No 9: Radley Engineering Ltd

Radley Engineering Ltd is one of Europe’s leading specialists in the design, manufacture, fabrication and site installation of high-quality stainless steel, carbon steel and exotic materials.

Total Turnover:

€88,448,641

ROI Turnover:

€87,012,069

International Turnover:

€1,436,572

Established in Dungarvan in 1972 by brothers John and Thomas Radley, the company operates from a state-of-the-art facility in Dungarvan, where it provides steel fabrication and welding solutions to a range of industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, petrochemical, biopharma, power generation, food and dairy processing.

Radley Engineering projects

Over the years, it has been contracted on many iconic projects, such as The Spire of Dublin; The Heron Tower, London; and The Waterford city by-pass Suir cable-stay bridge. These bespoke projects provide a clear indication of the skill and flexibility of its workforce and design capabilities.

More recently, Radley Engineering has been contracted on the IE2B facility for Eli Lilly in Kinsale, Co Cork. This project included the fabrication and supply of a number of stainless steel vessels and approximately 27,500 metres of pipe of various specifications. It required off-site manufacturing of pipe racks, modules and various skids. Radley’s in-house rigging crews installed all equipment associated with the project.

Radley was contracted at MSD Carlow 2 to fabricate and supply a number of stainless steel vessels and approximately 25,000 metres of pipe of various specifications. These were fabricated and installed by Radley. The project included off-site manufacturing of modules, pipe racks, AHU assemblies and skids. Radley’s in-house rigging crews installed all the project-associated equipment.

Radley Engineering growth

Following a continuously busy period over the past five years, Radley is focusing on further developing its capabilities and expertise to provide innovative engineering solutions.

Radley has also doubled its employee numbers over the past five years due to the increasing demand from mechanical contractors for design, engineering, modern methods of construction (MMC) and commissioning support.

Covid-19 response

Despite the many challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the industry, most of Radley’s projects continued as it was deemed “critical essential”.

Kevin Walsh, General Manager, Radley Engineering, comments: “Throughout the pandemic, the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families have been our priority. Our management and crafts teams across our numerous sites and at our fabrication facility in Dungarvan put in a massive effort to follow the standard operating procedure developed by the Construction Industry Federation, as well as following any additional requirements introduced by our clients.”

Modern methods of construction

MMC has become a key area of focus over the past number of years. Covid-19 has brought MMC to the fore across the sector, enabling contractors to construct a high percentage of their projects using off-site manufacturing (OSM) and, in turn, reducing engineering and craft numbers on sites while still being able to meet tight schedules.

Kevin Walsh explains: “Radley Engineering Ltd has made significant off-site manufacturing (OSM) investments over the years. We have three large facilities with excellent overhead cranage capacity to handle and meet the demands that OSM requires. This enables us to manage the construction of off-site modules from design input through to commissioning. We will continue to invest in this area to further support and improve the manufacture and delivery of off-site modules to meet client needs.

Radley Engineering outlook

Following its sustained growth over the past number of years, Kevin Walsh is optimistic that the company’s strong performance in 2022/23 will continue into the longer-term future.

“Our objective is to continue meeting our clients’ requirements with our excellent service,” Kevin Walsh adds. “The pharmaceutical sector has experienced massive growth in recent years. We expect that this growth will continue over the next five years as companies continue to invest in Ireland.

“The construction industry played a critical role in supporting the pharmaceutical sector to adapt quickly and respond to Covid 19 and other health issues. We at Radley Engineering look forward to continuing to support and meet our clients changing requirements into the future,” he concludes.