For over quarter of a century, Killarney Mechanical Services has been delivering exceptional commercial plumbing contracts within the Kerry / Cork / Limerick region. We touched base with founding director Jerome Kennedy to get an insight into the history and current well-being of this outstanding operation, which counts the HSE, Department of Education, OPW, Kerry County Council and Kerry GAA – as well as a Who’s Who of main contractors – amongst its ever-burgeoning list of satisfied clients.
The genesis of Killarney Mechanical Services (KMS) Ltd. goes back to 1991 when local plumbers Jerome Kennedy, Jim O’Brien and Denis O’Shea came together to establish a new entity that could offer top-quality mechanical services solutions from within the Kingdom. Previously, a large volume of work was being outsourced and the trio recognised an opportunity to fill a niche in the market…
“We were general plumbers / pipefitters working on mechanical contracts in Kerry for major companies,” the former reflects. “Having worked for a lot of bigger companies from outside the county on commercial and industrial projects, we saw an opportunity for a Kerry company to provide those services from within.”
They were onto a winner and the fact that the company still stands strong today – having recently weathered the sternest economic downturn in living memory – is testament to the high quality of solutions delivered as well as the focus on absolute client satisfaction across every phase of a project, from initial consultation and design through to installation and maintenance.
“We started off by subletting work off some of those companies, where they supplied the materials and we supplied the labour,” Jerome continues. “We then began to tender on our own for small mechanical services contracts, valued between €5,000 and €10,000.”
Eventually eschewing the subcontractor route, Killarney Mechanical Services Ltd. quickly established itself as the premier commercial plumbing and heating contractor in the greater Killarney region. They were soon taking on largescale contracts in the €3.5m – €4m category and things peaked in 2007 when KMS was generating direct employment for a crew of 80 people as well as subcontractors.
“We had hit at a good time, when the building scene was really taking off,” notes Jerome. Of course, the bubble would burst and the challenges presented to all companies associated with the construction industry by the collapse of the Celtic Tiger were unprecedented. Fortunately for KMS, they had already forged some very important enduring relationships…
“At that stage, we were working for Sisk, BAM, Hegarty, Walls and so forth, which served us well. But a lot of the smaller contractors folded and caught us for a substantial amount of money, which was obviously a big blow.
“Thankfully, we hadn’t gone mad. We’d actually considered getting involved in buildings with developers during the boom times but we didn’t do it. We were lucky we didn’t make that move because we could have gone down with them.” Instead, KMS followed their gut instinct, which was to focus on what they knew best – mechanical services – and it’s a choice that has paid dividends.
“During the downtimes, we still had maintenance contracts with the HSE, the OPW and Kerry County Council as well as some good clients like FEXCO in Killorglin, Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. in Killarney, Kerry Ingredients, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Saint John of God Kerry and Munster Joinery, who also owned a number of hotels at the time. That accounted for the majority of our work during those five or six years. There was also money being invested by the Government in schools schemes and we secured a good bit of that work as well.”
Today, things are on the up again and Killarney Mechanical Services Ltd. carries a crew of 12-15 full-time, handling a wide range of projects currently comprising HSE maintenance contracts, the IDA’s new Advance Technology Building in Tralee, Kerry GAA’s Centre of Excellence and a number of schools extensions.
Regarding the key to the company’s success, Jerome states: “Being able to respond quickly is critical. For example, with the HSE contract, we have to be available to arrive at any of their premises within 90 minutes, 24/7, and we also roll that same service out to all of our customers.
“Thankfully, in the last 18 months, there are more commercial projects coming on stream again and we’re starting to get more tenders in now, which is encouraging. Prior to that, there were no installations at all, unless you were prepared to travel to Dublin. We’ve resisted that temptation and have concentrated on providing a local service, specifically covering Kerry, Cork and Limerick.”
The use of vastly-experienced, long-serving, qualified and fully-conscientious staff means a professional service is guaranteed at all times. “Denis has retired and myself and Jim are directors now,” says Jerome. “Louis Nelligan McCarthy is contract administrator and has been here 17 years, while a few of the foremen are with us 20 years and the rest between twelve to fifteen years.”
Looking to the future, the Kerry man confirms that Killarney Mechanical Services Ltd. will continue to provide market-leading solutions and is confident that the business can go from strength to strength: “It certainly looks positive for the next twelve months compared to two years ago,” he concludes.
“There probably is room for growth, although getting good construction workers could prove problematic. We used to take on three apprentices every year – and we have taken on two since Christmas – but prior to that we only trained one guy in the previous six-seven years. That scenario applies across the board in construction – block layers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc. – and it’s going to be a major problem for the industry going forward.”
Whatever happens, however, it’s a safe bet to assume that KMS will remain the tried and trusted commercial mechanical services contractor of choice across Kerry and neighbouring counties.
Killarney Mechanical Services Ltd.,
Manus Currens,
Farranfore,
Killarney,
County Kerry.
Tel: 066 9764648
Fax: 066 9764875
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, June 2017, Vol 3 No 5
