Founded in 1991, ATC has grown from its first modest location at Adelaide Road in central Dublin to become a market-leading company in its field. Mary Curley, Liam Prendergast and Brian Walsh joined founding managing director Ciaran O’Reilly, to form the management team that has brought ATC to its current successful position. As the company enters its thirtieth year of life, ATC is pleased and proud to confirm that this team is still directing the company.
Brian Walsh, Sales Director with Ciaran O’Reilly, Managing Director.
“Launching a new business is never straightforward and ours wasn’t without its challenges in the early years” says Ciaran. “We worked hard as a team to expand and develop the product ranges whilst at the same time growing the customer base throughout Ireland. We knew we were onto something special and chased every opportunity. From the very beginning, we always believed that our core values of Quality, Customer Care and Service are the cornerstone of longevity and success. Exceptional customer care and quality products were the priority then, as they still are today”.
Growth was reinforced by the establishment of two separate divisions within the company in 2001:
ATC Automation specialises in machine controls, vision inspection systems and a focus on enabling companies to improve productivity within manufacturing.
The addition of ISO 9001 Quality Accreditation enhanced the processes and operations of the company. It had also enabled the Automation division to be recognised as an accredited supplier to American multinationals that were establishing a strong presence in Ireland at the time.
ATC Electrical & Mechanical. Renowned for their innovative and energy-efficient heating and hygiene products, several of them award-winning over the years. ATC’S development strategy was to identify, design and develop quality energy-efficient own-branded products in the Electrical Mechanical Division. This was recognised as an important opportunity for future growth. It has proven to be the case.
The growth of the business brought demand for extra staff and upgraded premises. After two moves for expansion the company finally settled in its present base, ATC House, Tallaght in 2008. This modern 18,000 square feet premises provides extra Office, Warehouse and Showroom space and will provide for even further expansion.
In the course of this move, the company also took the opportunity to re-brand its ATC logo with an eye to the future.
Entry into the UK market in 2014 was challenging in the initial years. However the UK business grew quickly over the next few years – hence the decision in 2017 to establish a comprehensive stock base at Chelmsford to provide UK customers with next day deliveries. This was followed by the launch of a dedicated UK website in 2019.
In the same year ATC initiated the planned growth of a UK-based sales team. Each year has seen significant growth in business and customer development. Ciaran tells us “The UK business division is an integral part of the company. It now represents a considerable portion of our overall business and forms a key component of our growth strategy in the future”.
2019 also saw the establishment of the Energy Showrooms and dedicated Training Hub in ATC House. In what was a busy time, the company has successfully rolled out the Six Sigma 5S Lean Standard across the company, further enhancing efficiencies throughout the business.
Ciaran concludes “The last 30 years have not been without some challenges but we’ve always worked closely as a team. We are and have always been open to change and quick to embrace new technologies. In that time, we have consolidated our position in both markets and with the support and commitment of all our staff, we have become a leaner more structured company with a clear strategy and a firm focus on our direction for the future”.
“We would like to thank our loyal customers for their support over the past thirty years with a special word of thanks for their ongoing support through the very different times we have found ourselves in during the past ten months. We look forward to working with you for many decades to come”.
