Moving with the times

The secret to running a successful business is being able to adapt to the current economic climate and Jennings Truck Centre is one such company that has changed its focus over the course of this year.

Renowned throughout the country for being the leading Hino and Iveco dealership, the Jennings family has been synonymous with truck sales for over 30 years.
The business was established by Pat Jennings on the outskirts of Tullamore and Pat worked hard to develop the business into one of the leading truck dealerships in the country.
As one of the most progressive people of his generation, Pat worked closely with his customers to ensure satisfaction was guaranteed. Through this close relationship; Jennings Truck Centre developed a reputation for reliability and efficiency as they offered top quality vehicles at competitive prices.

Pat’s untimely death in April 2007 was a shock to everyone that knew him, but as was his wish, the business continued to operate with his wife Mary and his sons Conor and Padraic as company directors.
Irish Trucker spoke to Conor about the direction that the business has taken over the last 12 months as they cope with the current economic recession that has gripped the nation.
In the current environment, money is tight for all involved in the haulage industry, which is going through one of its worst periods ever.
Upgrading trucks is something that has been placed on the long finger and Conor admitted that like everyone else, their sales have suffered over the last 12 months.

“We noticed the slowdown from as far back as this time last year. It really was the beginning of the end for the Celtic Tiger. We’ve cut back on the amount of new and used units that we stock and sales are now not the main specialised area,” admitted Conor.
However, Jennings Truck Centre is concentrating on other areas of the business and with seven fully equipped and modern paint shops at their disposal; it is no surprise that most of their work centres around spraying.
“We’ve invested in the paint sheds over the last few years and they are state-of-the-art facilities. We do a lot of the re-spraying for the Harris Group, who we have a great working relationship with for many years now.
“A number of insurance firms also employ us to do the spraying for them as well as notable companies like Manvik and Cemex with the latter having 280 trucks re-sprayed following a takeover. We have a contract with the Ambulance service in the midlands regions for all their paint work too. We also have a number of individual customers and we treat everyone the same, no matter how big or small the contract is.

“We are certainly focusing more strongly on the painting. It is an area that we are looking to develop even further. Through word of mouth, the customer base has increased and hopefully we can continue to improve that.”
Conor revealed that the standards to be met in the paint shops are very high and that all legislation must be stringently followed, which is something that they give great attention too.
“It’s a very specialised area and one that has strict standards with regards to quality and health and safety. We have a team of highly trained people that ensure everything is done properly. A lot has been invested in this and we are confident that we can continue to be successful.”

The company also offers a 24hr breakdown service that covers the midlands area. Two specially kitted trucks will answer any SOS call day or night. Truck maintenance work is another area that Jennings’ concentrate on.
“We have lads working in the maintenance division full time and this is quite busy as most people are keeping hold of their fleet. So, maintenance is important. The recovery service is something that is being done for a while now and this is fairly busy too. The spare parts department is always kept well stocked and there would be a lot of lads coming in looking for parts. It is fully computerised and carries a 90% availability of fast moving parts. Its parts van is in Dublin everyday and can collect any part required, assuring customers of same day availability for orders placed.”

Assistance is available twenty four hours a day seven days a week all year round be they local or international hauliers. With one telephone call to one of the team members an instant response will be achieved no matter in which part of the world a break down occurs.
Education is a priority in Jennings Truck Centre and all technicians are fully trained both in Ireland and overseas in all aspects of Hino and Iveco. The company has invested large sums in equipment to ensure delivery of a first class service. The workshops are equipped with Modus Diagnostic Equipment which can reduce down time and labour costs for the customer vehicles.

“The aim at the moment is to see out this recession and hopefully things will start picking up in the near future. It is a concern at the moment, but we are doing our best to ensure the company continues to operate to the level that it has been since my father started the business.”