Experts in precision and steel fabrication solutions for over 30 years, ARD Precision (IRL) Ltd continues to go from strength to strength with clients such as John Sisk & Son, Castle Group, Stewart Construction, ESB, Iarnrod Éireann, Liebherr and Wills Bros on its books.
Established in 1993 by managing director Joe Brady, ARD (which is the Irish for ‘high’) Precision is a family-run business operating from a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ardrahan, Co. Galway. Joe is joined by his wife Bernadette, sons Kieran and James along with a 25-strong team. Bernadette and Kieran are both directors, while 21-year-old James is an apprentice welder.
ARD Precision is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, medium-to-large steel components for infrastructure ranging from modular homes to wind turbine towers. It specialises in engineering processes such as CNC turning, milling, spline and gear cutting, HD plasma cutting, rolling, press brake bending and submerged arc welding.
In 2021, the company was honoured with a prestigious John Sisk & Son Supply Chain Award in the ‘Supply Chain Partner of the Year – Ireland South, West & North’ category and continues to be a key supplier of structural steel to the renowned main contractor. In the past two years, ARD Precision has supplied over 700 tonnes of structural steel to a new Clinical Education / Research Centre and Emergency Department / Renal Ward at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) constructed by Sisk.
The Clinical Education / Research Centre building accommodates a 150-seat lecture theatre, offices, tutorial rooms and dedicated research space for UL Health Research Institute. The Emergency Department / Renal Ward includes multi-use treatment cubicles to allow flexible patient management in the unit through the innovation of ‘6/8 cubicle pods’ which enables the department to respond to ‘surges’ in demand. Sisk has also introduced sliding CT for resuscitation which is the first use of this technology anywhere in Europe.
The department has 24 renal treatment spaces plus high dependency facilities, including two full clinical isolation rooms, two segregation rooms, four-space treatment bay and five Ambulatory Care treatment rooms for Peritoneal Dialysis. Needless to say, the works were carried out in a live hospital environment.
“We’ve enjoyed an excellent working relationship with John Sisk & Son since 2017 and were delighted to be involved with Phase 1 of the UHL project,” Kieran Brady says.
“We’ve been involved with Sisk on a number of projects in our local area in recent years, including Bonham Quay in Galway Docks and the A&E extension at University Hospital Galway. We recently started supplying secondary steel to a new plant room they are delivering at Merlin Park University Hospital in Galway.
“We’re also currently supplying structural steel to the Jamestown Temporary Bus Depot in Dublin for Wills Bros and the new 290-bedroom Hilton Aparthotel at the Telephone House Building on Marlborough Street in Dublin for Stewart Construction. In addition, we’re supplying secondary steel to Castle Modular for their projects at the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Pfizer manufacturing sites in the Dublin area.”
Part of the Castle Group, Castle Modular is another company ARD Precision has forged strong ties with. Based in nearby Gort, Castle Modular designs, manufactures, supplies, installs and commissions both bathroom pods and full volumetric modular buildings. Its products are designed for your specification, are sustainably sourced and produced with less waste, manufactured to the highest industry standards and are assembled on-site to align with construction timelines.
ARD Precision is CE certified to EN 1090-2 and ISO 9001:2015, covering the manufacture of wind turbine towers and all types of steel structures, including bridges. It has also achieved Fire Resistance to BS EN 1634-1:2014 on the ARD 30-60 1 Hour Fire Doors, and most recently EN ISO 3834 for Fusion Welding. EN ISO 3834 defines quality requirements for welding both in workshops and on site, and is appropriate when demonstration of a manufacturer’s capability to produce welded construction in accordance with specified criteria is required. It can also be used as the basis for assessing a manufacturer’s welding quality arrangements.
The family business continues to invest heavily in its manufacturing facility which is kitted out with a wide range of the latest CNC equipment, including a new Voortman CNC drill and saw line, a new Gietart automated shot-blaster and a new Voortman plate processing machine. Furthermore, the Co. Galway firm runs its own rigid truck (MacMahon Transport in Kinvara looks after its heavy haulage needs) and has a Manitou 360 telehandler for the erection of medium-sized structures.
One of ARD Precision’s greatest assets is its people. The company has a dedicated team of 25 employees comprising draughtsmen / detailing, quantity surveyors, CNC operators, welders, fitters and steel erecting personnel.
“We have great staff who are professional, highly-skilled and reliable. Their hard work has been integral to our growth over the years. It’s a real team effort,” stresses Kieran, who is a mechanical engineer by profession.
ARD Precision also prides itself on being a family business which is always accessible to clients and provides the personal touch. When asked what gives the company the edge over its competitors, Kieran replied: “We’re very proactive and our turnaround time is unrivalled. We’ll do whatever it takes to deliver a project on budget and on time. We’re always there for our customers, seven days a week if needs be. We’re extremely flexible and work to our clients’ demands.
“We’re also the only company of our kind in Ireland to specialise in sub arc welding, which involves the formation of an arc between a continuously fed electrode and the work piece.”
ARD Precision’s main suppliers are Duggan Steel, Thompson Butler Steel, Hibernia Steel and Blue Steel Stockholders. Kieran would like to take this opportunity to thank them as well as their other suppliers and clients for their continued support.
ARD Precision (IRL) Ltd
Barratreana,
Ardrahan,
Co. Galway.
Telephone: 091 635 465
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ardprecision.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, May 2025, Vol 11 No 5
