Anyone visiting the Blanchardstown Centre recently couldn’t help but notice the large steel structure which now dominates the skyline on the opposite side of the M3.  The state-of-the-art building, which will house Alexion’s new €450m biologics facility, is being erected in record time by Longford structural steel maestros KSSL. 

“We’ve 25 full-time on this site and a further 40 on the BMS (Bristol-Myers Squibb) site on the other side of College Park.  We especially love biopharmaceutical projects because the projects are generally very well managed, the constructions sites are very clean & health and safety of site operatives is number one priority“ explained CEO John Kiernan: “We would love the chance to work with an industry giant like Bouygues and to test ourselves in a new market like France”. 

While in Ireland, Sylvere Samoyault, Bouygues’ Director of Envelopes and Structures (centre of group photo), visited other building cladding manufacturers including Alucraft, which specialise in total envelope composite panel cladding and Techrete which recreate a range of high quality stone cladding finishes in precast concrete.

The visit was arranged by Xavier Pithon, construction industry Market Advisor for Enterprise Ireland Paris:  “Ireland now competes at such a high level both on quality and price that it's easy to impress even senior guys like Sylvere because clear synergy between needs and capabilities. And the potential is huge if you can make the right connection.”

Things couldn’t be going better for the family business from Carrigglas. In her first official engagement earlier this year, Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor opened the KSSL’s new 43,000 ft² which will result in the creation of 50 new jobs and which was supported with capital grants from Enterprise Ireland.