‘We don’t want to be starting from zero when everybody is starting to invest in automation’

Having claimed the top accolade at the Cavan Local Enterprise Awards, Virginia-based automation company Nualach Automation is keen to keep up the momentum and build on its early success.

The company was established in 2022 and is run by Kealan O’Connell from Virginia along with his business partner Evan Roarke from Mullingar, two mechatronic engineers who met in a previous job.

Kealan recently sat down with the Celt to explain a bit more about the company.

“Our aim is to maximise output for customers. We come in if you have a labour shortage or you have a task in your factory or a process that you want to make it faster. We come in and we come up with a solution that will either streamline the issue so it will reduce the time it takes to do it, or we will mimic the same operation. So if it’s a manual task like someone lifting a bucket, we replace that with a robot that is able to do that.”

The firm also designs systems to manufacture equipment.

"So if you have a process that you’re trying to make something, then we will design a system to meet your requirements, it’s bespoke to each different company. If people have a problem, we look for a solution. It’s all about just maximising the customer’s production and their overall performance,” he explained.

While Kealan says that every issue is different, there can be similarities between some problems and processes. “It’s very specific to each customer but there is stuff that overlaps. Things like picking up a bucket can be transferred over to picking up a bag of coal as well. It’s specific to the customer but some of the foundations are overlapping.”

Kealan predicts more growth in this area in the coming years.

“We’re primarily in the medical, life science and industrial sectors. We are looking to expand the team by hiring two or three more people this year. We’re only hitting the tip of the iceberg at the minute. So we’re going to go deeper into the medical world as well as the life science sector because it is a new industry. We know more opportunities are coming, and it’s a good time to get a good foundation. We don’t want to be starting from zero when everybody is starting to invest in automation.”

Kealan and Evan met in a previous role and gradually moved towards going out on their own as Kealan explains.

“We both met in Castlepollard working for an engineering company. We worked there for six years. They build their own production machinery in-house as part of the engineering team. We started there, got trained up there, and transitioned into working for ourselves. I take on design, project management, and development aspects and Evan takes on the technical aspects including programming, wiring, and configuration."

Kealan says they work well as together as they have complementary skills.

“We know each other for almost 10 years now so we know the ins and out, we’re well able to communicate with each other if there’s a problem. We make sure there’s nothing left unsaid. We overlap each other. We help each other much as possible. If I need help, he helps me and vice versa. We have similar skills but we’re better in different areas."

Kealan says he is delighted to be able to work in Virginia as it rules out of the hassle of going to Dublin every day.

“We’re lucky to be based locally. My mother used to run a dress shop in Virginia that shut down 15 years ago. It was idle so three years ago, we did it up and made it into a workshop. When we started business, we started using it full-time. It opened the door for us, otherwise, it could have been impossible to get somewhere.

"Working in my local area means that you’re not losing three hours of your life on the motorway every day. It gives you opportunities to focus on other aspects of your life."

Kealan also says operating out of Virginia means considerably less expense for them.

“We’d have to generate so much capital starting up if we worked in Dublin. That would have put us under pressure straight away. We’d be undercutting prices and not doing everything right. The flexibility that we got when we set up here in Virginia really let us cement our place.”

Despite this, they have plans for expansion, which will require a new building.

"We will eventually look to move into a new building in an industrial park because it would have all the facilities that we need in terms of accessibility and equipment that’s needed in trying to build up a technology company like ours.”