Since its inception in 1998, Erne Concrete Pumping has established itself as an undisputed industry leader by consistently delivering impeccable concrete pumping services to a full spectrum of projects island-wide. Building Ireland spoke to hands-on managing director Ryan Lunney to find out more about this in-demand family-run business.
Ryan Lunney’s schedule at the coalface of Erne Concrete Pumping is a busy one. The week we sat down with Ryan to discuss the past, future and present of one of Ireland’s premier concrete pumping operations, they pumped out in excess of 4,000 cubic metres of concrete on a variety of sites north and south of the border, every inch of it placed with the uncanny precision, dependability and project-specific approach for which ECP is renowned.
Operating out of Derrylin in County Fermanagh, Erne Concrete Pumping was established in 1998 by brothers Peter and Tony Lunney, starting out with one Schwing mobile concrete pump and quickly developing into Ireland’s leading concrete pumping hire company.
Now with a vast fleet of Schwing pumps and experienced, skilled personnel at their disposal, Erne Concrete Pumping is today run by Peter’s sons Ryan and Eunan, and boasts an unrivalled track record for delivering professionally-planned, coordinated and executed concrete pumping solutions.
The impressive and ever-expanding portfolio of completed projects covers everything from major developments carried out on behalf of a who’s who of main contractors to foundation pours on private houses or small agricultural jobs. Over the past 26 years and counting, the company has gained a wealth of knowledge to enable them to undertake even the most challenging projects in a professional manner.
Constant investment in a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment is key to keeping Erne Concrete Pumping at the forefront of the construction industry, while all pumps and associated equipment is maintained in immaculate condition at all times. Pump operators are trained and upskilled to the highest possible standard and Erne Concrete Pumping pride themselves on invariably providing a personal touch which culminates in unbeatable customer service.
Reflecting on the circumstances surrounding the genesis of Erne Concrete Pumping in 1998, the MD notes: “A lot of pours around here would have been done by companies based in Dublin, so there was a big opening here within what was quite an industrious area. We started out with one pump from Schwing UK and it moved up to a fleet of 12 or 13 pumps at the peak just before the crash came along.
“We were one of the biggest on the island at the time but we sold off a few machines and have since built it back up to eight pumps as well as various other types of specialist equipment that wouldn’t have been available back in the early days.”
In many ways, due to the ever-evolving nature of the construction industry, the business today is unrecognisable from the one that started out. “There are different requirements now,” says Ryan. “To meet these, we have branched into high-rise pumping equipment. As well as a large range of mobile pumping equipment, we also have static booms and spider booms to increase accessibility.
“Sites have become a lot more restricted, especially in cities, and you need to have the static gear. It’s the needs of the contractor that you have to serve and with the array of equipment we have now we are able to take on a lot of different projects that we might not have been able to take on in the past.”
Moving very much with the times to be as flexible and all-encompassing as possible, Erne Concrete Pumping is as comfortable working on a restricted city-centre site as one on a spacious farmyard or in the wide-open countryside. “The city work is more challenging but that’s where we needed to go,” Ryan continues. “Space-wise, it’s very challenging to operate in built-up areas but in contrast to that a lot of our work is in the renewable energy sector on wind farms and solar farms and you have no end of space when working on those greenfield sites. We also do a lot of anaerobic digesters.
“The work is extremely varied and no two days are the same. From renewable energy to water works, sewage works, large residential and commercial developments for the likes of Sisk, John Paul Construction, Farrans Construction, Graham, BAM, etc., down to farmers and residential work for smaller building contractors, we cover everything.
“The concrete element in building is extremely important and it’s everywhere now. We realise when we are brought in, we are providing a vital piece of the puzzle. We take our job very seriously and, even though it’s challenging, we take immense satisfaction from serving our customers and find it very rewarding every time we deliver a project to their requirements.”
There aren’t many companies on the island with more than a quarter of a century of specialist expertise in concrete pumping. “We have a lot of knowledge built up over the past 26 years,” Ryan agrees. “Demands keep increasing and you have to improve and evolve to meet these demands. When we started doing wind farms, 200 cubic metres would have been the average pour size for the base, but that has gone up to over 1,000 cubes. To accommodate that, you have to have all the machines.
“Schwing is the best-made concrete pump on the market and we have a long association with them. Made in Germany, they are very reliable and their build quality is very good, which passes on to the customer. When you are working on those big pours, there can be no hiccups. It’s extremely time critical, so you need dependable machines and men, which is why we’ve stayed loyal to the Schwing brand. In fact, we’ve just bought a brand-new one, which arrived only last week.
“We keep fresh equipment and we maintain it to a very high standard. To retain full control of quality, all the maintenance work is done in-house. We have our own crew of mechanics and myself and Eunan do a good bit of the maintenance work ourselves.”
Erne Concrete Pumping generates direct employment for a team of 15 at present and these highly specialist employees are instrument in the daily deliverance of excellence. “These are all highly-skilled guys and they are all trained in-house. It takes about a full year’s training to get all the necessary tickets and full experience working on site.
“The job is very demanding and not for everybody. For those who do embrace it, it’s very rewarding. There are a lot of early starts and late finishes and it’s very technically-challenging. When we get the right guys with the right attitude, we look after them.
“This really is a niche market and there are many challenges to overcome that you wouldn’t get in other jobs. Factors like the weather can make pours very difficult to schedule. It can be too hot, too cold or too wet and you have a lot of other things to line up like engineers signing off on pours. You have to make sure you have everything properly lined up and that’s where experience comes into play.
“With the price of concrete these days, nobody wants to take a chance or risk compromising it. You get one shot at this and it has to be done right first time, every time,” Ryan concludes. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on to get the machines and the men right, make sure everything and everybody is up to date, and that you are abiding by all the Health & Safety regulations.
“When you are pumping high-pressure concrete, you need good guys, good machines and good organisation to make sure everything is done professionally, efficiently and safely and that you are serving your client to the best of your ability. The reward comes at the end when you have a successful project and a satisfied customer.”
Erne Concrete Pumping Ltd.
Derrylin,
Enniskillen
County Fermanagh
Tel: 0044 2867748182
Mobile: 0044 (0) 7783334355
Email: [email protected]
Web: erneconcretepumping.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/erneconcretepumping
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April 2025, Vol 11 No 4
