The Corkman Newspaper Thursday 3rd June 2010 P.1 & P.2
By Maria Herlihy mherlihy@corkman.ie
WITH the construction sector getting a hammering since the economy effectively tanked, a Banteer company seems to be very much bucking the national trend and has not only increased its workforce but also purchased a window framing company.
M Group in Clonmeen, Banteer is the umbrella term for Murphy New Homes, Murphy Commercial and it newly purchse window and door company Star Elm. The Corkman caught up with the fast moving MD Willie Murphy, who said plans are afoot to purchase a similar type window and door company in Britain.
Mr Murphy remained tight lipped on the cost of the purchase of Star Elm in Shannon, County Clare but he did say that since the acquisition last February he has pumped an additional €800,000 into the window and door company. He has also increased its sales staff to six and sourced state of the art machinery.
Mr Murphy, and his 120 staff nationally, certainly seem to have the Midas touch as he told The Corkman that since they took over Star Elm they have increased the volume of its sales by almost five times in County Clare.
“We changed everything about the company and aggressively went after the market. We found that people want to deal with a local supplier and all of that went in our favour,” said Mr Murphy.
“You have to do research well and then act on it. We have been very proactive and really know our cost base, ” he added.
While his actions are very much going against the grain of what is presently happening in the construction industry, he said he had been “actively looking for” a window and door company.
“No, I wasn’t at all nervous as Star Elm is very much compatible with what we do,” said the builder. “In fact, I’m very much on the lookout for a similar type company in Britain.”
Star Elm employs approximately 40 people. In Duhallow, Murphy New Homes are regarded as a major player in one-off houses and in 2009 Murphy New Homes built 79 one-off houses which, he said, shows no sign of abating.
“We held our own during the boom and we are holding out very well now. We grew considerably in the last seven years, knowing the market is key. There hasn’t been a dip for us in one off houses as there is still great demand in rural areas,” he said.
There is fire in his belly to continue and expand the M Group, as last Wednesday he also secured the rights to Swish, which makes blinds and PatioMaster brands in the Republic of Ireland. This franchise, he believes, will create 25—30 new jobs.
What was started out in 1958 by the late Sean Murphy of Murphy New Homes has mushroomed into the commercial, civil and municipal developments. The M Group was listed as number 63 in the Irish Construction Industry magazine out of 100 construction companies in 2009.
