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My name is Sean O’Donnell and I am the Plant Director for The Carey Group. This is a family business that was set up over 35 years ago by three brothers, who are still heavily involved in day-to-day operations.

In total, the Carey Group normally has at least 20 projects operating at any one time with sites all over the UK and Ireland.

HITACHI

There are many mid-range Hitachi excavators in our fleet. One of these – a ZX210LC – was the 10,000th machine to roll out of Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV’s factory in Amsterdam.

Experience

The quality of Hitachi construction machinery cannot be matched. The majority of our plant fleet is Hitachi and we are always placing orders for new “recruits”.

The Hitachi models meet all health and safety guidelines. This is another reason why the company stays loyal to the brand. The British Hitachi distributor also provides a full back-up service. You don’t have to go anywhere else for parts, after-sales or product support.

It’s a long way from Tipperary
During the 20th century many Irish people emigrated. They left their country behind in search of a better life for their families. A classic example is the Carey family from County Tipperary in the Republic of Ireland. Since arriving in England, the family has successfully established itself in the construction industry. Ground Control visited some of its job sites to find out how the business has developed over the years. To contradict the old Irish folk song, it’s a long way from Tipperary.

The Carey Group is a family business that was set up over 35 years ago. The three brothers, Pat, John and Tom, all worked on job sites before they decided to set up their own company. They are still heavily involved in the day-to-day running of operations and other members of the family have also been recruited.

John Carey is the Managing Director of the company. Pat and Tom are also both directors. All three work closely together to ensure that the Carey Group runs smoothly and continues to grow. Originally, the Carey Group only had one small office. This was located in North West London. As it continued to expand, it relocated to Stonebridge Park – a great location on the North Circular (one of the main roads in London). The Carey Group now operates from its headquarters in Wembley with another office at Milton Keynes in Northamptonshire.

Having established itself in England, the decision was made six years ago to return to the family’s roots. In 2000, it opened its Irish division. This is now managed from the office based at Dardistown, Cloughran in County Dublin. Although the company now has facilities in Ireland, John, Pat and Tom have remained in England. Originally involved in construction, The Carey Group now embraces four key services: construction, civil engineering, demolition and plant hire. This allows it to provide customers with the capability of undertaking either all aspects or just certain elements of a project. Its demolition arm trades under a separate name, TE Scudder Ltd.

The four divisions are strengthened by the Group’s sustained skilled labour force – over 500 at the last count –and its up-to-date plant operation. The direct control and management of these resources has ultimately led to the success and solid growth of the company.

Plant Director Sean O’Donnell is keen to highlight Carey’s close relationship with UK dealer HM Plant. “HM Plant has always been good to us,” explains Sean. “This job moves so fast that it is important to pick up the phone and receive a high level of service. HM Plant has always provided this and that is why we have remained loyal to them.

“Also, the quality of Hitachi construction equipment cannot be matched. The majority of our plant fleet is Hitachi. All of the machines that are working in Ireland are Hitachi and we are always placing orders for new recruits.”

The Carey Group has a machine replacement policy of five years. So, the condition of each excavator is monitored on a regular basis. One of its Hitachi Zaxis machines has already clocked up over 10,000 hours and has only had to have routine service inspections. All used machines are then traded back to HM Plant.

Safety is paramount as Sean explains. “The Hitachi Zaxis models meet all health and safety guidelines,” Sean continues. “This is another reason why the company stays loyal to the Hitachi brand. HM Plant also provides a full back-up service. You don’t have to go anywhere else for parts, after-sales or product support.” A slightly different policy is instigated in Ireland. Parts are bought from HM Plant’s sub-dealer TBF Thompson. This makes life easier for all concerned. The Irish division also looks after its own product support services – apart from the diagnostics.

The Carey Group has many mid-range Hitachi excavators in its fleet. One of these – a ZX210LC – was the 10,000th machine to roll out of Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV’s factory in Amsterdam (see P. 4). The ZX210LC is helping to breathe life into Ballymun. The district, located just outside Dublin, is famous for a series of high-rise flats that were built in the 1960s. The company has been working on this site for five years. It was the second contract to be won in the country after the Irish division was set up. Other successful tender processes have followed since this original deal in February 2001.

While on-site, the Carey Group brand appears everywhere. The distinctive blue and yellow logo is derived from the traditional colours of County Tipperary. There are Carey-branded vans, lorries and cars – as well as the construction equipment – all in operation. It also has mini-buses to transport its site workers to and from work and between jobs.

“The work at Ballymun is a big contract for us in Ireland,” says Plant Manager (Ireland) Donal Gray. “We only have two machines working on this particular phase, but over the past five years we have had quite a few other Hitachi models on-site. The ZX210LC and ZX70 are involved in drainage work and the realignment of 6km of roads and associated utilities.“

Ballymun Regeneration Ltd was set up by Dublin City Council DCC in 1997 to plan and implement a regeneration programme. The end result will be a new town with improved facilities for 30,000 people. In total, 13 blocks of flats will be demolished and nearly 5,000 new homes will be built.

Another of the Carey Group’s ZX210LCs was working on a second site in County Kildare, one hour from Dublin. Once again, it is helping to lay a new drainage system and build an access road for an impressive new housing development. One of its wheeled excavators, a ZX130W, was also working on a third site nearby. This was a new bypass road for the town of Naas.

In total, the Carey Group normally has at least 20 projects operating at any one time. Sites in England are spread throughout the country and include Huntingdon, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Middlesbrough and Plymouth. Sean and his team of contracts managers in the UK work very closely with the Irish office to ensure that all machines are in the correct location. The Carey Group moves machines between the two countries. This is a system that appears to be working well thanks to a regular ferry timetable. The professional attitude and management of the company also ensures that any such movements are as seamless as possible.

Family-run businesses are not uncommon in the construction industry. Many are passed down from generation to generation. However, the Carey Group has taken this one step further. The relationships it forms with its employees and suppliers are based on a similar footing to those found within an average family unit.

Loyalty and trust is instilled in all parties. Everyone from the operators to senior management and directors have a small piece of the Carey Group in their blood. It appears that this – combined with the quality and reliability of the Hitachi product – has been the recipe to its hard-earned success.