Getting to know our Chamber members

Paltech, have helped to develop a solution for this plastic waste, recycling it into 7kg flower pots, (which are available to buy in all the Major Tesco Stores throughout the country) they also produce 200kg crash barriers, 150-gallon water troughs, fencing posts and railway sleepers from waste plastics.

Green Generation is a Kildare-based renewable energy company, using Anaerobic Digestion (AD) to convert agricultural and food processing waste to several usable end-products. AD is a natural microbial process which we harness to break down organic waste into biogas and an organic fertiliser by-product called ‘Digestate’ converting ‘waste’ into a ‘resource’. By capturing the gas that would have been emitted if these wastes were sent to landfill, they reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production and food processing.

They use some of the biogas to produce renewable heat and electricity which is used to power the AD plant and the excess is exported into the national electricity grid.

They upgrade most of the biogas into “biomethane” which is injected as renewable gas into the national gas grid in conjunction with Gas Networks Ireland. The injection point is located at Cush, Co. Kildare and is the first of its kind in Ireland and helps pave the way towards achieving national and EU renewable energy targets.

Green Generation also use some of the Biomethane to power some of own HGV’s and Trucks.

The spent organic material from the digestion process (referred to as “digestate”) is pasteurised to EU standards and then distributed to local farmers as a high-nutrient organic fertiliser, offsetting chemical fertiliser usage.

Green Generation is actively involved in several research projects seeking to increase renewable energy production from organic waste. One such project ‘EirAlgae’, partnering with UCD and supported by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI), seeks to use the CO2 from the biogas and some nitrogen from the digestate, to produce micro-

Green Generation employee over 70 people in rural Kildare, generating opportunities and revenue for the local economy. They work with Kildare County Council to convert waste grass from parks and roadside verges into usable fuel and fertiliser along with several other Kildare food processing businesses including Birdseye, Boortmalt, Glanbia, Kildare Chilling and Domino’s as well as Tesco stores nationwide, helping them reduce carbon footprint by providing a sustainable outlet for their waste.

The packaging from food waste would normally be incinerated as it is difficult to recycle. Green Generation working with their sister company, algae. This micro-alga can be used to produce a range of valuable compounds normally derived from fossil oil, thereby further reducing resource consumption. Another project is examining the potential to produce biodegradable bioplastics from organic wastes, making a fully ‘circular’ approach, where the bioplastics can be converted to biogas at end of life.

Jigsaw Better Business is an award-winning team of Lean, Green, Digital, & Leadership coaches. Through creative problem solving, innovation, & people development, they help great businesses BE BETTER.

They support business leaders to step back and look at what they do each day with fresh eyes. As Lean coaches, they work with businesses to reduce waste and enhance value to their customers. When clients work with Jigsaw Better Business, it means having an experienced mentor stand alongside you, asking insightful questions. It means having someone help you get the stone out of your shoe: the painful little problem that others might not be aware of, but which is hindering your progress. If you’ve ever looked at how you work and thought, “there must be a better way”, that’s where Jigsaw Better Business come in.

While Lean is associated with improving processes and efficiency, at its heart is helping people. It is people who carry out the daily business operations, manage the business, and have a vision for its future. For many companies, their greatest asset is their people. Products can be copied; certain roles can be automated. But what’s harder to replicate or automate is the culture and people within an organisation.

Many of Jigsaw’s clients are astute entrepreneurs who have set up their own business, but then realise that they need to hire and retain talent to help them achieve their vision. Managing people and creating an inclusive and appealing work environment is no small feat, and many need support with this. Jigsaw’s chartered organisational psychologist works alongside leaders and teams to improve how people experience work.

Other clients are finding that their team isn’t really a team, but rather a collection of people working on separate tasks. By becoming clearer on who they are, what their strengths are, and what is the common purpose that unites them, they can create more collaborative, engaged teams. Jigsaw’s approach is backed by research and a breadth of practical experience.

For more information, visit their website: https://jigsawbetterbusiness. ie/ or find useful resources here: https://linktr.ee/JigsawBetterBusiness

They have worked with hundreds of businesses across Ireland, including butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers. No matter what type or size of business you have, after working with them you will make improvements in how you operate. Every project they have worked on has resulted in cost savings or increased capacity, and usually both together.

They also believe that the less tangible benefits are as important. These include having more confidence about making business decisions, better relationships between teams, and getting closer to long-term goals. For business owners, it means getting the work done within normal working hours and having a more sustainable work-life balance. In other words, better business.

Oskar Pfungst, a German comparative biologist and psychologist, set about testing the basis for these claims. After a substantial number of trials, Pfungst found that the horse could get the correct answer even if the horse’s owner did not ask the questions, and ruled out the possibility of fraud. However, Hans only gave the right answer when the questioner knew the answer and he could see the questioner. He observed that when von Osten knew the answers to the questions, Hans got 89% of the answers correct, but when von Osten did not know the answers, Hans answered only 9% correctly.

Ever heard of the Clever Hans effect? In 1907 in Germany there was a horse called Hans owned by Wilhelm von Osten, who was a mathematics teacher and amateur horse trainer. It was said that Hans had been taught to do all forms of maths, from addition to subtraction. He could even work with fractions, tell time, differentiate between musical tones, spell, and understand German.

So what is the relevance of this story and what has it to do with the work at Martinstown Lodge? Martinstown Lodge is a national multi award winning haven delivering leadership and team development workshops through the power of working with horses, facilitated by professional coaches. It delivers a highly innovative and impactful developmental experience that gets right to the root of the challenge in teams and in leaders in a very powerful way.

Fully trained and experienced business coaches facilitate this through equine supported individual, leadership and team development workshops, supporting clients to achieve their goals. Working with horses on the ground (no horse riding involved) provides a supportive catalyst for change, increasing self-awareness of one’s approach and impact on others in a meaningful and non-judgemental way. This is an effective and proven developmental process that is evidenced to help people unlock their full potential as highly effective leaders and teams. in a commercial setting to larger transmission, distribution and generation plants for Utilities, power producers, data centres and renewable generation.

Working through horses helps provide deep insight and increases awareness of leadership style; increases understanding of roles within a team; provides an opportunity to refocus on goals; improves communication skills and support teams to work better, building trust and respect. Importantly all in a fun and relaxed environment delivering a powerful evidence based unforgettable learning experience, a talking point for years to come!

The positive feedback of the impact of the workshops at Martinstown Lodge on businesses has been overwhelming and continues to deliver proven results. With a full schedule for the summer Martinstown Lodge continues to forge a path ahead in delivering high quality leadership and team development to all businesses in Kildare and further afield.

As with Hans, horses mirror how we communicate and sense and respond to subtle cues in our behaviour, providing instant, honest and accurate feedback in the moment. This gets to the core of issues quickly and effectively, a very powerful mechanism for sustainable professional development. Effective communication skills foster an open and positive relationship between leaders and their teams, which increases productivity and efficiency and is used by companies throughout the world.

Powercomm Group are recognised as one of the leading High Voltage and Medium Voltage engineering services companies in Ireland, UK and Europe, delivering world class solutions to the segments they serve. They offer high and medium voltage electrical design, installation, inspection, commissioning and maintenance services for bespoke and full turnkey solutions.

Since launching in 2008 Powercomm Group have delivered outstanding workmanship to many prestigious multi-national companies and their partners, gaining considerable experience in grid transmission and distribution systems, EBoP, Data Centres and numerous additional HV/ MV projects.

Their key service offering includes:

Electrical Engineering and Consultancy Design

Powercomm Group have developed a comprehensive in-house design service. This focuses on supporting clients for all high voltage and electrical engineering solutions. Using the very latest software programs their team of design engineers develop complex power system models, substation electrical design and power transmission circuit systems including contestable grid connections.

Installation and Asset Management

Powercomm Group’s complete installation solutions include full substation electrical installation, cabling and HV jointing. Their team provide a complete life-time preventative maintenance program to ensure continuous operation. They develop and implement comprehensive high voltage inspection, testing and maintenance strategies to mitigate the risk of an unforeseen breakdown or safety related issue. Their asset maintenance solutions extend the life expectancy of power system equipment.

Testing and Commissioning

Powercomm Group offer full testing and commissioning services up to 400kV. Their skilled teams specialise in projects from unit substations

Their expertise covers all the different aspects of commissioning for HV/MV solutions from 3.3kV to 400kV, employing state-of-theart test equipment and diagnostic capabilities to assure excellent service results. Powercomm Group have developed a highly skilled commissioning team that have extensive knowledge and experience to carry out all stages of the commissioning process for the transmission and distribution system in Ireland and across Europe.

Design build, EBOP contracts

Powercomm Group are hugely active in the renewable energy industry where they are currently carrying out design build contracts for wind farms, solar farms and battery storage plants on behalf of their clients. One of the biggest battery storage projects in Ireland is currently under construction in Aghada Co. Cork for ESB. This plant will have a capacity of 156 Megawatts to meet peak load requirements on Ireland’s transmission system. Powercomm Group is proud to have successfully completed a 19MW connection for the Aghada BESS project (BESS 1) in 2021.

Powercomm Group is a framework contractor for ESB Networks, working on their distribution and transmission system across Ireland. The company currently maintains, refurbishes and carries out new build works on behalf of ESB Networks for the future sustainability of the electrical network in Ireland. As part of their offering they supply design and commissioning services under these frameworks.

Their overall commitment to the welfare of their team, their safety culture and the precise understanding of their clients’ needs has resulted in Powercomm Group growing to a multi-million-euro company employing more than 65 people.

For more see www.powercomm.ie or contact 045-989 001.