McCauley Trailers has launched a new step-frame machinery carrier under its MAC Trailers brand. The EU44T is the latest product in the 70-year history of the Northern Irish manufacturer of agricultural and road commercial trailers. The latter range from regular dry freight box trailers to specialist kit such as boat and caravan transporters.
The EU44T is a 13,300mm-long, 2,540mm-wide 3-axle trailer, running on Granning air suspension and 235/75x17.5 twin wheels. Its length is made up of an 8,159mm main bed, with a 4,345mm neck bed and 800mm beavertail. The trailer’s key benefit is its unladen weight of 8,400kg, 500kg less than its predecessor. A stainless steel toolbox and 6-tonne D-rings are standard, but the basic trailer can be specified to individual needs with a long list of optional functional and cosmetic options.
Mike Connolly, UK area sales manager for the Toomebridge, Co Antrim company, described the background to the new product. “Simply put, you must stay ahead of the game, we’re an innovative company. Our business model has always been based on what the customer wants, and they wanted a sleek, strong, lighter trailer and that’s what we’ve got. The key is in its bespoke design, it’s a lighter trailer but it still has that strength and integrity which MAC Trailers are renowned for.
Asked about the impact of Covid-19 on the business, Connolly said: “People were worried for their health and that of their family which is completely understandable, however in recent weeks we have found as people have returned to work and businesses are back in action, that order enquiry levels and orders have increased. Our customers are aware of our lead times and production levels and know they need to order in advance to get their trailer, so we have found this has bolstered our order books through the coronavirus pandemic.”
On the other, currently overlooked, elephant in the room, Brexit, Connolly explained: “In advance of this, we increased our UK sales from 40% of our business towards 50% with a Brexit sales strategy to increase our UK market share, this has worked well for us as we find more and more UK customers want to support UK businesses and buy products manufactured locally. All of the trailers are manufactured on our 4-acre site, with the most contemporary machines and facilities available with a local workforce. Other manufacturers outsource a lot of their build to other companies and indeed other countries, where they will struggle with quality, but the beauty of our product is that it’s all manufactured under the one roof. This allows us to turn out a high volume of quality products.”
