Tricel’s 50 Year Anniversary

06/06/2023

The year 1973 was marked by turbulent global events centered on escalating inflation and oil prices. Ireland was undergoing significant events then, becoming a member of the European Economic Community on January 1, 1973.

On a smaller scale, a series of significant events occurred in Killarney, Co Kerry, Ireland. Having worked as managing director for many years in Ross Products, Con Stack spotted an opportunity in the market. He and his wife Anne, began their operations from their shed, producing GRP hand-lay-up water tanks. In those days, glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) was a cutting-edge, innovative material on the Irish market and offered a new method for product design and production.

With an element of success under their belt, Con Stack decided to quit his position at Ross Products, and both he and Anne focused entirely on the new business. They moved their operation to small premises down a laneway in Killarney to St Marys Tec, New Street. The company focused on its core range of water tanks and expanded its product line to include boat and motorcycle fairings for the local community.

The business was a family affair in the early years, but more employees were hired as the customer base grew. The company’s commitment to its employees and family values can be seen by several of these early employees who have remained with Tricel for over forty years.

As early as the 1980s, the company moved to a new site where it built a small factory. A larger facility was required for GRP products to meet the high demand after the company’s early success. Due to increased demand, more employment was created locally.

As a result of market development strategies, the first export sales to the UK and Europe were generated. As a result of Killarney Plastics’ engineering capabilities and reputation, it was awarded contracts for Irish and UK utilities. With the establishment of Fibreglass Sales in Northern Ireland in 1997, the company expanded further, and Killarney Manufacturing Group (KMG) was established in 1998 to combine the manufacturing capabilities, experience, and personnel of the individual companies. As a result of acquiring Technotrak in 1999, KMG expanded into civil and road safety products and shortly thereafter acquired two of the most significant water tank companies in the United Kingdom, Dewey Waters and Nicholson Plastics, effectively doubling its size.

At the beginning of the millennium, KMG constructed a new headquarters that included an R&D centre and advanced manufacturing facility in Killarney, Co Kerry.

In 2002, KMG formed a new Environmental Division focused on the sewage treatment market as part of its diversification strategy. Following the initial focus on Ireland and the UK, the company expanded further into Europe and the United States. The KMG Tricel sewage treatment products were granted a French government license in early 2011, which enabled the company to open its first mainland European factory in Poitiers, France, to manufacture the Tricel sewage treatment products. Additionally, Tricel received certification for its wastewater treatment systems in Germany in 2012.

The KMG group, formally Killarney Plastics, underwent a rebrand on March 28, 2014, renaming companies within the group’s existing structure to Tricel. Using this rebrand, all Group companies could be unified under one progressive identity.

As a result of the Stack family’s drive and passion and several years of organic growth and acquisitions, Tricel Group, celebrating 50 years in business, employs over 600 people across 15 operational sites in Europe and the UK, as well as seven manufacturing facilities.