Commercial vehicle services that transcend generations

02/12/2024

Garahys)

Truly standing the test of time in delivering industry-leading maintenance, repair and testing services to commercial vehicle operators across the midlands for more than half a century, Garahys Test & Service Centre in Birr, County Offaly is an outstanding independent family-run business that has been setting the standards from generation to generation.

Providing unrivalled prompt, precise and professional services to commercial vehicle owners across a large swathe of the midlands for more than 50 years, Garahys Test & Service Centre is one of Ireland’s premier CVRT test and service centres in the midlands.

From a state-of-the-art, purpose built test and service centre in Fortal, Birr, County Offaly, Garahys provide a comprehensive range of value-added services to commercial vehicle owners from light and heavy testing to servicing, repairs, parts and anything else a truck, van, jeep or bus owner or operator might need. They are renowned as leading experts in Scania and Renault vehicles.

Busy workshop manager Dan Cussen agrees with Irish Trucker’s assertion that as well as carrying out tests to ensure that their customers’ vehicles remain in pristine condition, Garahys are themselves passing the test of time…

“Well, we have been here for over 55 years now and I suppose you could say that speaks for itself. We have twelve staff on the floor between testers and mechanics. The business is still in the family name and that all-important ethos of looking after our customers and providing a personal touch will always be a key aspect of our approach.”

What is the secret to consistently delivering dependable, value-added testing and servicing solutions that always place both the customer and their vehicles front and centre? “Customer care is No.1,” comes the swift response. “You look after customers as an absolute priority, because if you don’t have customers, you won’t have any work and you won’t have a business.

“Kieran [proprietor] always says the customer is king and you have to look after them. As part of that, we like to believe we have a fast turnaround of lorries. When a customer breaks down, you like to get them in and out as quickly as possible, whether that be a breakdown, testing, a service or repairs. You have to have a quick turnaround – for me, that’s the secret.”

With professionalism and excellence an unspoken given, one of the hallmark strengths of Garahys Test & Service Centre is the fact that they provide an all-inclusive one-stop shop service covering testing, servicing, checks, maintenance, parts, repairs, and eliminating the need for customers to have to deal with more than one garage to have their fleets preserved in immaculate condition and fully compliant with all prevailing regulations…

“That’s one of the reasons why we have so many customers coming from a large geographical area, from Athlone to Tullamore to Portlaoise, down to Nenagh and over to Ballinasloe,” says Dan. “They like the fact that we can take care of everything. They can drop their vehicles off safe in the knowledge that we’ll have it ready for them, with everything taken care of, within an agreed period of time. It’s all about repeat business and we get a lot of that.

“Some of the same customers have been coming here for 50 years. In many cases, the grandparents of present customers came first, followed by the parents and now the third generation is coming. Just as three generations of the Garahy family have been involved in the business, it’s the same with our customers. All these family businesses have been passed down the generations and those bonds remain. The customers today are treated exactly the same way as their parents and grandparents were.”

Looking after customers sounds easy in theory but in practice it takes a lot of patience, expertise, experience and knowhow. “Everyone here is on the same page – from the testers and mechanics through to the office staff, we all work together. There’s a good team atmosphere and always has been,” Dan continues. “It’s a family business and everybody is treated as part of the family.”

Constant investment in the latest tools, equipment, training and workshop / testing facilities ensures that Garahys Test & Service Centre always operates at the cutting edge. “You always have to upgrade. We’ve recently become a Wabco service agent – the only one in the area – which includes sending our guys over to England for training.

“Diagnostics and tooling are massively important and you must invest regularly to stay ahead of the game. Kieran’s approach has always been that if you stand still, you will be overtaken, so we don’t stand still. Instead, we strive to stay ahead of the posse.”

Going forward, after more than half a century of success in terms of providing generations of commercial vehicle owners with the best service possible, it’s safe to assume that Garahys Test & Service Centre will not be deviating from a winning formula:

“We’ll keep going as we are, combining the best equipment, tools and people to give a great service,” Dan concludes. “You have to invest in the future and that’s what we’ll do. The next big project will be to invest in our own recovery truck, which will improve our service even more.

“We have great people here and they are invaluable. Some of the team members have been here 20-plus years and I’m here 13 years myself. One thing I can say for sure is that it’s a happy and harmonious working environment. Everybody pulls together and enjoys what they do and that is passed on to our customers in the form of top-quality customer care.”

Garahys Test & Service Centre,

Fortal,

Birr,

County Offaly.

Tel: 057 912 1366

Email: [email protected]

Web: garahys.ie

First published in Irish Trucker magazine November/December 2024, Vol 27-6