The Quinn Group has assigned its 24 new trucks to a variety of roles in different divisions of the company.

The line-up includes 15 Mercedes Axor 2540 tractor units, which are now working at 44 tonnes gvw, hauling cement powder in bulk tankers, as well as pre-stressed concrete and other related products, to major construction and civil engineering contractors across the whole of Ireland.

A pair of 38-tonne 4x2 Axor 1840 tractors and two Mercedes Atego 816 rigids – the group’s first 7.5-tonne trucks – are working for the Quinn Packaging division, one of the company’s most recent diversifications. They distribute bulky but light packaging materials to customers across Ireland, many of them in the dairy industry. The tractors trunk with curtainsided trailers to hub depots while the Atego handle local deliveries.

The order also included three heavy-duty 8x4 Actros 4141K tippers. Two of these are replacements for identical vehicles being stood down after three years’ hard work in an extremely demanding application. The third represents an expansion to this area of the company’s work. They are fitted with Thompsons steel tipping bodies and Voith retarders, and earn their keep carrying stone from a quarry on what is known locally as ‘The Mountain’, near the Group’s headquarters in the small border town of Derrylin, into its cement plant. The trip involves a long, steep descent on unmade quarry roads at full weight – hence the decision to specify the optional retarders.

Rounding off the order were a pair of 8x4 Axor 3236Ks with Liebherr 8m3 concrete mixer drums, that have replaced older vehicles in Quinn’s ready-mixed concrete delivery operation.

The Quinn Group’s business interests are now spread across Europe, including the former Eastern Bloc. The company has substantial interests in a range of diverse industry sectors throughout Central and Western Europe including financial services, hotel & property management, cement production and the manufacture of related concrete products. It is a market leader in Ireland and the UK in the production of container glass products for the drinks and food trade and is a major provider of building insulation products. It is also a Europe-wide leader in the supply of heating radiators and the production of industrial and domestic plastics. In line with its mission of ongoing diversification the Group is now substantially extending its commercial property portfolio in established and emerging economies.

The company bought its first Mercedes trucks in 2003, investing in 16 Axor tractors following a successful trial of a demonstrator unit. A year later a second order for 15 similar units and the first Actros 8x4 tippers followed.

“With this latest order, Mercedes-Benz has increased its share of our fleet still further,” says Transport Manager John McNally. “We continue to receive the crucial combination of top-quality products from the manufacturer, and first-class back-up from Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI).”

The Quinn Group was also one of the stars of the recent Export & Freight Transport and Logistics Awards 2007 – the company won the Safety Award and was shortlisted for the title of Irish Own Account Operator of the Year, while Mr McNally was named Irish Transport Manager of the Year.