Foamalite Limited's success in recent years is the envy of many. Managing Director Christine Reilly spoke with us in the Cavan Yearbook about the growth of the business and what the company's hopes for the future are. Foamalite was established in 1996 and started production the following year by husband and wife team, John and Christine Reilly. The company specialises in manufacturing extruded PVC sheeting. From their purpose built factory in Lough Gowna, Business Park, Cavan they produce in a consistent process, meeting customer specification standards every time, which has been one of the reasons that success is instrumental in their rise to prominence. "We specialise in PVC foam sheet and supply this for the print and display industry. In the region of about ninety-five percent of our products are exported to many countries across Europe and we have been a good relationship with all our clients. "Our orientation is towards a relentless customer focus, providing high quality product, innovation, flexibility, supported by a first class back up service," said Christine. Foamalite sends its products overseas via a network of distributors in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Russia and Turkey as well as many other countries that sell their wide range of products on a global scale. The company MD revealed that John was involved in the insulation industry for 20 years before selling the business to Quinn Direct in 1994, while Christine had a background in accounting and management before deciding to establish the business, but it is something that they have never regretted. "Like all businesses, it took a while to get established and there was plenty for both of us to learn. Fortunately, after a number of false starts, we built a reputation of quality and reliability, which has helped us grow. "In 1997 we entered the Irish and British market successfully with a limited product range. After further investment in R&D in 1997 and 2000, we added more products and entered the French market. Subsequently we sold into the rest of Europe. We have grown the turnover yer on year and now sell into 21 countries." At present the company employ 57 people, but that number is set to expand following the announcement that they are investing €11 million with the aid of Enterprise Ireland in the redevelopment of its production facility. "The project will create an additional 26 jobs over the next three years and this will include five high-value research and development roles, while it will also include a 3,200 square metre factory and R&D centre," she added. "Our sales and technical staff will ensure that our customers needs are both met and where possible exceeded in a friendly and efficient manner. Development will be continued through investment in the latest technology which will provide our customers with products of the highest possible quality. Foamalite are committed to forging long term relationships with our customers to the benefit of all our partners in business." Since the establishment of the company, awards have become common place as Foamalite has achieved success in many areas including the Emerging Markets Exporter Award, which recognises exceptional performance by Irish companies in new, non-traditional markets. Other awards secured by the company in recent times have been the Ulster Bank Award, Young Achiever's Award and the DHL Export Award, just to name a few. "Our success has seen us achieve some of the top awards in the country and we are very proud of this fact. Everyone involved has worked hard to get the company where it is today and the recognition would not have been achieved without everyone." The industry that Foamalite is involved is totally volume driven and Christine stressed that the aim of the company was too grow to a much larger scale. "With the expansion of the development we hope to achieve further growth in the coming years. There is also a drive on to promote our new diverse range of products. "We have built strong, long-term relationships with logistics companies who specialise in professional, prompt, reliable, on time service and who adhere to the regulation and place their customers first. These relationships are strong and provide an excellent service distribution which has proven itself to be excellent." Time is of the essence when running your own business and Christine admits that this leaves very little time to follow the local Gowna club that has achieved monumental amounts of success on the playing fields over the years, although that has not stopped their three children from representing the club. "We don't really have the time to follow the club, but wish them all the success for the coming year. Our son, Gearoid plays for the club, so we do have a connection with them." Gowna has won seven senior football championships since being formed in 1889. The club's golden period came between 1994 and 2002 when they won six senior titles and arguably their greatest ever player is Dermot McCabe, who continues to represent Cavan with distinction. The Lough Gowna area seems to breed winners and if Foamalite is anything to go by, then there is plenty of more success just around the corner. For John and Christine Reilly, the future looks very bright indeed and one that will see their business grow and continue to thrive in a market that has taken Britain and the rest of mainland Europe by storm. Tweet

Most Read Stories