Established in 2009, Ecopipe Ireland has carved a niche for itself in the Irish construction sector. Building Ireland heard all about the company and the current state of business from Managing Director, Macartan McCague, recently.
Business is on the up again at Ecopipe Ireland and Mac McCague very much intends to keep it that way going forward.
Operating with 14 staff across two locations in Ballyboughal and Stillorgan, Mac set-up Ecopipe Ireland in August 2009 and it has since gone on to become an award winning business venture.
With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, Mac and his company have mastered every aspect of the business and only supply the finest products to trade professionals.
The ever burgeoning business has been supplying the heating and plumbing trade with an extensive range of products ever since it was established.
Business had been flourishing in the early part of 2020 before the Coronavirus pandemic struck and caused a shutdown to building sites all over the country.
Building Ireland caught up with Mac McCague in the weeks after government lockdown was lifted in mid-May to learn about the state of business.
“Things had been busy for us up until the lockdown hit in March but we’re back up around 70 per cent of what we were,” explained the Managing Director.
“We had an emergency service on the go during those weeks, but unfortunately a lot of the projects we were involved in had just stalled overnight.
“There seems to be a bit of movement on most of our sites now and the RMI and Commercial business is coming back slowly to where it was.”
Business seems to be on the up again and you can be sure that’s something Mac and his team will build on, with the Co. Monaghan native having built his company from the ground up over the past decade.
“When I was setting up Ecopipe I approached Italian manufacturer Tiemme and started distributing for Tiemme in Ireland.”
Tiemme Raccorderie is renowned as an international leader in the production and marketing of plumbing and heating components.
“We started off as a specialist in underfloor design and supply with Tiemme working out of our warehouse in Ballyboughal,” he said.
“A year later we opened a trade counter in Stillorgan, selling a full range of heating and plumbing equipment to which we then added our spare parts distribution. Then in 2015 we added a trade counter to our warehouse in Ballyboughal which now covers the trade customers from the north of the county and country.
“We purchase a lot of goods locally like most other merchants but what we do differently is that we also import and distribute the Tiemme range complete with more technical products which are more solution driven. From Tiemme we are not only supplying their market leading multilayer pipe and fittings, we also supply their modular plantroom manifolds, pre-assembled pump modules, and pressure differential valves. Full heating design packages are also available including our UFH systems and UFH thermal panels for various floor types. Tiemme have also launched a new range of taps and showers which they are manufacturing and they are all registered on the new European Water label.
Ecopipe also recently became sole distributor in Ireland for the full range of Elysator chemical-free water treatment products for the heating and cooling industry.
With the evolution of the expanding heat pump market it is more essential than ever that the water quality is controlled and systems perform to the European VDI 2035 standard.
Using demineralised water ensures the reliability and efficiencies of the heating and cooling components in our systems. The Elysator products are used in new installations and as a retrofit installation where corrosion is occurring and the traditional use of chemicals has proven ineffective.
The current customer base for these products is specialist heating installers, both residential and commercial, and commercial maintainance companies who would have used chemical dosing in the past.
We have just supplied a large number of commercial Elysator filters and Compenso filling units to the Ulster Hospital which they installed in both the heating and cooling circuits to prevent the failure of key components due to corrosive water.
Mac has always been proud of the products his company sell and is also thankful to his customers and suppliers for their support.
“A good loyal customer base helps when times are tough and we have always been glad of their support,” he said.
“Our product range has always been strong and we concentrate on European products. We’re dealing with local people all the time and you obviously have to be competitive in any business, but I think loyalty, service and our product range have brought us a long way.”
Ecopipe Ireland has built a reputation throughout the country for their excellent customer service and satisfaction and is continuously looking for new innovative ways to improve their customer experience and efficiency of their business.
As for the months ahead, Mac is keen for business to return to the way it was prior to the Covid-19 pandemic hitting and government lockdown being enforced as result.
“We want to get back to where we were last year,” he stated. “The signs have certainly been good in recent weeks. We’re increasing our sales and hopefully over the next few months we’ll get there.”
He concluded: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers and suppliers for their continued support and look forward to working together for many years to come.”
Ecopipe Ireland
North Side,
Ballbriggan,
Sallowood View,
Ballyboughal,
Co. Dublin
Tel: (01) 843 3506
South Side,
70 Saint Lawrence Park,
Stillorgan
Co. Dublin
Tel: (01) 210 9970
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2020, Vol 6 No 6
