SNC Engineering

SNC Engineering…a little background.

Origins

SNC Engineering was founded in 1982, when Sean Costelloe became a Contract Engineer, having worked for the previous 4 years with VMRA as a design engineer. In 1883, we became an independent firm of Consulting Engineers, operating with one employee, and working from a standing start.

Founder….Sean Costelloe, C.Eng., MCIBSE, MSLL.

Sean began working in engineering as an office manager with Delap and Waller, in 1972. He quickly took an interest in engineering, and attended Bolton Street College of Technology, to pass City & Guilds Examinations in 1975. He continued to work with Delap & Waller. While there he worked, as a junior, on a variety of projects, such as House heating projects for Esso The Richmond Hospital Large schools in Cork, in Ballincollig and Knocknaheeny Offices for Slazengers at St. Stephen's Green, Dr. Steeven's Hospital Operating Theater.

In 1976, he commenced work with IAWS, who had a thriving engineering Division at the time.

He worked on a diverse range of projects,which included:

Large Cold Storage Facility at Portadown
Milk Bottling Plant in Cork Butter line at Killeshandra
Refrigeration and Milk Intake System at Killeshandra
Large Ice Bank and Chilled Water Project at Kilconnell, near Ballinasloe
Dairy engineering (Milk Bottling Plant) at Mullingar Chilled Water
Plant at Mullingar
Fish Plate freezing Plant at Dunmore, Co. Waterford. Ice Plants for BIM
Chiller Plants for AIBP Various Projects for Robert Wilson
Butter line for Balieborough Co-op Cleaning in Place systems on Milk Intake Systems, and large Milk Intake systems and siloes.

In 1978, he moved to VMRA, building services consulting engineers, where he spent five productive years. While there he returned to study and became an Associate Member of CIBSE. Subsequent study eventually resulted in his qualifying as a full member, and as a Chartered Engineer. Projects worked on with VMRA included AIB Bankcentre, Ballsbridge, Loughlinstown Hospital, an aborted Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool Project for AIB, School at Wicklow, School at Kilcullen, IDA fit-out at Wilton House Engineering Building at UCD, early stages, various Primary Schools Fujitsu Micro-electronics Plant in Dublin, a number of other swimming pools, Offices at Mount Street.

SNC Engineering from Start-up…..a potted history

In 1983, SNC Engineering was set up. Everything learned to date had been absorbed, but now an even steeper learning curve had to be negotiated. Negotiation itself, new aspects of services engineering, management techniques, rudimentary as they were, finance, selling, setting prices, all had to be picked up very quickly and on the run. Picking significant projects in the years since, we would name:

Carrisbrook House (1983)
Service Station at Ushers Island (1983)
Carrick Hall Hotel (1984)
Hyland Central Hotel Donegal Boilerhouse (1985)
Altadore Nursing Home (1986)
Boyne Valley Hotel (1987)
Palmerstown Shopping Centre (1978)
Airmotive Ireland (many projects) commenced (1989)
Modern Plant (1990)
Killybegs Hotel and Leisure Centre (1991)
Supervalu Balbriggan (1992)
Viking House Hotel(1993)
Malahide Marina Village(1992-99)
Charlemont Clinic (1994)
Laurel Lodge Pub (1995)
Tote Building The Curragh (1996)
Powerscourt House Enniskerry (1997)
Curragh Bars/Corporate areas(1998)
Balbriggan Hotel (1999)
House at Sallins (2000)
Talbot Street Offices (2001)
Texoil, various projects (2002)
Ballbrigan Towncentre and housing (2003)
Abbot Laboratories in Sligo (2004)
Chancery Lane Offices (2005)
Annebrook Hotel in Mullingar (2006)
Scoil Ui Riada, Kilcock (2007)
Coca Cola Office (2008)

This sample indicates the range of work we have done. We have always operated with a high degree of integrity. Our fees are our only payment. Gifts other than the traditional Christmas gift, or a round of golf from long standing business associates, would result in a supplier being omitted from our lists, rather than being added..

From starting in Sean Costelloes spare bedroom, we have now got an owner-occupied 2,000 sq. ft. premises in Centrepoint Business Park, having worked in the meantime in KCR Industrial Estate, and in Gardiner Street, in Dublin. We have a great team, of seven people in our offices in Dublin and Mullingar.

We work towards continuous improvement. Arising from contacts we made in Germany, we were invited eventually to join a Management training programme in Dublin, known under a Belgian acronym as Plato, coincidentally also the name of a Greek Philosopher. We have now developed many policies and systems, such as Staff Development, regular staff reviews, project monitoring meetings, ISO 9001:2000 accreditation, and a constant improvement programme. The latter programme resulted in a premises move, an ongoing company image redesign, the appointment of a Finance Officer and a Senior Engineer, a programme to improve the Office layout further, a Customer reward programme, just to say thanks more often, and lots more.