Established in 2009, Davis Civil Contractors Ltd is a company which is well-known for its high-quality work, reliability and excellence down through the years. Building Ireland touched base with Managing Director Padraig Davis to learn more about this thriving business and its on-going projects throughout the east of the country.
Since ‘Day One’, Davis Civil Contractors Ltd has been a company that believes in good communication and management structures, while also being dedicated to reducing costs and ensuring the provision of quality products and services.
Business is good at the moment for the Co Meath-based venture and the plan for Padraig Davis and his team in Kildalkey is to try and keep things that way right through to 2022.
Operating with 30 full-time staff, the company provides services to clients in public works, carpark development, drainage, road construction, site development, civil engineering, bulk excavation, formworks, kerbing and paving.
Building Ireland spoke with Padraig recently to find out all about the ins and outs of the company and the current state of business after what was an unprecedented past year.
“Business is going strong and we have a lot of work coming up,” he said.
“We were lucky enough in that 50 percent of the business was kept going throughout the lockdowns because we had essential work.
“We had a school in Enfield which was deemed essential and that carried us through much of it, thankfully.”
The origins of the business date back to 1955, with the Davis family having been involved in a wide range of services within the building trade since that time.
Indeed, the Davis name has long been associated with the highest quality workmanship and Padraig and his team are intent on keeping things that way by delivering projects which are second to none.
Right now, Davis Civil Contractors Ltd is immersed in a number of projects around Meath and Louth, as the company’s founder and MD explained.
“At the moment, we’re finishing off a road improvement scheme in Kiltale, Co Meath, which is essentially road widening and we have a good bit of footpath replacement work going on for local authorities,” he said.
“We’ve a couple of contracts for Parklets for outdoor dining areas and we’re completing them in a quick turnaround as we speak. So far, we’ve done six or seven of them in Navan town for the Meath County Council and we’ve a good bit more work coming up, including a school in Drogheda.
“There are a lot of footpath replacements going on throughout Meath and Louth that we’re focused on for the time being.”
The Covid-19 pandemic, and the government restrictions which followed in order to combat the spread of the virus, had an impact on businesses throughout Ireland and Davis Civil Contractors Ltd were no different.
While there were certainly essential works to focus on, the company still saw half of its projects shutdown overnight as a result of government lockdown.
However, with the easing of restrictions, Davis Civil Contractors Ltd has become more and more busy in recent weeks and, right now, it’s about keeping up with the demands from clients to ensure that they’re met.
So, what has been the secret to the company’s success over the past decade or so?
For Padraig, much of it comes down to a combination of quality work and always remaining competitive when it comes to prices.
“A lot of it has got to do with price and we have won the majority of our tenders based on being competitive price-wise,” he said.
“There’s also the fact that they know we can deliver on a project and our reputation for carrying out excellent work here.”
The belief at Davis Civil Contractors Ltd has always been to deliver a high-quality service on time and as cost-effectively as possible.
The company employs a dedicated team of professionals to ensure that clients’ needs are met and expectations exceeded.
As Padraig himself outlined, the business is in a state of growth and continues to do so in this, its 12th year in existence.
“At the minute, we are growing here,” he stated. “We’re looking to do everything in house with Tarmacadam and with our engineers as well.
“We’ve always invested in our machinery and continue to do so, with a new mini-tar paving machine just purchased along with a couple of Hitachi mini-excavators.
“We also added a new arctic low-loader to the fleet.”
Proud members of CIRI since 2015, Davis Civil Contractors Ltd has built its reputation as partners of choice for both public and private civil engineering construction projects in quality and safety.
Looking towards the months ahead, the Managing Director is keen for more of the same as the focus remains on completing its current projects to the highest standards.
“The coming months seem to be very strong and hopefully they will be,” said Padraig.
“We have a great workforce here but trying to add to it and getting the right people can be a bit of a problem. But, all in all, we’re busy here and looking to grow.”
Great to hear.
Davis Civil Contractors Ltd.
Main St.,
Kildalkey,
Co Meath.
Landline: 046 943 5832
Landline: 046 943 5676
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.daviscivil.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2021, Vol 7 No 11
