Based in Thurles, Co Tipperary, AQS Environmental Solutions is one of the most capable and trusted specialist industrial, utility and environmental services companies in the country. Building Ireland touched base with its Head of Operations, John Fahey to hear about its move into a new premises, along with the overall state of business for the company and its hopes going forward.
These are exciting times at AQS Environmental Solutions – a company which continues to be a leading name when it comes to industrial, environmental and drainage services in Ireland.
Formerly based in Castletown, Galmoy, Co Kilkenny, last year saw the business moving to its new headquarters in Kiloran, Moyne, Co Tipperary.
The move into the new purpose-built workshop at the former Lisheen Mines site has catered for the growing fleet at AQS, along with a repurposed, environmentally efficient administration building.
Having moved to it in July of last year, the site is a central location that allows AQS to continue and grow its nationwide service.
“We moved into a new premises in July of last year. It’s more space for us and there’s a new purpose-built workshop. It’s just a more suitable site for us,” said the company’s Head of Operations, John Fahey.
Established since 1998, the now Tipperary-based business delivers industry-leading solutions to a who’s who of manufacturing facilities, local authorities, healthcare providers, utilities, infrastructure and pharmaceutical and waste management companies nationwide.
AQS is trusted to safely and effectively deliver a diverse range of services day in, day out – from sewer cleaning to large scale industrial cleaning projects.
Today, the company is operating with 85 full-time staff and John himself has been an integral part of the team for almost 14 years now.
Through the years, he has been proud to be part of a company which is very much a nationwide leader in the provision of environmental and industrial cleaning services.
“We do a lot of work for Uisce Éireann. We do tanking, reservoir cleaning, unblocking of lines, emergency call outs,” John outlined.
“Then we also do a good bit of industrial cleaning around the countryside, which would be for the waste energy/power plants, and we do a lot of work in the pharmaceuticals with testing their drainage systems, cleaning their lines and that.”
Since ‘Day One’, AQS Environmental Solutions has been a company which operates at the cutting edge of the market, embracing new technologies and striving at all times to improve their services, building up an exceptional team of operatives in the process.
Among the team of 85 staff in Kiloran includes Health & Safety officers, civil engineers, transport managers, environmental scientists and finance managers, while their drivers – many of whom hold Haz-Chem licences – are more than just drivers. To the contrary, they are charged with carrying out a number of duties and are highly trained in each discipline.
Training is an essential part of the business and all personnel are competent, safety conscious and confident in undertaking their daily tasks. The in-house training programme includes confined space entry, manual handling, driver CPCs, CSCS cards for operation of plant and equipment, and continuous professional development for office personnel.
To that end, it’s no surprise to hear that business is flourishing for the company at this point in time, as it looks to further add to its state-of-the-art truck fleet in Kiloran.
“Business is very good for us at the moment,” John stated. “We’re extremely busy and always expanding. At the moment, we have 28 trucks on the road and have four more on order for this year.”
Earlier this year, AQS made a further commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and delivering more environmentally sustainable services by making the move to run its fleet on Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO).
The main objective of utilising HVO in its fleet is for AQS to provide a more environmentally sustainable service to its customers.
The initiative, combined with the company’s green energy-powered offices and workshop, demonstrates its commitment to reducing its overall carbon footprint and providing environmentally sustainable services to customers.
Right now, business is good for AQS Environmental Solutions overall, as it grows from strength to strength and continues to set high standards and deliver the very best customer service.
A key attribute of the company is its ability to react swiftly to enquiries and undertake all jobs, big and small, in a timely but properly planned and efficient fashion.
The operations team utilises fleet tracking systems and SAP provides the system support, from initial enquiry to generation of final invoice. They also operate a fully-manned 24/7 emergency call-out support line.
A Lanes Group Company, AQS strives to consistently provide services that meet or exceed customer and regulatory requirements. Its ISO45001 and ISO 9001 accreditation and resulting integrated QEHS management system focusses on industry specific safety led and customer led works processes and enables the company to seamlessly adapt to changes in the marketplace, be this through adopting new technology or adapting to updated Health & Safety requirements or changing environmental standards.
Asked what he feels separates AQS apart from the competition out there, John stated: “We set-up a good reputation with our customers and we give a good service.”
Indeed, the company works in partnership with its customers, sharing their vision and helping them overcome their biggest challenges to achieve their business objectives and be successful.
Looking at the coming months for AQS and towards ‘Year 28’, John says the plan is to keep growing the business and continue leading the way when it comes to industrial, environmental and drainage services.
“We’re continuously expanding here and the plans are to try to continue the in-house training for drivers. Drivers is a big thing and we’re hoping to add more of them here and operators as well,” the Head of Operations concluded.
AQS Environmental Solutions
Kiloran,
Moyne,
Thurles
Co Tipperary
E41 Y8X7
Tel: 0504 57800
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September, Vol 11 No 10
