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• LANDSCAPE ATV SNOWMOBILE CAR AND OTHER TRAILERS IN HIGH DEMAND AT TP TRAILERS |
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Thursday, February 07, 2002 |
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Trailers are in great demand these days. Landscapers use them to haul equipment, and crafters to transport handmade wares. Outdoor enthusiasts hitch them to cars and load up snowmobiles, four-wheelers, motorcycles and race cars. Homeowners sometimes keep them on hand for carrying everything from lumber to furniture.
The growing market for trailers has meant a steady increase in business for Perkins/T.P. Trailers, Inc. The company, which has been located in Bridgeport since it opened in 1966, moved in November to 703 W. Ridge Pike in Limerick Township.
The new location affords the retail, rental and service outfit better visibility and more space to meet the demands of its expanding customer base.
“We had outgrown our site in Bridgeport,” said company President Tom Perkins Jr. “There our yard was one acre. Now we have a 10-acre facility.” Since the company’s 10 employees live mostly in the Pottstown area, the move had the added benefit of shortening commutes, according to Perkins, who lives in Perkiomenville. More importantly, though, owners saw Limerick as a favorable locale for a flourishing enterprise. “It’s an area that’s growing. We felt we could move in and grow with the community,” Perkins said.
Perkins, who runs the company with his sister, Donna Snyder, was literally reared into the business. His father founded the company as a repair and maintenance facility for the trucking industry.
“He worked with freight companies. One of the companies needed more trailers, so he bought some and began renting them out and got into the business that way,” explained Perkins.
Perkins and Snyder took over in 1986. That year, the company grossed $229,000. In 2001, they closed at nearly $3 million. The pair routinely put in 12 to 15 hour days- one factor contributing to the success of their operation. Another, though, is simply that the market for trailers has blossomed over the years.
“There’s quite a bit more demand for enclosed and utility trailers because Detroit went from selling pickup trucks to sport utility vehicles,” said Perkins. You can’t pile a cord of wood into your SUV, or tow home a load of two-by-fours for a do-it-yourself project.
“And, the economy has been so good people have money to spend on hobbies now,” Perkins noted.
The growing ranks of race car and motorcycle enthusiasts need trailers to haul their vehicles. When Perkins/T.P. Trailers moved from its long-time location to Limerick, owners feared a slump in sales. That never happened said Snyder, who serves as secretary/treasurer.
Instead, they’ve picked up a number of new customers-a fact Snyder attributes to having road frontage on a major thoroughfare. “There aren’t a lot of dealers in the area, so we do get walk-in customers,” she said. The new location enabled them to build a parts showroom, where clients can buy hitches and other parts and accessories.
In addition, the company sells and rents a wide variety of trailers – everything from tractor –trailer size containers to walk in units used by contractors, along with smaller types that hitch onto cars and trucks. They also inspect, service and maintain trailers.
While most buyers come from the surrounding area, a small percentage of sales are gleaned from the Internet. Because Perkins/T.P. Trailers can customize a trailer to fit a specific need, special orders sometimes come from around the globe. A company from France, for example, recently placed an order that calls for outfitting a trailer with electronic mapping components for detecting underground utilities.
Thanks to the new site, Perkins hopes to further expand his business. The new site will enable them to eventually stock more trailers. Plans call for bringing in a line of horse trailers in the spring and heavy equipment trailers later. “I like the challenge of trying to make the business grow, and always changing, trying to stay ahead of the competition,” said Perkins. |
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