DiPerk moved into the Irish industry after it won the exclusive rights to Perkins in Ireland two years ago. One year after its official customer launch, DiPerk now has five full time Irish employees who service the 32 counties across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Here Paul McKenna, customer service controller at DiPerk, reflects on the company’s first year.
Some may remember DiPerk’s Irish launch from the popular competition we ran at the ploughing championships event, where we challenged visitors to change the cylinder heads on a Perkins 400 Series as quickly as they could. But the year hasn’t all been fun, games and competitions, the world has changed a lot since then and so have we as a company.
At first, we hand-picked a few skilled DiPerk employees from Peterborough, England to help set up the Ireland branch and since then we have recruited a team of highly skilled engineers to operate from Dublin.
For example, we employed a marine engineer who has extensive knowledge of that sector. He brought a specialised skill set to the team and helped develop our understanding of this important market. We then trained him up to work on everything from tractors to communication tower power generators, so he could tackle anything that the job threw at him.
Early on, we realised the Irish way of doing business is far more face to face, so we brought in parts sales representatives to offer ground support. This team has had to work hard to establish and maintain good relationships with customers virtually while working from home. One way we were able to go the extra mile with our virtual customer service was by using My Engine App, an online Perkins system, which shared service bulletins and information on potential issues. We then passed this information onto our clients so they could look out for these issues and call us if they needed an engineer to address them.
DiPerk has also recently updated its 15-year-old website to improve its online presence. The new website shares important information on practical issues, such as performing fluid analysis. It also includes comprehensive engine information, so customers can find what output they need before they get in touch.
No cutting corners
Perkins’ business is founded on supplying high quality genuine parts, like fuel pumps and injectors, which are more reliable than the non-genuine parts that some competitors offer. Alongside this, DiPerk offers a warranty and servicing plan with each component to ensure it performs at the highest level. While they may sometimes be cheaper, non-genuine parts can decrease the quality and lifespan of the equipment it is used in, so even during tough times they are not something to compromise on.
So that we can provide the same level of service across all of our locations, DiPerk’s Dublin site has a full engine build workshop and test bay equipped with the latest diagnostics tools. This facility has allowed Irish customers to get the best possible performance out of their engines.
Stage V
The EU Stage V emissions regulations were designed to make the industry more sustainable and reduce pollution. Perkins has been developing Stage V engines over the last few years, incorporating aftertreatment technology like diesel particulate filters (DPF), which catch and store soot from the exhaust gases. DiPerk is supporting Irish manufacturers through their transition to Stage V, so they can future-proof their product lines.
After a challenging but successful year, it’s clear that the Irish market is continuing to thrive. Here’s to the next!
To find out more about DiPerk’s parts, engine and service offering, visit the website https://www.diperk.com/pages/service
