A professional, reliable and proven service for over 30 years
29/06/2023
Based in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, North Antrim Commercials service and repair all makes and models of HGVs, LGVs, trailers and buses while also offering a complete fleet maintenance program tailored to the individual needs of each customer. Irish Trucker touched base with Managing Director Adrian McTague to find out more about the ins and outs of the company and the overall state of business for it at the moment.
These are busy times at North Antrim Commercials and the plan for Adrian McTague and the rest of the team based outside of Ballymoney, is to build upon the solid foundations of the business, expand their customer base and the services that they offer.
Established in 1993, the company currently employs five full-time staff and operates with two large workshops, PSV wash facilities along with a small fleet of service vehicles as well as an artic truck. They are located just 3 miles from the main A26 road between Ballymena and Ballymoney
Offering services such as vehicle inspections, PSV preparation, servicing and running repairs using the latest computer diagnostics along with the most up to date workshop equipment. They offer roadside assistance, 24-hour breakdown and are currently expanding their spare part sales range. This makes North Antrim Commercials’ the first choice for its customers to meet any of their maintenance requirements.
Irish Trucker spoke with Adrian McTague recently to discuss the origins of the business, the services it provides and it’s hopes going forward.
“My father (Eddie) established the business after seeing a need for a commercial repairer in the North Antrim area. The business began in a modest one bay workshop near Ballymoney, but due to increasing demand he constructed our modern workshops that we still operate from today,” explained Adrian.
“He built up his customer base mostly through word of mouth and from referrals from local hauliers and small businesses, this continues to be the case today. I had the pleasure of working alongside him for over 20 years, helping him operate, modernise and expand the business. Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago, but his ethos, attitudes and work ethic is still very much a part of our core principals.”
Since his father’s passing in 2020, Adrian has been running the family business and ensuring that it continues to deliver a professional, reliable and proven service to its loyal customer base at reasonable and affordable rates.
North Antrim Commercials carried out vehicle maintenance on a wide range of makes including all of the major manufacturers including but not limited to DAF, Volvo, Mercedes, Scania, MAN, IVECO SDC and Montracon at their premises at 58B Mullan Road in Ballymoney.
“We provide fleet maintenance solutions to a range of customers from individual owner operators to multinational businesses,” stated the Managing Director.
“Being a family business, 90 per cent of our customers have been with us for many years and our company is based on the belief that customers’ needs are of the utmost importance. We strongly believe that if we consistently meet or exceed the needs of our customers, not only will our business continue to succeed and grow, but our efforts will also ensure our customers operations will do the same.”
As its title suggests, the company largely covers the north Antrim region including Antrim, Ballymena, Coleraine, Ballycastle and the various surrounding towns and villages. They also offer a range of services throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland through a network of trusted independent repair centres.
Right now, business is going well and, as Adrian outlined, the Covid-19 pandemic period of recent years were some of the busiest that North Antrim Commercials experienced.
Investments in recent times have saw the company adding a new Maha Brake Tester and shaker plates have been installed in their dedicated inspection and PSV workshop. They have upgraded their existing workshop lighting to new energy efficient LED equipment, and have heavily invested in workshop tools such as a large number battery powered tools to ensure the team have all the equipment they need to carry out repairs in a safe and effective manner.
Adrian stated that team understands the complex needs of today’s modern vehicles and that they have recently upgraded their range of diagnostic equipment including OEM and multi band diagnostic tools to the most up to date available. This is an area they understand requires continual investment to guarantee they can carry out maintenance activates on even the newest vehicles and equipment.
Access to parts that are of high quality, reasonably priced and available in a timely manner are essential to minimise vehicle downtime. The business works closely with all the main OEM and aftermarket part suppliers but they have also realized the need to hold stock on site increase year on year. They currently hold a large stock of many of their customers most used components in their own internal stores adjacent to the main workshops.
Adrian told Irish Trucker that he plans to expand this side of the business to not only help his current customers but to establish this as a larger part of the overall business.
“We plan to increase our stock levels to not only accommodate our current customers’ needs but to grow our customer base in the part sales sector.”
On site they have a dedicated PSV wash facility, to enable them to clean and prepare customers vehicles on site without the need for a third party which saves on time and expense for everyone.
North Antrim Commercials operates two fully equipped service and maintenance vans that allow them to offer services such as roadside assistance and onsite repairs. They offer a collection and delivery service for all vehicle types if required, this includes trailers using their own artic lorry. This service is offered for PSV appointments and all other needs.
Its range of different services sees this business as a first choice for its customers and, as Adrian rightly points out: “We deliver an award-winning service which any person walking through the company’s doors can depend upon.
“I firmly believe the main reason our customers keep returning is our service. A lot of our customers comment that our service is second to none, and that’s what we strive for.
“We won the ‘Fleet Maintenance Provider of the Year’ from Road Safe NI in 2021, after being nominated by one of our largest customers due to the consistent high standard of service we delivered to them over a number of years. This was a nice recognition for not only myself but the whole team as we all work together to deliver a service that is tailored to the needs of each customer, this at times requires flexibility in the way we operate. We are very proud to have received this award.”
Looking towards the future for North Antrim Commercials, Adrian says the plan is to continue to keep their existing customers satisfied through exceptional service and to continue to grow as a business by embracing opportunities to work with new clients.
“A specific area we are seeking to expand on is our parts section of the business, which has seen significant growth in the past few years. We have identified a number of opportunities in this area and we are actively looking into how we can incorporate this into a larger part of our business model.
“Our plan is to keep that going and keep everything progressing and continuing to build the business without compromising the service we offer. This is the same approach my father had from day one and we intend to grow the business using the same ethos and values he established. We recognise that the foundations he built are the primary reason we have been successful for over 30 years,” he concluded.
North Antrim Commercials
58 B Mullan Road,
Ballymoney,
Co Antrim
Tel/Fax: (028) 29571407
Adrian: 07921134071
Email: northantrimcommercials@hotmail.co.uk
First published in Irish Trucker magazine Vol 26 No 3, May/June 2023
