Construction BUSINESS

Kiernan Structural Steel is to create 50 jobs at its  new state-of-the-art extension to its Longford structural steel manufacturing facility.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor has attanded at the official opening of KSSL’s new facility. KSSL is the leading Irish structural steel manufacturing firm and now employ 150 people split between their Longford plant and their construction sites.

The announcement is part of a new investment programme of more than €3.5million, supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

19 of the new jobs are in direct manufacturing roles and have been supported by Enterprise Ireland.

The balance of the jobs are as a direct result of increased onsite activity and include quantity surveyors, draughtsmanship and installation. Recruitment for these positions is ongoing and positions are expected to be filled by the middle of the summer 2016. This new investment is in response to increased demand from clients for the facility to apply high quality fire proofing intumescent paints particularly for multi-national clients.

Managing Director of KSSL Frank Kiernan said: “Kiernan Steel was founded on being a solution provider for technically challenging structural steel projects for the Irish and the British steel construction industries with an eye for further market expansion. This new extension gives us the opportunity to increase our annual production capacity and has led to the securing of some very large projects in Ireland and the UK. These new jobs are as a result of this”.

The 43,000 sq. ft. expansion of the Longford facility gives them a total factory area of almost 125,000 sq. ft. The extension includes 30,000 sq. ft. of a new paintshop which is required to meet the growing need for off-site applied fire intumescent painting. As part of the new paintshop KSSL have added a one of a kind in Ireland a 3m x 1.8m post fabrication Kaltenbach shot blaster which cleans the surfaces of steel members prior to the application of paint. KSSL also added 13,000 sq. ft. to the engineering workshop and a new high speed steel plate cutting and drilling line.

Welcoming the announcement Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor said: “I am very much focussed on ensuring jobs are created in every region in Ireland and that is why I will be continuing to implement our Regional jobs plan. I am delighted that Kiernan Structural Steel, a highly-innovative Irish company which is expanding rapidly in export markets, is creating 50 new jobs. The growth of this family-owned business based in Longford for the last 27 years, is great news for the Midlands region. Kiernan Structural Steel is a great example of the type of company Enterprise Ireland is working with, and I wish Frank and his team continued success for the future.”

These new facilities have now placed KSSL at the top of their market and are in high demand by some of Ireland’s and UK’s most prestigious clients.

Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd. is a family business that was established in 1989 by husband & wife Frank & Dolores Kiernan.