucks that are more than capable of getting the job done. More people are also sticking with their existing lorries, which means we’re busier in the garage, as well.

“On the downside, it’s not as easy getting the money in as it used to be. It’s one thing being busy, but you still have to get your money in and make a profit. It just means we all have to run a tighter ship. We’ve a lot of loyal customers and we’re going to stick by them through thick and thin. Our levels of service are as high as they’ve ever been, so we have every reason to be optimistic about the future.”
The experience and expertise that permeates every pore of this Trillick operation is beyond question. Founder Sean Kelly boasts 35 years’ experience working in the industry, while his son Shane has worked in the family business for the best part of 20 years, since he was twelve.
“We’re an equal opportunities employer and we run the business in a manner than never takes the staff for granted. We’d never ask any of our employees to do something that we wouldn’t be prepared to do ourselves,” Shane concludes.

Sean Kelly Commercials Ltd.
Phone: 048 895 61 403
Fax: 048 895 61 224
Mobile: 0(044)77 51 675 133
Email: shanekelly25@hotmail.com