Established in 2010, Mayo based Mellett Electrical has gone from strength to strength during the last nine years.
Company director Brendan Mellett took time out of his busy schedule to speak to Building Ireland about the business and how they managed to survive during a recession.
“After finishing my apprenticeship I went out on my own straight away. A lot of people would have said I was mad to go out on my own during that time as we were still in the midst of the recession,” said Brendan.
“I started off with four or five lads after I was fortunate enough to win a contract with a retail group very soon after setting up, so that kept us busy during that period.”
Brendan’s determination to come through the recession and keep the business going has certainly paid off as he employs no fewer than 140 people at present, while Mellett Electrical is involved in some prestigious projects both here in Ireland and mainland Europe as well.
“We have a number of contracts ongoing at the moment and our order book is full until March next year for the work force we currently have.Our biggest contracts in Ireland at the moment are located 1 in Clonee and 1 in Grange Castle in Dubln, while two of our biggest clients would be Kirby Engineering and Mercury Engineering, both of who we have done a lot of work for in the past few years. We are also involved in projects in Denmark for Mercury as well.”
The Claremorris based business activities include the following: medium voltage electrical installations; general LV electrical installations, fire alarm; security, ICT , structured cabling installations; instrumentation and controls installations. Mellets are hugely involved in the data centre space both in Ireland and abroad .
The company has a loyal and dedicated team of electricians and apprentices who are professional, efficient and courteous. They have a great understanding of their customers’ needs and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of workmanship.
“Melletts would have in the region of 30 apprentices now. We found it difficult to source experienced electricians as a lot of them had either left the country during the recession or changed career paths, so we decided to train our own electricians which has proven to be a big success. A lot of the guys are staying with us when qualified. They are provided with expert training both in-house and outside the company.”
Mellett’s consistently high levels of repeat business and referrals are down to the fact that they are construction professionals who care about build quality and client satisfaction. Their objective is to constantly deliver a friendly and approachable service and professional project management.
“Each job is important to us and is seen through to the end. We don’t take any shortcuts. We are constantly developing our services and have a proven track record and excellent reputation within the industry.”
Brendan believes that the construction industry is going to grow even more over the next 12 to 24 months, but he feels that an air of caution will be taken by all concerned.
“I think most companies involved in the building trade would have learned a lot from the recession. It is certainly getting busier and will continue to do so, but there has to be a more level-headiness in the industry compared to last time.”
The company undertakes a significant amount of maintenance and repeat work for clients, and has completed numerous multi-million euro projects in the recent past. It has many clients in the pharmaceutical, Data centre , medical, health, educational, industrial, commercial and public sectors.
Mellett Electrical pride themselves on the flexibility, professionalism, experience and safety record they have gained through their nine years of successful trading. This is brought to bear on every project undertaken by them.
They employ the best people, invest heavily in their training and education and they ensure that the highest standards of health and safety are applied throughout their organisation.
“In regards too health and safety, we have our own Safety Officer here and our policies are followed by every employee. Our safety record is very good and we work with our clients to ensure that every regulation is adhered too.”
Brendan is keen to keep the company’s identity in Mayo and although the majority of their work may occur outside the county, their headquarters won’t be moving anytime soon.
“I’d be conscious of keeping the headquarters in Claremorris. We are a Mayo based company and it is important to us to keep that identity.”
A proud Mayo man, Brendan has done a lot for the local community and in 2018, he was honoured with the Business Community Liaison Award as part of the Rehab Mayo People of the Year 2018 awards with RehabCare, Mayo County Council and The Connaught Telegraph.
It’s not just through employment that Brendan gives back to the community in Claremorris. Melletts are also big contributors to local organisations they sponsor both Claremorris GAA and Claremorris Colts Rugby Club, and Brendan himself was also involved in the Cannonball Run which raised thousands of euro for charities when it was held in the South Mayo town.
Brendan is looking forward to the future and the aim is to deliver on every contract to the highest standard, while continually growing the business. The Mayo native has a passion for his work that stems back to his childhood.
“My father was an engineer with the ESB for many years and I think I always had an interest in electrical work since then. The business is going well and I’m delighted with that but we have to look forward and see can we improve on the service that we provide as well as growing the business even further.”
Mellett Electrical
13, Clár Industrial Estate,
Ballindine Rd,
Claremorris,
Co. Mayo
FI12 Y199
Tel: 094-9377783
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, May, Vol 5 No 4
