Grant, Ireland’s leading engineering company specialising in the plumbing and heating industry, has officially opened its newly expanded facilities in Birr, County Offaly, representing a capital investment of €14 million.
The major expansion plans were announced in 2016 in response to increased demand for the company’s heating products on a local and international level. In recent years Grant has enjoyed further success in Ireland, the UK and further afield including France, Greece and New Zealand and has diversified its product portfolio to meet the changing needs of its customers around the globe.
The new facilities include a state-of-the-art R&D innovation centre, a customer services centre, a dedicated training academy featuring an auditorium and training suite, and an extension to the existing manufacturing facilities which has also seen further investment in robotics and automation.
Grant Engineering Founder Stephen Grant said: “We are delighted to be starting the new year with the opening of our new facilities. This investment demonstrates our commitment to innovation, growth and to the local economy. In recent years we have expanded into new markets and developed new products to meet the needs of our customer base. Our focus on sustainability continues to grow and to help achieve de-carbonisation I believe that home heating fuel needs to follow in the footsteps of transport and transition to electric or 100% biofuel heating. This is impossible to do in the short to medium term in an affordable way, however the introduction of a Biofuel Obligation for home heating could enable homes to become sustainable. We have future-proofed our products over the last 5 years so that they can operate using biofuel but to aid transition and further reduce emissions we need the support of fuel suppliers and the government.”
“Accelerating the electrification of heat is another way to aid transition and this is helped by current building regulations with new houses being predominately fitted with a heat pump. We have been supplying air to water heat pumps for nearly 10 years and these appliances are ideal for new build homes where the house design is matched to the heat pump, however, there is a huge issue for deployment of heat pumps to the retrofit market which is based on the affordability of deep retrofitting which cost up to €70k. Together with my R&D team, I am excited to announce that we have developed new hybrid technology called EVOLINK which will be available later this year. EVOLINK is the first of its kind in hybrid technology and enables the smart integration of heat pumps to a property by combining with existing technology in a home whether oil, gas or biomass. EVOLINK uses intelligent software and complex algorithms to opitimse the use of the heat pump throughout the year, optimising the operating temperatures of the two appliances through modulating pumps and hydraulic mixing circuits. It also incorporates smart features like in-built weather compensation and can effectively reduce carbon emissions by 70% – 80% overnight at a fraction of the cost of deep retrofitting, thereby offering an affordable way to transition with minimal disruption. The EVOLINK hybrid can play a substantial role in the transition to full decarbonisation of residential heat as will biofuel”
As recently as 2018, Grant Engineering expanded its footprint even further opening a premises in Lyon, France with the support of Enterprise Ireland.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland has worked closely with Grant Engineering, both in Ireland and internationally since its establishment. At Enterprise Ireland, we know that investment in innovation is critical across all sectors to maintain competitiveness and to drive export growth and we are delighted to directly support this new facility. Grant Engineering has experienced strong progress over the last number of years, and I would like to congratulate Stephen, Niall and the team for their continued investment in Research and Development and their commitment to diversifying in international markets. Hugely important to the local economy, Grant Engineering is an excellent example of an innovative, regionally-based company with global ambition that has expanded its reach to build a robust business in the face of challenges like Brexit. This new R&D Innovation and Training facility will enable Grant Engineering to continue to grow, and we look forward to continuing our work with the team both here and through our international office network as they progress on this upward trajectory.”
Grant designs and manufactures a range of highly efficient heating products including Vortex condensing oil boilers, Aerona3 R32 air source heat pumps, solar thermal panels and pre-plumbed hot water cylinders. The company has recently diversified its offering to include heat emitters ranges – Afinia aluminium and Solo fan convector radiators and Uflex underfloor heating which are key features of its full home heating design, specification and supply solution.
Grant Engineering at peak season employs over 370 people in Ireland between full and part time roles and 80 in the UK.
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Pictured (L-R): Niall Fay, Director, Grant Engineering; Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland; and Stephen Grant, Founder, Grant Engineering.
