Family firm and one-stop-shop for craft brewers and distillers

The drinks industry in Ireland has been undergoing something of a renaissance with a big rise in the number of distilleries and breweries being established.

One company that's benefiting from this is Spectac International, a Co Louth-based manufacturer of stainless steel products, which has begun offering turn-key brewhouse solutions. Among its recent wins is a €1.5 million contract to develop a distillery for Teeling Whiskey in the Liberties, Dublin.

The family firm, which was established by Tony Healy in 1986, has traditionally designed, manufactured and installed products such as vessels, vats and tanks for customers across the biotechnology, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors and the food and drinks industry.

Its impressive client list includes Glanbia, Henkel, Siemens, Tetrapak and Lakeland Dairies.

While it has also worked with many of the leading drinks companies in Ireland on a number of projects, it is only over the past 24 months that it made the move to start offering full solutions for craft beer and whiskey producers.

"We've always worked with brewing and know the processes involved from start to finish but had always worked on sections, rather than completed solutions. Over the years we have created vessels for each and every process but had just not put the full thing together until recently when we come up with the idea of offering complete turn-key solutions," said Faye Healy, daughter of the company's founder and its director.

Expansion

The move has paid dividends with a packed order book, a doubling of the workforce from 27 to 54 in recent months and relocation to a new 45,000sq ft premises in Dundalk. The firm’s turnover in 2013 reached €3.2 million and last year it was shortlisted as a finalist for the SFA National Small Business Awards

Spectac is still actively involved in working with brewers and recently carried out all the underground drainage and hatch box installations for Diageo’s new €169 million brewhouse at St James’s Gate, as well as putting in pipework and manufacturing tanks at the Tullamore Dew Whiskey distillery in Co Offaly. However, Faye believes that as the only indigenous producer of full turnkey solutions for brewers and distillers in Ireland, the company can achieve even greater success.

"When I joined the company three years ago we had the idea that it would be good to come up with a new product. We already had a strong relationship with the likes of Bushmills and Diageo and I felt that because we had strong lines there it would be a good market to get more fully involved in. We had noticed the renewed interest in whiskey and the rising popularity of craft beers so spent some time fleshing out ideas and came up with the full solution for companies," said Faye.

Its first complete brewhouse was a 25 hectolitre one for Co Kildare-based Rye River Brewery, which produces a number of beers under the McGargles brand.

“As well as winning a lot of new business in Ireland, we’ve a high level of interest from Europe as well and we’re looking to be exporting soon. We’ve also plenty of work ongoing with clients across the sectors we traditionally work in so we’re busy kept busy,” said Faye.

Family firm

Having spent his whole life working as an engineer, firstly for his father who had a company in Limerick and then as a contractor for the likes of Harp, it’s not too surprising that Tony ended up setting up his own firm to focus on manufacturing.

As is typical of a child whose family are in business, Faye has always had some involvement in Spectac. But she didn’t expect to end up working in the company on a full-time basis until three years ago, when she came on-board.

She studied psychology at university followed by a masters in addiction studies and she spent a short time working in the area before quickly realising it wasn’t for her. When her father invited her to join the company she didn’t hesitate.

“I had some experience of the business world beforehand and my dad had always let me know there was a place for me in the company if I wanted it. To be honest I haven’t looked back since I joined. We work in so many different industries that every day is different and I get a lot out of being here,” she said.

Despite concerns that some people might be put out by her being chosen to play such a big role in the company, Faye said that introducing new initiatives such as the turnkey solutions have won her acceptance.

“At the beginning of my employment with Spectac I was aware that most of the employees and some clients might look at me as differently since I was the boss’s daughter. So I thought it was really important for me to make an immediate impact across different functions, be that sales, people management, marketing and in generally helping lead an engineering company in the right direction.

“The roll-out of a new product line has not only boosted business but it is also a visible change that everyone can see. That helped show that I wasn’t just along for the ride,” she said.