For any business to celebrate 50 years in business is a testament to the success that they have had down through the decades.
For this month’s edition of Building Ireland, we profile one of the leading and most successful window companies in Ireland.
Limerick based Walsh Windows is a family run business that was established by (the late) Jim Walsh back in 1970. These days the company is run by his two sons John and Joseph Walsh who now own and manage the business. Next year will see the company celebrate their Golden anniversary.
Operating from a 20,000sq ft premises located in Walsh Business Park, they manufacture windows and doors for both the commercial and residential markets.
Contracts Manager William Irwin spoke to us about what he feels sets them apart from their competitors as they prepare for massive celebrations in 2020.
From a career high of 150 employees before the recession, Walsh Windows now have a healthy 70 employees on their books as they continue to grow.
“The company’s experience has stood to them over the years. They have come through two recessions and are still here, which in itself is a remarkable achievement,” said William.
“Every project that we take on is completed to the highest standard possible and we see it through right from the beginning with design and drawings in the back office to the completion on site and handover of Health and Safety documentation. Our customers expect these high standards and it is up to us not only to maintain them, but to improve on them where possible.”
The family run business pride themselves on their totally customer centric approach; committed to supporting their customers’ business needs, they offer a superior product range, prompt service and industry leading technical support.
The experienced team are totally committed to ensuring the customers’ businesses run smoothly; at Walsh Windows, they ‘live the business’ – and yours. They remain focussed on supporting their customers growth and keeping ahead of the market.
William added that the staff employed are highly trained with many being there in excess of twenty years which has enhanced not only their experience, but their ability to deliver on time, every time.
“Walsh Windows employs people who are chosen for their ability to make the creation and completion of any project a pleasant experience. We have built up a contracts team that can prepare drawings to meet specifications and design proposals.”
“We have a very skilled and motivated labour force. There is ongoing training for all operatives which aims to provide employees with the full range of skills to perform any of the tasks within the manufacturing process.”
The company consistently reviews and monitors innovation within their sector to ensure they remain at the cutting edge of product and equipment development and invest in it, to ensure their future success as well as their place as a market leading supplier. All new products are thoroughly tested and accredited prior to launch to help them maintain their enviable record of providing kite marked and approved windows, doors and conservatories.
As part of the Walsh Windows approach to their commercial customers they pride themselves on providing advice in relation to quotations at tender stage so that the customer is assured of getting the best value for money possible. Walsh Windows also value their responsive after-sales department, a dedicated support team in place to ensure that they do everything they can to keep the customer at the forefront of the marketplace. –
“We are of the mindset that if something’s wrong, we’ll put it right and investigate later, – we are totally committed to keeping your business running smoothly.”
Ireland has experienced a major surge in construction work over the past couple of years, with Dublin bearing the brunt of this. “The majority of our work would be carried out in Dublin.
“During the recession, we would have worked in the U.K and Europe, but that has been scaled back due to the fact that Dublin is so busy at the moment.”
The commercial sector is where Walsh Windows carry out the majority of their work and William stated that they look after their customers as best they can.
“We would have about ten main contractors that we would work closely with. We would have the same clients for a number of years, and it is up to us to ensure that we deliver a quality product on time and they are happy with the work that we do.”
To make sure that their products are manufactured to the highest standard, they use quality materials sourced both in Ireland, the U.K and Europe.
Walsh Windows have obtained all the necessary accreditation to carry out their work to the strict guidelines in place for the industry. Health and Safety is a key area also.
“There is a massive focus on health and safety within the company. There is a third party that looks after our H&S and it is something that we take very seriously.”
Walsh Windows is a business that has seen it all and more importantly, they have learned from all their experiences, both good and bad. This has led to them being so successful and although William feels that the current boom will level off somewhat, he does feel that the company is in a very good place going forward.
“Look there will always be good times and bad with the Irish economy. We don’t know what is around the corner with Brexit and there is a lot of uncertainty there, but there is a good team in place here and every decision is given a great deal of attention.”
Contact Details:
Walsh Windows
Walsh Business Park,
Ballysimon Road,
Limerick
V94DW64
Tel: 061 412823
Fax: 061 414626
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2019/January 2020, Vol 5 No 11
