Established since 1995, Conhor Construction offers its clients all throughout the Munster region first-class services in Grab Hire, Plant Hire and Civil Engineering. Building Ireland touched base with its Managing Director Martin Horgan to learn all about the Co Cork-based company – from its current projects to the hopes it has going forward.
Business is good these days at Conhor Construction and Martin Horgan and his team of 30 staff in Ballymichael, Co Cork are eager to keep things that way through to next year (and beyond).
Originally set-up by Martin himself back in 1995, the company has quietly been building a reputation for excellence, reliability and great value throughout Munster.
It offers clients services in Grab Hire, Plant Hire and Civil Engineering that are second-to-none and, in doing so, uses equipment that is top of the line.
Building Ireland caught up with Martin Horgan to discuss the ins and outs of the business and what has its customers choosing them first ahead of other competitors out there.
“Business is good right now. We’re busy all the time and all our main contracts now would be with GMC, which is the Gas Board, Cork City Council and Cork County Council,” outlined the Managing Director.
“We’re doing a lot of ground works with Summerhill Construction as well and then our grab trucks are going to a lot of private jobs and they’re doing civils. They’re working everywhere and we’ll have eight grab trucks by July here; we have six running at the moment.”
He added: “Altogether we have 30 men working here, up to four or five JCBs, rubber ducks, track machines and we also have our own landfills as well, so you know that your stuff is going to the proper places.”
Whether it’s multi-utility connections on huge-scale projects or plant hire for one-off residential building works, the experienced team at Conhor Construction are dedicated to providing the most efficient and cost-effective solutions possible.
At the centre of all that the company does is an understanding that no two jobs are the same. Each project that in undertaken is planned thoroughly and in meticulous detail, ensuring the specific requirements of the job are delivered to high standards, on time and on budget.
Right now, Martin and his team have several on-going jobs on which he was good enough to share some details on.
“We have a gas network job on at the moment in Little Island and we’d have four or five civil men on that and road work,” he said.
“We have two jobs for Summerhill (Construction) in Little Island which are two warehouses and we’re with the Gas Board as well doing services and bits and pieces in the city.
“Most our works are with Summerhill and the Gas Board on-going, after that the trucks are working out of private jobs and utility firms all over Cork.
“Topsoil delivery is another thing we do here as well and it all helps to keep us busy.”
This July will see Conhor Construction adding three new trucks and a new JCB to its machinery fleet, having already brought in new JCB, seven-tonne lorry and a new 210 Hitachi track machine in 2022.
In order to carry out the work sufficiently, you need the right equipment to do so and this Cork-based firm ensures to keep all of its machinery maintained to the highest standard.
Conhor Construction takes pride in being able to offer effective and innovative solutions to a wide range of clients and its investment in the latest technology allows it to work efficiently, even in the harshest of weather conditions or in the most hostile of environments.
The equipment in the yard in Ballymichael meets the highest health and safety guidelines and each and every member of the company’s work-force is reliable, amenable and well-trained.
Their workmanship is second-to-none and, for them, the job is not done until they have achieved 100 per cent complete client satisfaction.
All of that considered, the burning question is what has been the secret behind the company’s success over these past 28 years?
How has a small start-up grown into a thriving construction business which today operates with 30 full-time staff and holds an excellent reputation amongst its clients?
For Martin, he sees his business’s growth and longevity coming down to a combination of different factors.
“I suppose, with the grab lorries, they choose us first because we have the service,” said the Corkonian.
“We do it all right and with the other services we would have a high finish on our work. We wouldn’t be running away from it, so it’s down to a high quality. I think that’s why they choose us.
“We’re winning the work as well because our prices are right. With the Cork City Council, we’re up against three or four (other competitors) and we’re winning it. We do a lot of footpaths and road works for them.”
The proof is very much in the pudding, as Conhor Construction have carried out works for big name clients all over Ireland since its inception.
Down through the years, many large-scale road and warehousing projects have been delivered by the company for clients such as John Sisk & Son, Summerhill Construction, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Tipperary County Council and Irish Water.
As well as this, Conhor Construction’s has completed works for Bord Gáis nationwide since 1997.
The plan is to keep up the good work, according to Martin whom is very much optimistic about the months ahead for the business.
“Hopefully, it stays busy and that the workload will keep coming and that we can handle it. That’s what makes the business, I suppose,” he concluded.
Conhor Construction
Ballymichael,
Lissarda,
Co. Cork
Mobile: (087) 683 4092
Web: conhorconstruction.ie
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August 2023, Vol 9 No 8
