Based in Dundalk, Co Louth, Multihog is starting to revolutionise the multipurpose marketplace, particularly in European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands.
Its initial product, the Multihog MH90, proved instrumental in keeping the Port Tunnel open during Ireland’s blizzard-like conditions just before Christmas.
In 2008 Multihog was co-founded by Jim McAdam and his daughter Ruth, starting out with two design engineers and a mechanic for prototyping.
Based in Dundalk, Co Louth, Multihog is starting to revolutionise the multipurpose marketplace, particularly in European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands.
Its initial product, the Multihog MH90, proved instrumental in keeping the Port Tunnel open during Ireland’s blizzard-like conditions just before Christmas.
In 2008 Multihog was co-founded by Jim McAdam and his daughter Ruth, starting out with two design engineers and a mechanic for prototyping.
Since then, it has expanded to employ 20 people, with the team designing and manufacturing 500 machines a year.
Ruth McAdam says the idea for the Multihog MH90 stemmed from an opening Jim McAdam had observed in the gardening industry for machines working on slopes.
McAdam herself then carried out a lot of research in mainland Europe.
The company invested its energies into coming up with a multipurpose instrument carrier that could be used all-year round for municipal maintenance.
The Mutihog’s tagline, ‘One machine – one driver – endless applications’, pinpoints its intention.
Completely unique product
McAdam says the Multihog MH90 is completely unique: “Its lift capacity is two tonnes on the front, two tonnes on the rear and it has a three-tonne towing capacity. It has an overall weight of six tonnes when you’re looking at the gross weight of the machine, with 3.5-tonne front-axle loading and four-tonne rear-axle loading.”
Multihog targets local authorities, contractors, airports, golf courses and road-maintenance companies.
She says the most popular applications for the Multihog MH90 so far are for summer applications, including grass and hedge cutting; road sweeping as an all-year-round application; and also using it as a salt spreader and a snow plough in the winter.
“It’s a two-minute one-person operation to change between different applications. Everything on this machine is designed for quick release. It’s all hydrostatically driven.
“You can engage the Multihog MH90 while operating an attachment but there’s absolutely no generation of heat and no loss of power – this is unheard of in hydrostatically-driven vehicles usually. It’s one of the patented features we have and it’s a serious selling point.”
The Multihog MH90 has a second patent – a tilting driver’s station, which helped one Cork customer reduce grass cutting time on a football field by half.
McAdam says Multihog’s main target market is mainland Europe, particularly countries that have both severe summers and winters.
“We have dealers and distributors and our products available in Holland, Belgium, Poland, Germany and the UK.”
The company intends to launch in the US and Canada at the start of 2012
Multihog was a finalist in the SFA National Small Business Awards.
Photo: Ruth McAdam
