Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd is the leading Irish structural steel manufacturing firm and their quality services and products are very much in demand at home and abroad.
The famed Curragh Racecourse is currently out of bounds as it undergoes redevelopment work which will result in the creation of world class multi-purpose facilities on a par with the best anywhere in the world.
The redevelopment, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year in time to launch for the 2019 racing season, aims to upgrade the facilities and amenities of the site with an innovative design that will create a sense of arrival, atmosphere and excitement.
The centre piece of the redevelopment will see the creation of a major new grandstand which will incorporate five-star corporate facilities, restaurants, bars and superb viewing facilities for the public.
John Sisk & Son Ltd were appointed as the main contractor and they, in turn, enlisted the services of Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd of Longford to take care of all the steel requirements.
Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd. is a family business that was established in 1989 by husband and wife Frank and Dolores Kiernan. Today they are joined in the running of the business by their sons, Frank Jnr, John and Paddy and daughters, Claire and Maree.
Starting from very humble beginnings manufacturing agricultural sheds, Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd have become one of Ireland’s leading structural steel firms from their modern Longford based plant.
Frank Kiernan is involved in the structural steel business since the early 1970’s where he served his time as a fabricator and welder with Steel Fabricators in Longford Town.
He also worked as site foreman and site manager with top names in the Irish Construction industry including JMSE where he worked on large projects such as Shannonbridge and Moneypoint Power Stations.
Today, the internationally acclaimed Kiernan Structural Steel provide a wide range of services to the steel construction industry, including projects where clients request value engineering for their structural steelwork.
They work across all sectors and their past experience in the sport and leisure sector made them a perfect fit for the prestigious Curragh Racecourse project.
“We have 100 tonnes so far in the Curragh and will have 1,000 tonnes in total,” revealed John Kiernan. “It’s a 14 week progamme which is due to be completed by middle of the summer 2018.”
The ever-burgeoning County Longford firm offer the following services to their clients in the Irish construction sector and export to the UK construction sector: Design Engineering; Steel Fabrication; Steel Erection; Cladding & Roof Metal Decking; Floor Metal Decking & Welded Shear Studding; Castellated Beams & Steel Trusses Manufacture; Fire Protection Painting and New light weight steel SIN beam manufacture & distribution.
The highly skilled, qualified and loyal workforce, which currently totals approximately 200 personnel, forms the foundations on which the company’s continued growth has been built. Many of their employees have over 20 years’ service under their belts.
In addition, a policy of continuous investment in their state-of-the-art premises and plant and machinery has ensured that they remain at the cutting edge of the industry.
Back in 2015, for instance, they added an extra 4,500 m2 to their existing factory to facilitate the installation of a new post fabrication shot blasting machine and an automated plate line machine.
They also incorporated a post fabrication shot blasting into its manufacturing process through the installation of a new Kaltenbach Triathlon A3010HD shot blaster which has the passage range of 3100mm x 1700mm. Powered by 10 no. 22KW turbines.
This machine can adequately shot blast complete fabricated and welded steel sections, including steel trusses.
KSSL has incorporated a Peddinghaus HSFDB 2500 automated plate line into its manufacturing process. This machine is equipped with the ability to drill, mill, tap, countersink, deburr, Oxy-fuel cut, Plasma cut and mark steel plate using the latest tooling technology which combines speed and versatility.
The automated plate line provides the most efficient and quickest way possible to manufacture steel plate elements varying from 6mm to 100mm in thickness to the highest quality with minimum waste.
Benefits included greater overall annual output capacity and increased speed of production, and a better quality standard of finished product for their clients.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the management team at KSSL have also installed a fully automated production facility for welded plate girders with sinusoidal corrugated webs.
Known as the SIN system, the production technology was imported from Austria. The product, SIN beams, are said to combine large spans that are very light weight and KSSL are now able to supply the beams to customers in the UK and Ireland including steel fabricators.
Dimensions, material thickness and material quality of the upper and lower flange as well as the web are precisely adapted to the customer’s respective requirements.
“SIN beams can be used for long span portal frames and long span roof structures, replacing roof trusses,” explained John Kiernan. “They are particularly effective for shopping centre, car parks, pedestrian foot bridges etc. We believe this new machine will give us a big advantage going into the future.”
In early 2018, they added a new Peddinghaus high speed drilling line. Dependant on the type of steel to be manufactured this machine has the capacity to increase the weekly factory output by up to 25%.
All additions to their impressive 125,000 sq. ft. premises allow Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd to compete for larger projects with higher client quality and tighter programme requirements.
“We’re a family run business that offers our clients the personal touch,” answered John when asked: ‘what are the key attributes that Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd prides itself on?’. “Our clients know who they are talking to which is important from their point of view while we are always looking at ways to improve efficiency and increase capacity.”
Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd
Carrigglas
Longford
Co. Longford
Phone: +353 (043) 33 41445
Fax: +353 (043) 3345904
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.kssl.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, October 2018, Vol 4 No 9
