Based in Cappawhite, Co Tipperary, Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineers has been providing a full range of consultancy services in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Public Lighting and M&E Project Management Services for a decade now. Building Ireland learned more from founder and Managing Director, John Fahey.
Business has been booming in the first half of this year for Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineers and the plan for John Fahey and Co is to keep things that way as they motor on towards 2020.
The company was originally established in 2009 as a new innovative consultancy practice which provides Architects, Public and Private Clients, Developers and Design and Build Contractors with a full range of consultancy services in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Public Lighting and M&E Project Management Services.
It remains the core of the business an even decade later and from their base in Shanaclogh, Cappawhite, Co Tipperary they continue to provide these services in a client focused, progressive and forward thinking manner with an ever increasing focus on sustainable energy efficient and more environmentally friendly design solutions.
John and his wife Paula are the current directors at Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineers and the former was good enough to take some time from his hectic schedule as of late to give Building Ireland the lowdown on what the business is all about.
“The company has been established since 2009 and right now we’ve four direct staff,” John outlined.
“We provide professional consultancy services in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering and we’re working on a wide variety of projects at the moment.
“We do quite a bit of work on schools, plus private work as well, and right now we’re quite busy with different projects around the country.”
The origins of the business date back to the early 1980s when John graduated from the University of Limerick with a Bachelor of Science Degree.
From there, he went on to work overseas in the Middle East and Australia and gained some invaluable experience along the way.
“My background was in electrical engineering. I qualified back in 1983,” John explained.
“I went on and worked for MF Kent on projects in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, mainly petrochemical and water desalination plants. I also spent a year in Australia before returning home in 1990 where I worked for E.G. Pettit & Company in Cork until 2003 when I relocated to WYG Limerick before starting this Practice in 2009.
“When we started up the practice in 2009 it was very tough. With the recession in full swing, we were just trying to pay the bills but we managed to get through it.
“We initially got a job in the Construction of the US Customs and Border Protection Extension at Shannon Airport that got us up and running and, thankfully, we haven’t looked back since.”
It’s worth noting that John also completed a post graduate Masters in Project Management (Hons) in University of Limerick in 1998 and has gone on to become particularly skilled in the integration of energy efficient sustainable design solutions on both new build and refurbishment projects.
In 2009, he took the decision to go out on his own and has not regretted it, with Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineers now members of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland; the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and Engineers Ireland.
Multi-million euro projects the company has completed over the past 10 years include work on the Shannon Airport Customs Border Protection Extension, Office Fit-outs at Westpark Shannon, Refurbishment and redevelopment of a number of Listed Convent Buildings, The Granary Office Fit Out, the Limerick City Quays Urban Renewal / Public Lighting, and a 36 bedroom Private Nursing Home which features sustainable technologies including Geothermal Ground Source Heat Pumps and Solar Photovoltaic Micro Generation.
It’s all a far cry from when John first started out with his business venture and he’s glad to report that 2019 has been one of the busiest years for the company to date.
“Business to date this year has been very good. The order book is completely full, so that’s not a bad complaint,” he enthused.
“It’s hard to get it all done for clients because they went to proceed immediately these days and at the moment we’re looking to add to our staff to meet the increasing workload.
“Summer is always hectic for us with a lot of school projects. We’re currently working on the refurbishment of M&E Services for schools in Bruree, Shannon, Tuamgraney and Roscrea. These will need to be commissioned and handed over prior to end of August in time for the new school year.
“We’re also working on a refurbishment of a 2,200m2 listed Convent, Phase 2 of a Public Lighting Upgrade for Shannon Free Zone and a couple of school extension projects, including a large one at Scoil Ruain Killenaule Co Tipperary.”
John has noticed a significant increase in activity on residential developments in the last 12 months and the practice is currently working on a private scheme at Slí na Manach, Mungret, and a number of local authority schemes for Galway and Kerry County Councils.
So what has been the secret to this success? How has a start-up company grown over the past 10 years to the point where it finds itself now with its order book “completely full”?
For John, it comes down to two qualities in particularly which his company has focussed on from the very start.
“I think our clients are happy with the service that we provide them and trust is always a big thing. They know that they can trust us.”
He concluded: “We probably need to bolster our resources with the workload we have in the pipeline over the next 6 months. It’s a challenging prospect finding good people at present but hopefully there’s a very rewarding opportunity for talented engineers looking for a move to a greener pastures in the heart of the Golden Vale.
Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineers operate to the Engineers Ireland ethical code of practice and their advice is totally independent and impartial with the primary aim of delivering enhanced overall project value to our clients.
The company’s wide ranging experience includes projects in the Commercial, Retail, Heritage & Refurbishment, Hotel, Leisure, Energy, Industrial, Healthcare, Education, and Residential sectors for both Public and Private Clients.
Their services cover all aspects of projects from inception through to feasibility stage, project planning through to detailed design, preparation of detailed tender documents, tender assessment, technical and financial control of M&E projects and site supervision through to completion and handover.
John Fahey himself has a strong track record in the delivery of cost effective, innovative design solutions to best suit the needs of clients and architects, so why not give Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineering Ltd a call today?
Fahey O’Riordan Consulting Engineering Ltd.
Shanaclogh,
Cappawhite,
Co Tipperary
Tel: + 353 (0)62 75 929
Mobile: 087 933 9582
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.force.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, August, Vol 5 No 8
Fahey O'Riordan Consulting Engineering
