Carran, Ireland, XX October 2018 - Vokèra Ireland is proud to celebrate 20 years of supplying commercial and domestic boilers to customers across Ireland. Today Riello's Vokèra is one of the best known brands in the country with over 100,000 boilers installed across Ireland. Vokèra is a subsidiary of the Riello Group, which is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX).
Marking the milestone, Neil Gaffney, managing director of Vokèra Ireland, said the company was unique in Ireland as it was the only boiler dealer offering a full range of capabilities - from installation training to call center support and after-sales service. "We work hard to ensure that we deliver the highest quality product, supported by a dedicated and knowledgeable workforce," Gaffney said.
Originally started when the company's Irish sales distributor suggested the establishment of a dedicated Irish branch in 1988, the business became an official part of Vokèra in 1998. At the time it had only three employees working out of a facility in Callan, Co. Kilkenny. The Callan facility now has 16 employees handling all installation, customer service and ongoing service requests, dedicated to assisting installers, specifiers and end customers. Vokèra Ireland employs six full-time engineers: one in Belfast and five in Ireland, who cover the entire island - the only company in the country with this capability.
The business has certainly had to weather some tough times over the past 20 years. In 2010, Ireland experienced a severe recession. "The recession is a huge challenge for us," Gaffney said. “We emerged from Ireland’s economic boom, growing business significantly on the back of all new residential developments. When the recession hit, the jobs disappeared almost overnight and we needed to replace them quickly. We started focusing on specialized in retrofitting and replacing boilers and has successfully developed this business area.”
As for the next few years, Gaffney is bullish on the company's future. "The Irish economy is still booming," he said. "The country needs to build at least 50,000 new dwellings over the next three years, and we expect to be able to provide a significant proportion of these dwellings' heating needs." Boilers, when expanding the commercial heating side of the business. "We're also excited about renewable energy," Gaffney continued. "We've launched heat pumps and solar thermal products that help generate cleaner energy - which we believe will be an exciting market for the future."
Plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary are well underway with a big event in October. The current Vokèra Ireland site opened in 1998 with live bands, Irish dancers and the company's extensive clientele, and Vokèra Ireland hopes to have as much fun 20 years from now.
Carran, Ireland, XX October 2018 - Vokèra Ireland is proud to celebrate 20 years of supplying commercial and domestic boilers to customers across Ireland. Today Riello's Vokèra is one of the best known brands in the country with over 100,000 boilers installed across Ireland. Vokèra is a subsidiary of the Riello Group, which is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX).
Marking the milestone, Neil Gaffney, managing director of Vokèra Ireland, said the company was unique in Ireland as it was the only boiler dealer offering a full range of capabilities - from installation training to call center support and after-sales service. "We work hard to ensure that we deliver the highest quality product, supported by a dedicated and knowledgeable workforce," Gaffney said.
Originally started when the company's Irish sales distributor suggested the establishment of a dedicated Irish branch in 1988, the business became an official part of Vokèra in 1998. At the time it had only three employees working out of a facility in Callan, Co. Kilkenny. The Callan facility now has 16 employees handling all installation, customer service and ongoing service requests, dedicated to assisting installers, specifiers and end customers. Vokèra Ireland employs six full-time engineers: one in Belfast and five in Ireland, who cover the entire island - the only company in the country with this capability.
The business has certainly had to weather some tough times over the past 20 years. In 2010, Ireland experienced a severe recession. "The recession is a huge challenge for us," Gaffney said. “We emerged from Ireland’s economic boom, growing business significantly on the back of all new residential developments. When the recession hit, the jobs disappeared almost overnight and we needed to replace them quickly. We started focusing on specialized in retrofitting and replacing boilers and has successfully developed this business area.”
As for the next few years, Gaffney is bullish on the company's future. "The Irish economy is still booming," he said. "The country needs to build at least 50,000 new dwellings over the next three years, and we expect to be able to provide a significant proportion of these dwellings' heating needs." Boilers, when expanding the commercial heating side of the business. "We're also excited about renewable energy," Gaffney continued. "We've launched heat pumps and solar thermal products that help generate cleaner energy - which we believe will be an exciting market for the future."
Plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary are well underway with a big event in October. The current Vokèra Ireland site opened in 1998 with live bands, Irish dancers and the company's extensive clientele, and Vokèra Ireland hopes to have as much fun 20 years from now.