Concrete plays an integral part in the construction industry, simply put, without concrete, there would be no construction industry, especially in the commercial and industrial sector where millions of tonnes of concrete are pumped into on an annual basis.
In some cases, it can be difficult for the bottle trucks to get into and make deliver the concrete. In the past, if it’s for an area that is difficult to access, that traditionally involves wheelbarrows. It’s laborious work, and a lot of man hours are wasted going backwards and forwards with the barrow. Time costs money on a building project. This is where the likes of CGA Concrete Pumping Ltd come in as they use lorry-mounted pumps to pour concrete directly into those difficult to reach areas.
Cork based CGA Concrete Pumping Ltd are an established business specialising in the supplying of concrete pumps to both the private and commercial sectors throughout Munster since 2013. The company founder Brendan Sweeney has worked in construction and groundworks industry for over 30 years and understands the requirements of the clients. The company prides itself on their knowledge, reliability, flexibility and competitive rates.
“I began pumping concrete in the late eighties when I worked in London for Higgs & Hill. One of the projects I worked on was Canary Wharf phase one,” revealed Brendan.
“Our work on FC2 made a new European record for the largest single floor pour to date. The amount of concrete poured was 3,600 square metres of finished floor in a single day.
“The next Company I worked for was Camfaud Concrete Pumps, based in Epping. When working for Camfaud’s I had the pleasure of pumping concrete on some of London’s Iconic landmarks such as: The Millennium Dome, The London Eye, The Jubilee Expansion and Refurbishment of London Bridge, just to mention a few.
The last company I worked for before leaving London was P.C. Harrington, during this time P.C. Harrington was the second biggest building contractor (Reinforced Concrete) in London.
In 2001, I moved back to Ireland and began pumping concrete for Wm O’Brien based in Cork, bringing my years of experience with me. During the Celtic Tiger the company was extremely busy, and its concrete pumping business grew to a fleet of sixteen lorries.
“Twelve years later I moved to East Cork Crane Hire to drive their concrete pump. East Cork Crane Hire ran one concrete pump amongst their fleet of cranes.
In 2013 on the backdrop of Ireland’s biggest recession, things were slowly but surely on the move again for concrete pumps. I now wanted to be part of this recovery and provide my own concrete pumps to a more confident concrete sector.
“With this in mind my wife Catheriona and I took over East Cork’s concrete pumping business in November 2013 and set up our own company, C.G.A. Concrete Pumping & Lifting Services Ltd. We work for all sectors including the public & private sectors, agriculture and pharmaceuticals industries.”
Brendan’s experience in the industry has helped built the business into what it is today as they have seven concrete pumps including the biggest in the country, a 60 metre Putzmeister which is made of carbon fibre and this makes it lighter than many smaller pumps.
“We would use Putzmeister pumps, they are the best on the market, we have actually the largest and smallest pumps in the country, so the situation is that no job is too big or too small for us.”
Brendan revealed that one of the secrets to getting a job done to the highest standard possible was working closely with the client and planning every detail of a project.
“We are committed to providing a safe, efficient and cost-effective concrete pumping service. We work closely with our customers and discuss the best way to approach their concrete pour. In doing this we can give them the benefit of 30 years’ experience.
“There are many factors to be considered when approaching a job like the best way to approach your concrete pour; the different applications of concrete pumping, the restrictions placed on site by legislation (i.e. Health & Safety and Environmental Protection.)
Good preparation ensures a concrete pour goes to plan, potential risks are assessed, and a solution found.”
With the experience that he has, Brendan has decided to pass on that vast knowledge to others in the industry. “I hold a certificate level from NUI in ‘Teach the Teacher Programme’, which enables me to teach and train new employees on the safe use of concrete pumps.”
There are five drivers employed by the company and Brendan admits that it difficult to get skilled workers in this area. “It can be difficult to get lads with experience alright as there are not too many looking for careers in this industry. You could spend a few months training a lad up and he just might not have what it takes for the role, it is a very specialised job. I’m fortunate with the lads that I have at the moment, they are all experienced and good at their jobs.”
Current projects include student accommodation at CIT, while the agricultural sector sees them involved in a number of farm building projects that are continuously ongoing.
“We are very busy at the moment. There is massive development work taking place in Cork as a lot of the city is undergoing a revamp. We would work for the likes of the ESB and Irish Water as well, while earlier in the year, we were delighted to be involved in the construction of two emergency hospitals in Limerick to deal with Covid-19, in Croom and Limerick city.”
Brendan added that the majority of their work is carried out around Cork and surrounding counties, although they have travelled to Dublin on the odd occasion.
“Cork is very busy, there is a lot of work going on, so we don’t need to go to Dublin. We have a good relationship with a pumping company up there who would look after any work we have to do there, while we would do the same for them down here.”
From their headquarters in Little Island on the outskirts of the city, and another facility in Waterford, CGA Concrete Pumping Ltd has become one of the leaders in their field of expertise and they look set to continue to grow over the coming years.
Contact Details:
C.G.A. Concrete Pumping Ltd
Little Island
Cork City
Co Cork
Phone: 058 52899
Mobile: 087 9177861 / 9082826
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, March, Vol 7 No 3
