Kirby Group Engineering has officially opened its new off-site manufacturing (OSM) facility at Junction 17 National Enterprise Park in Portlaoise, Co Laois.
The €8m development is set to create 50 jobs and will be key to the continuing growth of the company as it manufactures a range of components for projects across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.
First-class reputation in the life sciences, data centre, industrial, power and renewables
Kirby employs more than 1,800 people and has developed a first-class reputation in the life sciences, data centre, industrial, power and renewables sectors. The Limerick-headquartered firm is on track to record revenue of more than €700m in 2024.
Enterprise minister Peter Burke welcomed the company’s approach to future-proofing its business: “Kirby has demonstrated remarkably strong growth in their 60 years in business, providing them with a strong sense of where the technology and their customers are going. This incredible facility will be integral to projects underway all over Europe and I’d like to wish the team the very best for the future.”
More than 20 people are already working at the Portlaoise facility and Kirby expects that figure to reach 50 by the end of next year. The team there provides fabrication, welding, engineering and BIM (Building Information Modelling) services.
It also features a dedicated cleanroom to facilitate high purity pipework, as required by many of Kirby’s hi-tech clients. Components built at the Portlaoise plant will be transported to sites across all jurisdictions that Kirby operates in.
CEO of Kirby Group Engineering Mark Flanagan, left, with Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy.
CEO of Kirby Group Engineering Mark Flanagan said OSM is in high demand among its customers, including a number of global IT leaders: “OSM provides incredible savings when it comes to hours on site, equipment on site, scheduling control, quality control and of course health and safety," he said.
"We now aim to complete 25% of our projects through prefabricated methods and this facility is central to that target. I’d like to congratulate our operations director Mikey Ryan on his vision and leadership in bringing this project to life and I’m truly excited to see the possibilities this Portlaoise site can help create for Kirby and our customer offering.”
Dedicated apprentice training facility
In addition to the OSM services, the new building houses office space and a dedicated apprentice training facility, which will allow for classroom-based and practical education.
Apprenticeships have been an integral part of Kirby’s talent pipeline for many years and the company is currently supporting more than 200 apprentices through their four years of training.
The job creation at the off-site manufacturing facility has come about with the support of Enterprise Ireland. Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland is delighted to support this new development by Kirby Group. It supports a move to more modular construction in the building out of advanced manufacturing facilities thereby capturing more value and increasing sustainable employment for the region.
"I would like to congratulate Mark and all the team at Kirby on today’s opening and we look forward to continuing to work with the team to support the company’s operations and growth both in Ireland and in overseas markets providing high value services for global customers across multiple sectors.”