In February, the dynamic Dublin-based mechanical services contractor XL Mech Ltd rebranded into ‘Navio’ as the company looks to grow further in the coming years. Building Ireland spoke with its Commercial Manager Sean McManus in the lead up to the rebranding to hear all about the state of the business and its plans for the next 12 months.
The start of 2025 marked very exciting times indeed for the company now formerly known as XL Mech Ltd, with the rebranding of its name to ‘Navio’ beginning a new era for the bespoke contractor.
Founded by Managing Director Chris Crowley in November 2020, the company has grown from humble beginnings to now operating with 25 full-time staff from its base in The Green House, Hibernian Industrial Estate, Greenhills Road, Tallaght.
The team in Tallaght boasts the skill, experience and knowledge to carry out both a unique and quality service when it comes to each project that the business undertakes for clients.
Commercial Manager Sean McManus has been an integral part of that team for three years now and filled Building Ireland in on the details of XL Mech Ltd rebranding its name to Navio when we caught up with in the early part of the New Year.
“As of February 7th, we are relaunching the company under a new name,” he outlined.
“The branding is going to be called ‘Navio’ and that’ll include a new website, obviously new logos, rebrand all the vans, all the work wear and all the documentation, with the same customer focused attitude.
“This has been a project for the last 12 months and we’ve been consulting with our customer base and our supply chain to get their feedback on their view of the company and how we operate.”
“We are having a big relaunch night in the Guinness Storehouse’s Gravity Bar with staff, main contractors, suppliers and consultants”
Coupled with strategic partnerships with some of the industry’s leading brand names, Navio is a company that provides clients with full service and maintenance of all mechanical systems.
Its experienced staff includes fully qualified technicians which have the latest F Gas and RGI accreditations.
In 2024, the company broadened its horizons and, as a result, it delivered its first international project, which Sean was proud to report.
“Last year we moved into some M&E work, delivering packages beyond our typical mechanical package,” said the Commercial Manager.
“Including that would be Design & Build and our first job international project in an office for a tech company in Munich, Germany. That included full M&E, D&B completed over a 16-week period and we delivered it on time in full using our own Irish subcontractors.
“2024 also saw the completion of a large hospitality unit on Harcourt St which opened just before Christmas, which is a new nightclub, restaurant/café called ‘Old Fashioned Sam’s’.”
Indeed, the range of quality services is broadening for the company’s customers and, under its new name, you can be sure that it’ll continue on in the same vein as it has big ambitions for the future.
At the moment, Navio is involved in numerous different projects throughout the Dublin region which are set to keep it busy for the months ahead.
This November will mark an even half decade in business for the company and, as this stand, things are looking very promising for the year ahead.
“Our core business would be office fit-out. In a live project we surveyed the M&E services for a prospective tenant, then provided them with options to upgrade all system, as of January 2025 we have started on site stripping out an old four pipe system and we’re going to be installing high efficiency VRF system in place of it,” said Sean. “We have recently completed a project in North Dock Building on the eighth floor, bringing it from a Gray-box to a Cat B finished office.”
“We have several of that type of office fit-outs projects on-going at any time. It’s the core of the business, in addition to high-profile retail units on-going as well.
“One we are proud of is KIKO, a makeup brand, and we have worked on a few of their stores in the last year.
So, all of that considered, the clear question is what has been the secret behind this venture’s unquestionable success to date?
In less than five short years, this small start-up has evolved into a dynamic mechanical services contractor with a golden reputation amongst its clients.
Ask Sean McManus what he feels it’s down to and he’ll give you thorough and candid response.
“I suppose, it’s down to our openness to engage with all trades and identify issues as quickly as possible and come up with a solution, we’d like to be a safe set of hands during the project” he stated.
“I adopt the mantra of make progress and don’t make excuses. If that means putting phone calls in or drawing up the solutions that will functionally work at the end of the project, we’re not out to do something that’s easy, we’re out to do the right thing, first time.”
As for what’s down the line for this newly rebranded firm, Sean says that continued quality work and a bit more expansion along are the two of the things that immediately come to mind for him.
“Our main plan for the next 12 months is to work on our efficiencies and tighten up on how we deliver within those core businesses.
“If we can expand the customer group as well, that’ll always be welcome. We are looking to deliver as high a spec as possible in terms of our paperwork, health and safety on site and our document control,” the Commercial Manager concluded.
Navio
The Green House,
Hibernian Industrial Estate,
Greenhills Road,
Tallaght,
D24E780
Mobile: 087 098 8884
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2025, Vol 11 No 6
