Twenty years a-growing

Celebrating 20 years in business this year, Kilmurray Precast Concrete Ltd in Mullingar has earned a reputation as one of the midlands’ leading precast suppliers and builders providers. It also operates a quarry in nearby Rhode, Co. Offaly, which is managed by Conor Kilmurray

Conor stands before some of the fleet

When Dermot Kilmurray started out making concrete products in 1989, he could never have imagined how big and diverse his then fledgling company Kilmurray Precast Concrete Ltd would become.
And while the Mullingar-based operation hasn’t been immune from the recession, it remains a busy concern with 40 staff on its books. The company now has many business interests, including building supplies, concrete production and quarrying. Its quarry is located at Derryarkin, Rhode, from which sand and gravel is extracted.
“We bought this site in 2006 and there’s enough sand and gravel in it to keep us going for a long time,” explains Dermot’s son, Conor, who manages the quarry.
“The site is 220 acres, but only about 30 acres of that is in use as a sandpit. We farm the rest of it. We’ve gone through about six or seven acres per year since we first opened it. With the recession, I’d say we’ll be down to about five acres this year.”

Large or small - Kilmurray can handle the job

He continues: “The land was previously owned by Bord na Mona and is cutaway bog. We’ve received planning permission from Offaly County Council to use 150 acres for sand and gravel production. The type of sand we’re extracting is ideal for plastering. We also supply a variety of gravel and aggregate types, including 804.
“There is a particularly big demand for the 804 at the moment as it is used in road-making and meets the NRA’s (National Roads Authority) standards. In total, we have about 12-15 acres excavated so far.”

As well as using the sand and gravel themselves, Kilmurray’s supply to a host of customers in the area. “We’ve lots of customers around the midlands. The builders’ providers would have in the region of 1,000 customers alone. The sand and gravel business accounts for a small percentage of the overall operation, but we have a growing customer base I’m happy to say. Our customers include builders, farmers and off customers such as people who are building their own houses,” Conor says.

Conor Kilmurray readies another delivery

Kilmurray Precast’s commitment to its gravel extraction interests is evident in regular investment in plant. As a result, practically all plant at its Rhode quarry is under two years old.
High standards of plant are crucial to ensure consistency of production which is an essential element in the supply of sand and gravel to its readymix and precast concrete interests in Mullingar. Among the plant on site are two Hyundai loading shovels, an A35 Volvo dump truck, an Extec S4 track screener, a Tesab rotocrusher and two Robex long-reach excavators.

The impeccable standards of the mobile plant on site also extend to the processing equipment at Derryarkin. At a time when large high production mobile plant is becoming increasingly popular, Kilmurray’s took the opposite route and opted for static plant. The justification was the equal haul distance from all parts of the quarry to the plant’s central location.
Commissioned by Arden Precision in Tullamore, the processing plant, which includes washing and screening equipment, was completed last year and produces a wide variety of products. The large stockpiling conveyors take much of the strain off the accompanying loader since material can build up beneath each unit without causing a problem. That leaves the loader free to transfer material directly from each conveyor’s stockpile into trucks, which reduces repeat handling.

Darren English, Conor Kilmurray and Noel Galligan at Rhode

Even though such plant requires much more in terms of investment than mobile plant, Conor believes the long-term benefits outweigh this.
“To keep ahead of our requirements, a static plant is the only way to reach high production. The system we use gives us seven products without any repeat handling. Oversize comes off through a 10x5 screening head and the material goes onto a 20x6 head with six conveyors coming off it.
“Once the material is dumped into the bin, we don’t need to re-handle until stockpiling and some oversize material that is discharged from the plant. This type of system may be a big investment, but is worth it in the long term as it reduces running costs and the amount of labour you need to run the plant.”

After the building boom of the past 10 years or so, Conor admits that the onset of the recession has hit business hard.
“It’s a very tough time for anyone in business, especially for a company like ours that’s so reliant on the construction industry. Productivity is down a fair bit and it can be difficult to get paid sometimes,” he says.
“But we’re lucky in that most of our customers have been with us for years and years, and they have remained loyal to us through these difficult times. We’ve a very good working relationship with them and hopefully this will remain the case for a long time to come. Our aim has always been to provide them with the best possible service at the most competitive price.”

Kilmurray Precast has built an excellent reputation for itself

He adds: “Summer-time is traditionally our busiest period and there has been a definite pick-up in the last three or four months, which is a great thing to be able to say given the current climate. Hopefully, we’ve seen the worst of the recession and things will pick up for everyone in the near future.”
Kilmurray Precast’s headquarters are located in Zone C, Mullingar Business Park, Mullingar. The company’s very successful builders’ providers business is managed by Ken Eades, who is currently acting as both chairman and secretary of the local St. Loman’s GAA club. A native of Rhode who came to live in Mullingar about 35 years ago, Dermot Kilmurray remains managing director of the overall operation.

Kilmurray Precast has a fleet of 10 trucks, including one artic, three tippers and four bottles. Conor concludes by paying tribute to the company’s staff: “We are fortunate to have such reliable drivers and machine operatives who have played an important role in our growth and success down the years.”
For further information about Kilmurray Precast Concrete Ltd, telephone 044-9342955 or fax 044-9342879.