Thinking of investing in a new building or upgrading an existing structure to 2020 standard and well beyond. If yes is your answer, then you need to have a chat with Frank Murphy and Daire Fegan of Aneuco Ltd.
Aneuco Ltd has quickly earned an enviable reputation within Ireland’s agriculture sector as specialists when it comes to roofing and cladding materials, along with supplying a growing extensive range of accessories such as Hygienic Doors, Window’s and Wall Panelling etc.
The County Meath based company supply a comprehensive range of roof and wall cladding and associated accessories to suit all agricultural construction needs. Fibre Cement Corrugated Roof Sheeting, Insulated Composite Panels, Polycarbonate Sheeting, and a comprehensive range of Hygienic Wall Cladding materials, to name but a few, are all available within their extensive product range.
Frank Murphy who set up Aneuco along with Daire Fegan in 2019 told Irish Tractor & Agri magazine that “60% of our products are geared towards the farming sector,” Daire added: “95% of our trade is on the island of Ireland, both north and south. We export as well to mainland UK but that is the smaller end of the business.”
Frank and Daire between them can boast a combined experience of in excess of 50 years in their chosen field of expertise.
“Initially, we would have supplied the external envelope of a structure such as the roof and / or the wall systems,” Frank explained, “but, more recently, due to customer requests and requirements merging with the extensive experience that both myself and Daire have in supplying other components for internal kit outs, we have successfully completed a number of turnkey projects.
“Starting from the foundations up, we look after the whole project, including the portal frame or structure to insure that the correct specifications are given so that Aneuco can supply the most suitable and economical products for each individual specific project. Due to having such an extensive range of products we in Aneuco Ltd can offer not only the roofing materials but also provide an innovative Hygene PVC Click and Pour PVC Wall Casing system and much more.
Frank and Daire pride themselves on building strong connections with key people from both the National and European manufacturing companies who provide a consistent line of high quality products. Aneuco has consolidated close partnerships with the key local and European based manufacturers and this enables Aneuco to provide you with all your future building project requirements.
The progressive company’s motto is “covering all the options” when it comes to materials for pitched roofing, insulated panelling, rain-screen cladding, internal walls and ceilings. The motto has been well chosen; that is precisely what Aneuco does.
“Initially we would have aimed to turn over approximately €1m in the first year in business but we exceeded that and turned over €1.7m. This rapid growth accrued due to having very loyal, discerning customers who quickly saw the benefits of using our product range, as we learned the benefits of Aneuco being in a position to supply a complete kit out and not just the initial roofing materials,: Frank outlined.
He continued; “By extending our product range a lot of extra business was generated for Aneuco. Due to our experience we are in a position to go out and help farmers, project managers or architects with the site layout along with advising on what materials would best suit the uniqueness of any project. Then, not least because of our trusted relationship with our suppliers we are in a position to offer our product range at competitive prices.”
At the time of speaking to Frank and Daire, they were on site with a customer who is, and was very familiar with Frank’s modus operandi.
“We’re literally parked at the top of a hill in the countryside with a customer that I first supplied a building to 20 years ago, and thankfully we were invited again into his yard today to offer both product and installation advice on a new proposed construction. That’s a testimony to the type of customer base that we build up. It’s the long term overview that interests Aneuco, always the interest in giving the time to each project and never the, go in, secure the sale, get the project done and move on attitude.”
Daire echoed those sentiments: “Our business is done on a very personal level. Products will change, there will be developments in the marketplace, but personnel won’t change. The one -to-one relationship is very important to us and, as Frank just said, here we are calling down to a yard that he supplied a shed to over 20 years ago and the same customer has invited us to supply something new again.”
Frank elaborated further: “It’s a totally new concept what we are looking to do now. The building I did 20 years or so ago was done with what was available at that time such as a bonded panel type system. Now plastic and stainless steel have become a big part of agricultural structures. Years ago they were very expensive commodities to be using whereas now it’s becoming much more competitive and the range is becoming bigger and better year on year.
“We’ve a new system, called the ZETA Click and Pour, and it’s new, not only to our company, but to Ireland. Instead of putting up shuttering, like you would do on a conventional building and filling it with concrete, we’ve a plastic panel that is clicked easily together, the void space between the inner and outer surfaces is then filled with concrete and left in situ as a new wall. The huge advantage here is that this innovative form of construction gives a superior plastic surface on the outside and inside for hygiene, with the advantages of strength etc that concrete gives you. Aneuco’s ZETA Click and Pour wall beats traditional constructed wall on all headings including constructional costs.
“So, you are getting hygiene along with structural strength. It is very suitable for dairy farms, pig farms and poultry farms. The growing number of customers that have used ZETA find that the benefits are instantly clear because it saves on construction and labour costs. It’s a very fast fit product, it’s basically DIY, you don’t need specialist construction companies coming in and doing it, farmers can do the installation themselves.”
The Zeta Click and Pour system is very easy to wash down too, saving valuable water and time.
Aneuco Ltd has come a long way in a short space of time which begs the question: are there expansion plans in place for the future?
“We probably have a customer portfolio of about 400 customers countrywide now,” Daire answered. “Are we looking to increase that? We’ll probably increase our customer base 25% on last year even with Covid taken into account. Yes, we are always looking to expand, we’ve now four people working in the company, Frank and myself are mainly on advice duties and sales and we’ve two other people who take care of clerical and office work. As new business comes our way, it would be our intention to expand with it.”
Product wise, opportunities to expand are continuously presenting themselves but Frank and Daire are adopting a cautious approach and will never stray from providing customer satisfaction. That is the cornerstone on which Aneuco is built.
“There are suppliers who are asking us all the time to try out, carry and introduce their products because of the customer base that we have but we have to be conscious of the fact that we are currently a small company,” Frank stated. “We don’t want to take on everything straight away, we are contented to supply the products that we know work. That leaves Aneuco with satisfied customers. We’re not going to try to take on everything and be left with some customers who may not be happy. That would not be good for the company from a long-term perspective.”
Daire added: “As it stands at the moment, we have approximately 20 suppliers that we use on a regular basis. Out of that, 16 of them are probably Europeans, based in Belgium, Holland, Germany or the UK. There are always new products within those categories and supply chains, but we tread carefully, because it is vital to our customers and indeed to Aneuco that we retain absolute confidence in all the products that we supply.”
Frank concludes; “we at Aneuco are determined always to put customer need ahead of a sale. We meet up with the client on a one to one, on site visit or an on line connection. It’s a very personal sale and the first bit of chat centres around the topics of the day. That’s an unusual sales pitch because when you go to a site as a salesperson you are generally selling something. In our case, the advisory aspect is of more benefit to the customer and that is where we start our sales pitch, then we carry it through to the sale having advised on the product to meet the customers particular needs.
“It’s a different way of selling but it works for us and we are respected for it. We pride ourselves on our experience, our personal service and our insistence on producing top quality products, sourced both nationally and from Europe, as well as offering competitive prices. There are not many people in the supply chain from production to the end user. We tend to source the products directly from the manufacturer and supply them direct to the end customer.”
Turning his attention to the future, Frank is confident that Aneuco Ltd’s graph will continue on an upward trajectory.
“I am very optimistic for the future. Aneuco is flexible, we can move with whatever the market requires. We don’t specifically have to be supplying one product, if there is a better trend being introduced we’ll know about it soon enough and the customers will start asking us about it. We move with the times.”
Frank and Daire get regular feedback from their customers and are delighted to report a very satisfied customer base. Here is a taste of the testimonials that Aneuco Ltd has accumulated to date:
“Aneuco supply a comprehensive range of roof and wall cladding. I purchased their product to replace the roof on one of my dad’s agriculture sheds and we are delighted with price and quality. Pig and chicken farmers should check out their insulated systems for upgrades. Thanks Lads” – Terence J. Byrne, Meath.
“I have dealt with Frank Murphy for over 15 years now through different companies and I keep going back no matter which company he is working for. Frank has a great product knowledge and can source any material needed for your project. Thanks again Frank and the best of luck to you and Daire in the new venture” – James McGrath, Cork.
“It is very important to us to provide our clients with a range of products that are competitively priced and rival the market leaders. The Aneuco team have a huge product range to cover a multitude of sectors and it’s great to have them as one of our main suppliers. As they say themselves ‘Covering all options’” – Sean Murphy, Kildare.
Give Frank, Daire and the Aneuco team a call at the numbers below to find out more about how they can assist you with your farm building requirements.
Aneuco Ltd
Otterstown
Meath
Phone: +353-1-4851323 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.aneuco.ie
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 8 No 4, December 2020
