Made in Ireland: building a business from the ground up in Co Carlow

Brothers Sam and Clive Smyth grew up working in their father’s contracting business. Kept busy in the spring, summer and autumn at tillage and silage work, the duo found themselves with some spare time during the winter.

“In a wet January in 1994, we bought our first welder to do bits and pieces in our spare time. Today, we have loads of welders and no spare time,” laughed Sam.

“Alongside doing small bits of welding on our own contracting fleet, we began fabricating trailer bodies to fit on to old chassis. We had no experience of welding or fabricating so we really dived in at the deep end. In saying that, each year the trailer business grew and grew. The first year we built three or four trailers. The next year we built seven or eight. The contracting continued to be as busy as ever and in 1999 we had to choose either one or the other. Clive and I decided to stick with the trailer business and it’s a decision we haven’t regretted. Since we set up in 1994, the trailer business witnessed growth year on year right up until the economy crashed in 2009. We built silage trailers right up through the years and first diversified in 2005 when we launched a dump trailer at the Ploughing. Although we had five trailers on show that day, I recall 80% of the enquires being for dump trailers. The Celtic Tiger drove demand for this type of product.”

Products

The silage trailer remains Smyth’s most popular offering. This was given a great boost four years ago when the firm introduced its range of Supercube trailers. The Supercube body has a sloped front which allows the carrying capacity to increase from that of a standard 20ft version to the equivalent of a 22ft trailer. The design originated from a customer’s request.

Sam said positive, otherwise known as forced, steering has become a popular choice. The system allows the trailer follow the movements of the tractor through a push rod attached to a smaller ball and spoon that runs parallel to the drawbar, a similar system to that used on many forage wagons and rakes.

To add to this, Smyth in conjunction with two local companies – Distag QCS and Burnside Hydracyl – designed a system which allows either two out of three axles or three out of four axles on a trailer to steer. On a tri-axle trailer, for example, the operator can choose to steer either the front and rear axles, or change the hydraulic levers to steer the two rear axles. The Carlow firm recently delivered the first two 25ft Supercube trailers with this system to a midlands-based contractor.

“The front axle on a 25ft Supercube trailer hinges at the same point as the centre point on the axle of a 16ft trailer. With the two rear axles out of the three steering, I’m confident the 25ft trailer will round any corner the very same as a standard 16ft trailer. The new system we have designed offers 20% more of a steering angle. I’m really excited to see how these trailers perform over the season. We have also built a demo trailer with the same spec which our Irish dealers will be showcasing to anyone interested.”

The modern trailer

We asked Sam what a common spec trailer of today is. He said nearly every trailer he manufactures is around 20/22ft long and shod on 560/60-22.5 flotation tyres. He added that swinging tailboards are a thing of the past and have been replaced by hydraulic rear doors. LED lights have now become standard across his trailers and the growth in popularity of the ball-and-spoon hitch was also noted. Air-brakes have also almost become standard on every trailer as more and more contractors are using 50km/h tractors.

When asked about where he sees trailers going in 10 years’ time, Sam said: “I think the trailer of the future will be something like the two 25ft tri-axle machines we recently built for an Irish contractor. Our customers all over the world are telling us draws are getting longer and longer. To be efficient, contractors need to be able to carry the maximum possible legal load on the road. From here, I see the big challenge in being able to build big trailers as manoeuvrable as possible. I’m hoping our newly developed steering system will be a big driver for us”.

Opportunities/threats and markets

Today, Smyth exports to seven countries, including New Zealand, North America, Canada, Australia, Sweden and Denmark. However, Ireland and the UK account for around 35-40% each of the total number of trailers built.

“Ireland and the UK continue to account for the lion’s share of our trailers. Outside of Ireland and England, North America and Canada are two markets in particular that we are excited about – they are really beginning to take off. These are vast markets which are only now realising the benefits of a tractor and trailer over a truck and trailer in difficult conditions. The trailers going to these markets are predominantly high-spec wide-body three- and four-axle machines.”

Up to recently, the company mainly made silage, bale and dump trailers. However, due to recent customer interest, Smyth has designed and built a number of low loaders.

Sam said the shortage of skilled labour is an increasingly significant issue for all Irish manufacturers. He’s also afraid of the long-term effects of COVID-19, but noted that agriculture will continue no matter what. He added that COVID-19 did put a strain on a supply of some components, but the business managed to stay operational the whole way through.

Future plans

The company recently completed the construction of a new wing off its main factory. Now that it’s finished, Sam noted that they are turning their focus to upgrading the spraying and finishing areas. The firm now has the capacity to manufacture in excess of 400 trailers per year.

Asked if there are any plans to diversify the product range outside of trailers, he said: “We have been asked over the years to build other products such as dung spreaders, but we’re going to stick to what we know best – and that’s trailers, nothing else.”

Profile

Business: Smyth trailers.

Established: January 1994.

Managing directors: Sam and Clive Smyth.

Employees: 17.

Address: Garryhill, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow.

Export markets: seven and growing.