BH Groundworks Ltd. is an energetic young plant hire / project management company with a big future. We travelled to Bray in County Wicklow and caught up with senior engineer / project manager Stuart O’Malley to find out more about day-to-day activities at this multifaceted and highly-skilled operation.
In the space of three short years, BH Groundworks Ltd. has come a long way. Established in mid-2013, the progressive company currently provides gainful employment to a crew of more than 30, providing plant hire and labour; project management; and engineering solution services to utilities, local authorities and individual clients predominantly within the immediate Wicklow / South Dublin catchment area.
“The company was set up to provide subcontractor work to the Councils and utilities such as the ESB and Irish Water,” notes engineer / projects manager Stuart O’Malley, who takes responsibility for the day-to-day running of BH Groundworks and is ably assisted by operations manager Cathal Mangan. “We also work on some one-off buildings and extensions etc.
“Our catchment area would go up as far as Ashbourne in County Meath but we are mostly focussed in the Bray / South Dublin (Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown) areas. We’re tipping along nicely and we have excellent personnel as well as great equipment, so the business is in very good shape going forward.”
With eight track machines at their disposal and two fully-qualified and –experience engineers among the 30+ staff, BH Groundworks specialises in providing emergency crews to authorities and utilities. “We are on call 24/7 and we can have fully-mobile 3.5 tonne machines on site in a matter of minutes,” says Stuart. “We have a strong background in flood defences and have also completed a lot of projects around tidal areas.”
Regarding work ongoing at the time of writing, the project manager continues: “We are doing groundworks on schools in both Tallaght and Ashbourne at the minute. Both of those are labour and plant hire agreements. Generally speaking, we tend to have five or six smaller projects, which are usually up to five days long, running at any given time. Alongside that, we then tender for bigger projects in housing developments, schools and other construction sites.”
The stunning fleet of company-owned machinery at BH Groundworks’ disposal comprises the aforementioned eight track machines, a 20-tonne rubber duck, dumpers, nine beaver-tail trucks ranging from 7.5 to 20 tonnes, eight vans, a grab truck and a number of tipper trucks. Regarding the organic growth of the fleet, Stuart reflects:
“We started off small and added more and more second-hand machines as we got busier. We have a nice fleet at the moment but investment is ongoing and we tend to pick up a new piece of plant every month or so.” Needless to say, the fleet – which represents the very lifeblood of the operation – is preserved in immaculate condition at all times. “Connolly Commercials in Roundwood looks after all our maintenance and they turn it around very quickly for us, which is much appreciated.”
To ensure a steady flow of business, a flexible and diverse range of services is provided. For example, BH Groundworks employs two tar and concrete crews offering tarmacadam, road, footpath and paving services both to local authorities and private customers. They also count a couple of stone masons among their ranks and provide a high-quality wall-building service.
With so much to offer, the future prognosis for this dynamic young company is extremely encouraging. Looking to that future, Stuart says the aim is to keep growing by providing exceptional services: “We’ll try to keep growing and to keep winning more contracts,” he concludes. “We’ll stick to the Wicklow / South Dublin area and perhaps look at taking on a bit of work in Wexford as well, if the demand is there.
“Our turnover is up compared to this time last year and we’re heading into the busy season now, from summer until Christmas, so it’s all systems go.”
BH Groundworks Ltd. has already forged a stellar reputation for excellence within its chosen area of expertise and the Bray-based company boasts all the necessary ingredients – excellent fleet and personnel complemented by a client-focussed and experienced management team – to move onwards and upwards in the coming years and decades.
BH Groundworks Ltd.,
Unit 3,
Bray South Business Park,
Killarney Road,
Bray,
County Wicklow.
Tel: 01 28990909
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, July 2016, Vol 2 No 3
