Specialist Fire Protection Engineering Company Writech is delighted to be a finalist in the 2023 Irish Construction Industry Awards which takes place at The Mansion House, Dublin on Thursday, November 2.
No stranger to winning prestigious awards, the Mullingar, Co. Westmeath firm has been shortlisted in the Contractor of the Year SME category. Launched in 2014, the Irish Construction Industry Awards recognise, encourage and celebrate original and innovative contractors, businesses, teams, consultants and projects that demonstrate excellence in the built environment.
“When I joined the Company six months ago and saw all the good things that were happening, I felt this needed to be highlighted. So we decided to enter these Awards and are thrilled to be nominated,” Writech’s new General Manager Yvonne Concannon enthuses.
“It’s an exciting time for Writech which has grown to employ over 150 people between office and site-based staff, and invested €2 million in a new Design and Innovation Centre and Manufacturing base beside our existing premises here in Mullingar Business Park last year.
“WTech also acquired a number of other companies recently – including Jem Pumps and Compco Fire Systems in the UK, Swedish-based Ce Sprinkler, Wilec Fire & Security in Wicklow and Ideal Fire in Dublin, to name a few – that has seen us to go from strength to strength.”
Wtech Fire Group is the parent Company of Writech which designs, manufactures, installs, commissions and services fire safety systems for large buildings and complex facilities, and is used in data centres, life science plants, logistics and retail parks, commercial property as well as food and beverage facilities. Its rapid expansion – 500 people are employed within the Group – can be attributed to substantial investment from majority shareholder Waterland, a pan-European private equity firm, which bought into the second-generation family business in 2021.
Writech was founded by Thomas and Mary Wright in 1981. From humble beginnings selling simple fire sprinkling systems, Writech is now a thriving global business with offices in Ireland and England offering Fire Systems Design and Consultancy Services.
From the outset, Writech’s mission has been to be the world’s premier fire engineering design, installation and servicing Company by delivering maximum reliability and value for customers through innovation, while establishing great careers for its people. Writech employs highly-trained and quality design and hydraulic analysis for each and every project to tailor solutions for all of its client’s requirements.
The Company’s world-class Design and Innovation Centre and Manufacturing base is now producing more than 18km of fabricated piping every month. Writech prides itself on being a one-stop shop fire protection system service and maintenance Company.
“We design, manufacture, install, commission and service state-of-the-art fire protection systems that protect large buildings and complex facilities from fire,” Yvonne explains.
“We do it all. From beginning-to-end and top-to-bottom; from creating our own designs and models, manufacturing our own materials and parts, completing the installation and then managing the maintenance and safety tests. It’s all in-house. We offer the best efficiency.”
Writech’s clients include some of the largest blue-chip companies in the world across a range of sectors. Its record in all these different industries is second to none. To date, the Westmeath firm has provided protection for over 1000 MW of data centres across Europe. Its clients value and trust the level of service that has been developed over the last 45 years. Writech is recognised across Europe where it has had the opportunity to work with the most amazing clients. It constantly looks at every process and continually adds improvements to its systems, tasks and working environment.
Writech currently holds the following accreditations for Design, Health & Safety and Management: ISO 9001 – Management System; ISO 45001 – Health & Safety; LCPB – Design Standard; FIRAS Commercial / Residential – Design Standard. Among the Awards it has won are: Construction Ireland – Excellence in Fire Protection Services to the Construction Industry 2020; Construction Ireland – Excellence in Fire Protection Services to the Construction Industry 2020; The Public Sector Magazine – Services to Fire Management Award 2017.
At Writech, operational excellence is viewed as a strategic business approach that drives continuous improvement and allows it to implement key strategies by decreasing risk. The Company believes that customer satisfaction is at the forefront of everything it does and continuously strives to increase the quality of the products and services it supplies.
Throughout its Operations Department, Writech has various sections which flow and intertwine effectively and efficiently, starting from planning and procurement to manufacturing and installation. To ensure that this is as effective as possible, it has implemented processes that allow this exchange of information as quickly and efficiently as possible. For example, from the use of an in-house built app, install operatives on site can create picklists in real time to be actioned back to HQ for delivery or same-day collection which has led to significantly reduced downtime. The app can also be used to relay feedback from all employees for any type of innovation and process improvement that is then reviewed and can be implemented, leading to greater employee engagement across the business.
In its Manufacturing areas, Writech has implemented a standardisation process which has improved efficiency, reduced downtime, increased quality and safety, and increased output. With its short and long-term goals of introducing further automation programs into its processes, the Company is confident that each of these indicators will increase even further.
Through Covid-19 and the following slowdown and constraints on supply chains worldwide hampered by the ongoing war in Ukraine, Writech was challenged with ensuring continuity of supply to its customers. This is where effective procurement has come to the forefront and has been a key focus for the Company operationally. It has benchmarked prices and utilised local suppliers where possible to allow ‘just in time’ delivery management. Writech has also engaged with its larger key suppliers to set forecasts and agree pricing strategies, ensuring consolidation of its supply chain and minimising any price volatility.
For example, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the large volume of steel that is exported from here, a potential supply issue was identified at an early stage. To alleviate this, Writech engaged with partners from the Irish / Italian Consulate and Irish Exporters Association which enabled it to find alternative suppliers, while also reducing cost to ensure no impact on the business for its customers.
Writech is also leading the way in innovation. Last year, it launched its award-winning Hydrostatic Pressure Testing Cart for pressure-testing sprinkler / piping systems. It’s innovations like this that allows Writech to offer the most professional and best value possible for clients, while also offering rewarding and sustainable careers for its people.
“We’re always recruiting and looking for new team members who can make a difference,” Yvonne adds.
“We place a strong emphasis on career development and are proud of our role in the local community. As well as being a large employer in the Mullingar area, we are proud sponsors of the Milltownpass – where the Wright family hail from – and Westmeath GAA teams. Our logo appears on the sleeve of the Westmeath jersey and we have ambitions to become the county’s main sponsor in the near future.”
Writech
Mullingar Business Park,
Mullingar,
Co. Westmeath,
N91 Y657.
Telephone: +353 44 934 9857
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.writechltd.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, March 2024, Vol 10 No 3
