Aiming higher at Harris

08/05/2024 Ashleigh Sinclair Features

Willie Daniels is in charge of Harris Group’s bus and coach division. HARRIS GROUP

Five years after his last visit, Jonathan Welch pays a virtual visit to the Dublin premises of Harris Group for an update on the company’s activities

One of the first test drives I carried out when I joined CBW back in 2019 was the Higer Steed, in left hand drive, two-door format; it was one of two vehicles I drove, actually, whist on a trip to Dublin to visit the Harris Group’s large Naas Road site on an industrial estate to the west of the city. The other vehicle was the Higer Pegasus coach. Both products are still offered by Harris Group as part of its coach and bus range. Neither vehicle has yet become a common sight on this side of the Irish Sea, though a number of Steeds have found their way to the UK, in right hand drive format and single-door of course, but Harris Group now has plans for expansion.

To give a quick recap, the Harris Group was founded in 1961 by the late Robert ‘Pino’ Harris, who passed away in 2017. The business today is in the hands of CEO Denise Harris. ‘Pino’ is said to have been a pioneer, whose business acumen changed the face of the transport industry in Ireland; his big business breakthrough came in the 1960s through importing Japanese brand Hino, whose trucks quickly gained a reputation for toughness and reliability, and he was able to quickly gain a large percentage of the market share in that segment. He subsequently grew the Harris brand portfolio to include Isuzu (in 1985) and Iveco (1994), making it a large player in Ireland’s heavy goods vehicles market.

Later on, the Harris Group’s activities grew to include a wide range of light commercial offerings as well as introducing a new coach and bus division. Maxus and Higer also now form part of its portfolio. Harris Group is a dealer for a number of commercial vehicle marques including Isuzu, Maxus and Higer.

Since its founding in the 1960s, the Irish company has evolved and grown to become a significant player in Ireland, as well as establishing bases in Malta as well as the UK, where it has a headquarters in Warrington.