‘Swiss army knife of vehicles’ driven to succeed

AMBITIOUS export plans are being prepared for the Multihog, a multi-purpose utility vehicle manufactured in Dundalk which can be used to salt and grit roads and clear snow in winter and to cut grass and hedges in the summer.

Described as “a Swiss army knife of vehicles”, it can be fitted with attachments to carry our a variety of tasks and is designed for use by local authorities and road maintenance contractors.

Launched on the market during 2010, the Multihog is now being sold through distributors in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Holland and Britain.

The first vehicle to sell in Ireland was used with a snow plough and salt spreader attachment to keep the Dublin port tunnel clear of ice and snow during the December freeze.

Since launching on the market in last year the company has sold 35 of the vehicles, which have a base price of €56,900, and it is aiming to sell 45 this year. Employing a staff of 20, Mulihog expects this to grow to 50 within five years. “By 2015 we expect to manufacture 500 units a year,’’ says director Ruth McAdam, who co-founded Multihog with her father, Jim McAdam.

The company was founded in 2008 when the McAdams identified a gap in the market for a multipurpose vehicle.

Jim McAdam previously owned a share in Dundalk forklift manufacturer Moffett Engineering, which was sold in 1997

“We saw an opportunity for an all-season vehicle which can be used with a variety of attachments for a variety of maintenance and ground care tasks.

“There’s nothing directly comparable on the market. There are smaller machines for light duty applications and larger truck-sized machines for heavy-duty appliances,” observes Ms McAdam, explaining that the company now has two patents on the technology

She says that the obvious advantages of the Multihog are that it cuts down on costs and on maintenance and storage for local authorities and other users.

In early 2008 Mutihog started out at a small unit at the Brewery Business Park in Dundalk, employing two design engineers and one R&D mechanic. The development took close to two years and in 2009 the company tested the prototype with local authorities and road companies and displayed it at trade shows at the end of the year. During this time the company worked with attachment manufacturers to ensure that the Multihog was compatible with a wide variety of attachments.

Ms McAdam says that sales began in 2010 following a German trade show. Exhibiting at trade shows has since been a key part of the company sales strategy. “We went to between 12 and 15 shows last year and have signed up for another 15 this year. Our aim is to educate the market about our product and also to source distributors.”

The focus for 2011 is to develop a wider network of distributors: “We are now in discussions with 26 potential dealers. We have to choose carefully because we need the right distributors to develop our brand,’’ observes Ms McAdam.

She says that Multihog will look at widening sales to Switzerland, Austria, the Nordic countries and the Czech Republic this year, and by 2012 it will begin exploring the US and Canadian market.

The McAdams used their own funding to develop the company, although Multihog has been assisted by Enterprise Ireland which identified it as a High Potential Start-Up in 2009.

Multihog is now continuing to invest in R&D and by the end of this year is planning to launch a smaller Multihog, designed for maintaining smaller areas such as footpaths.

The company has been shortlisted for this year’s Small Firms Association Awards in the innovator category.