Headquartered in County Fermanagh, Steel Solutions have been one of the leading structural steel contractors in both Ireland and the UK over the last 19 years, providing exceptional, bespoke solutions to a who’s who of main contractors, including long-term partner John Sisk & Son. We met Managing Director Cormac McElvaney to find out more.
Steel Solutions’ experience is broad and diverse and their ability to adapt to client requirements has served them well over the past two decades, with the vast majority of business coming from repeat clients. A broad range of services is offered, which varies based on clients’ requirements, from structural steel to complete super structure solutions in conjunction with specialist subcontractors.
Steel Solutions’ core capabilities lie with their ability to adapt to the project, design and program constraints while offering value engineered solutions. Their experienced in-house design team are constantly adapting and implementing the latest products and technology to achieve the commercial milestones set by clients, with a wealth of previous experience accumulated in the sports and leisure, energy, retail, manufacturing, warehouse and distribution, health & education, commercial offices, infrastructure and façade solutions sectors throughout Ireland and the UK.
Steel Solutions are proud to have earned their strong reputation for quality, innovation and competitiveness. Their fabrication and installation processes and quality systems are accredited to ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001, Achilles and Chas, while Steel Solutions also provide accreditation and comprehensive quality steelwork up to and including Execution Class 4.
A one-stop shop for complete structural steel solutions, they provide unparalleled design, fabrication and construction services, with complex jobs a particular speciality.
“The more complex the project, the more we relish it,” director Cormac McElvaney confirms. “We can bring more to the table with complex jobs. With Steel Solutions it’s not just about rolling out the tonnage. For unique and complex projects, we have the capacity to tackle challenges that require a more in terms of design, fabrication and erection, using our expertise to provide optimal solutions for main contractors and to remove their concerns.”
A prime example of this is The Jump Factory, East Village, London, where Steel Solutions were involved in the erection of two 24 storey apartment blocks in London for client Mace Group using jump erection methodology. “This was the first of its kind in Ireland or the UK and, based on its success, we have just started a second, similar project for Mace,” says Cormac.
In September, Steel Solutions were awarded the construction of the new Welsh International Convention Centre, Celtic Manor. Designed to attract major events from across the world this will rival any convention facility in Europe, with its state-of-the-art auditorium, main exhibition hall and associated facilities with capacity for around 4,000 delegates, making it the largest facility of its kind in Wales or the south west of England.
This is an exciting opportunity for Steel Solutions, in conjunction with client John Sisk & Son, as the project includes the construction of a 4,000 square metre exhibition hall, 800 diner food hall, 1,500-seat tiered auditorium, 13 flexible and divisible syndicate rooms, generous entrance piazza, and underground car-parking for 700 cars. This facility will accommodate major international conferences, political party conferences, international summits and showpiece conferences for multinational, blue chip companies and large associations.
John Sisk & Son is one of Steel Solutions’ biggest clients and, in a complex €1.5m project, they provided 600 tonnes of structural steel, retention and extension to an existing structure of up to five storeys at Baggot Street Plaza, which was shortlisted in the Refurbishment / Retrofit / Fit Out Category of the 2018 Irish Construction Excellence Awards.
The Welsh International Convention Centre project is also with Sisk some 4,000 tonnnes of steel Steel Solutions are providing the full frame solution to Sisk in providing the steel, precast floors and stairs and decking for the project. As well as Waterways House office block in Dublin, a factory extension at Bombardier, Belfast, Ferrybridge Waste To Energy Plant in Yorkshire, Indaver Waste To Energy Plant in Duleek, County Meath, Ferrybridge WTE in Leeds, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, 55 Charlemount Place and many others.
Some other clients include McArdle Skeath Transport, P Elliott & Co, Bennett Construction, Rohan Holdings, Mace, Kelbry, JRL, Sir Robert Mc Alpine, ISG with the Steel Solutions mark of excellence visible from Lidl Distribution Centre in Mullingar to Penneys Warehouse in Newbridge; DHL Distribution in Dublin; South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen; Poolbeg and Battersea Power Stations; DCU, Bon Secours Hospital, Dunnes Stores, Donnybrook Rugby Union Stadium, etc., etc.
Steel Solutions are currently working on the enabling works preceding the £200 million Royal Mint Gardens development in London, where their brief is to build a £2m steelwork frame spanning over the encapsulated deck across a live railway station to allow the construction of multi-rise apartment blocks.
The fact that Steel Solutions managed to grow their business through the recession speaks volumes for the quality of the services provided. “Like most of the Irish Construction Companies, we went to the UK market during the recession and got a good foothold there and increased out client base that way,” says Cormac. “Our work used to be 50:50 Ireland:UK but it’s now gone 70:30.
“Having the Irish Sea between ourselves and the UK mainland hasn’t made any difference. We buy the raw steel from the UK or mainland Europe fabricate and paint it, ship it over to anywhere in the UK and can still compete with the UK fabricators on price. The logistics of getting the material into London, for example, is a challenge we relish and something we have mastered with our logistic partners. The steel could be four metres wide and up to 50 tonnes in weight but we’ll get it into London, or anywhere else, we have recently erected twelve 40T members over the Dockland Light Rail and London Underground on the Royal Mint project. We had a 4-hour window between 1am and 5am to erect each member.”
Established by James Rooney in 1999, Steel Solutions generates direct employment for 73 people. Turnover for the last financial year was £14m. Cormac McElvaney joined as a partner in 2013 to take over the Managing Directors role and allow the previous MD James to focus on the sales and new Client base and significant growth has ensued.
“My background was in main contracting and I brought knowledge of the practices and procedures of main contracting to the business. We strengthened all departments, including production, purchasing, accounts and design and have introduced new software systems in each department. We carry out all design work in house and this offers us the flexibility to implement any design changes instantly as they ultimately do.”
The business originally operated out of a 35,000 sq ft facility in Derrylin but added a second premises in Lisnaskea three years ago, which was extended to 60,000 sq ft last year. With innovative design and engineering excellence at the heart of the operation, Steel Solutions is a proven market leader is structural steel contracting – and everything in place to ensure that they continue to provide their clients with world-class services going forward!
Steel Solutions,
Derrylin Enterprise Park,
Main Street,
Derrylin,
County Fermanagh.
BT92 9LA
125 Tullyneevin Road,
Slush Hill,
Clarkes Quarry,
Lisnaskea,
County Fermanagh,
BT92 0FZ
Tel: (0044) 28 67748499
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, July 2018, Vol 4 No 6
