Beckett & Co Ceilings & Dry Wall Ltd boasts 16 years’ experience of completing high class projects and Managing Director Darren Beckett tells Building Ireland the company has no intention of resting on its laurels. He also talks about his company’s joint-venture with PFP Ireland – PFP High Performance Solutions – which, he says, is “going from strength to strength”.
Since its arrival in Ireland in 1989, Intel has invested $15 billion, turning 360 acres of the Collinstown Industrial Park in Leixlip into the most advanced industrial campus in Europe.
Recently, in March, the multinational underlined its commitment to this country and Kildare with the announcement of the creation of 1,600 permanent hi-tech jobs once it has completed the construction of a new chip manufacturing factory at its Leixlip campus.
Intel Ireland has approximately 4,500 employees working at its Leixlip campus and as it has been a major contributor to the performance of the Irish economy.
Darren Beckett of Beckett & Co has first-hand knowledge of the spin off benefits that an investment of that eye-watering scale can have on ancillary businesses.
A leading suspended ceiling and dry wall specialist, Beckett & Co has all but taken up permanent residence in Intel over the course of the past 14 years and their client read list reads like a who’s who of Ireland’s construction sector.
“We have five different projects on in Intel at the moment,” Darren revealed in conversation with Building Ireland. “We’re working there with BAM on the new FAB 34, we are working with Ardmac in IR5, Duffy Contractors in IR 6, John Paul Construction in the PUP building and PJ Hegarty in IR5.”
Darren is carrying on a proud family tradition. “We worked on our first job in Intel back in 2007,” he revealed. “My father Eric would have worked in Intel in the early nineties with a ceiling and dry wall company. We now find ourselves stripping out sections that his company would have done and redoing them. “
Set up in September 2005, Beckett & Co quickly became synonymous with solutions and has developed an enviable reputation as a company that can be relied upon to deliver when it comes to suspended ceilings, drylining, metal stud partitions, taping and jointing, external rendering, skimming, carpentry, acoustic ceilings, drywall bulkheads and ceiling repairs, amongst other things.
The Dublin headquartered company and its team of 87 employees provide quality and value-for-money fit-out solutions to the commercial, residential, pharmaceutical and hotel sectors and are committed to the finest workmanship and attention-to-detail.
The high volume of repeat business they enjoy is testimony to this.
“We’re a family business with family morals and values and we pride ourselves on getting the job done to a very high standard and with the minimum of fuss,” Darren pointed out.
Beckett & Co’s portfolio of successfully completed projects includes the Covanta incinerator in Poolbeg, the 160-bed extension to the K Club in Kildare, 4-5 Mespil Road Office development, Chatham & King Street mixed use development and 15 Barrow Street Office development.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has posed problems for Beckett & Co, it has managed to steer clear of the worst effects it has had on the construction sector in this country.
“We’ve been quite lucky,” Darren explained. “We’ve been able to keep approximately 60% of our sites open, they are ones that were deemed essential. We’ve also other sites outside of Intel which have been able to remain open.
“We’re doing a project with M&P Construction for the HSE, an office refurbishment. We’re also on two different jobs with Sisk – a mixed-use development and an office development.”
Three years ago, Beckett & Co added another string to its bow when teaming up with Chris Barry of PFP Ireland to establish PFP High Performance Solutions in 2018.
This joint-venture provides quality and value-for-money specialist installation of structural fire proofing systems. The two companies’ wide range of skills and vast experience enables PFP High Performance Systems to deliver on all types of projects and exceed customers’ expectations.
The ever-burgeoning company’s CV includes the following successfully completed projects: Dublin Landing (Ballymore), Landsdowne Place (JJ Rhatigan) and Point Square, Dublin (Bennett Construction), to name but a few.
The growth that PFP High Performance Solutions has enjoyed since its inception has, like their valued clients, surpassed Darren’s expectations.
“The company has gone from strength to strength and is very busy now. We have a solid work base and there are 10 people employed in that company. We specialise in structural fireproofing and would have plans to expand further helping us to achieve our goal of doubling our turnover next year. We believe this is achievable.”
In relation to Beckett & Co, Darren is looking forward to progressing the contracts they are currently working on, and is enthusiastic about securing new contracts from the increased tenders now being received, and views all new developments and challenges in the future with positivity and prosperity in mind.
Beckett & Company
34 Kiltipper Avenue
Aylesbury
Dublin 24
Telephone: 01 452 1808
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June, Vol 7 No 6
