Mullingar Business Nominated for National Final
Congratulations to Soltec Ltd have been chosen to represent the Midland Region at the National Enterprise Awards in Dublin Castle on November 24th.
INNOVATION, BUSINESS ACUMEN AND HARD WORK LEAD MULLINGAR BUSINESS TO WIN ANNUAL BUSINESS AWARD
Mullingar based business Soltec Ireland Ltd has been chosen as the winner of the annual Westmeath County Enterprise Board Awards and will now represent the county at the County & City Enterprise Board Awards. Established in 1994, Soltec Ireland Ltd is one of the countrys leading providers of hazardous waste management.
The company, founded by Michael Corcoran provide hazardous waste collection throughout Ireland in the form of used solvents, paints and acids. At its state of art production facility located in Mullingar, these substances can be recycled through distillation processes and sold back to their original user or made into other products including paint thinner and cleaning agents such as degreasers.
The company has grown from humble beginnings to now being a leader in its field and provides a vital service to high profile customers such as Swords laboratory, Élan, Lufthansa, Team Aer Lingus and Shell.
Soltec owner, Michael Corcoran worked in a variety of different business when he left school. During a deep recession in the 1980’s, he was made redundant and was unable to find employment, but he saw this as an ideal opportunity to start his own business.
Michael developed a motor parts business working from his van which he grew to a level where he could afford to rent a small premises and employ one member of staff in Mullingar. From there he built an industrial building in Mullingar Business Park, employed three extra staff members and continued to grow the business to a high level which also included expanding and opening a unit in Longford town.
It was through his involvement in the motor trade that he could see the use and disposal of solvents was becoming a hot topic for the future and with nobody else offering a disposal service in Ireland he opened a new solvent recycling business in 1994 called Soltec (Ireland) Ltd. This business was set up in a small industrial unit located in the grounds of the motor factor business. It employed one person who collected waste solvents from the Westmeath area and processed them in a small machine known as a distillation unit which recycles waste solvent to a reusable product.
This new service and production capability soon became extremely popular in Westmeath and throughout Ireland. The production, collection and distribution soon out grew the unit. As the business grew and new markets developed Michael sold his motor factor business to concentrate solely on Soltec Ltd. In 2006, significant investment in the business allowed for an increased capacity and the development of export markets in Europe and Africa.
In addition to the recycling of hazardous waste, Michael has developed innovative new products from the waste by product. A number of these products have received patents and now product development is a key part of the overall business.
As this is a highly regulated industry Soltec have an EPA Waste License and have obtained waste collection permits for Ireland. The production process is also regulated to ISO9001:2008 Quality Standard, ISO14001 Environmental Standard and also through its EPA License.
Soltec offer complete traceability to its customers regarding the treatment and location of their waste streams under the Waste Management Act 1996 & EPA Act 1992.
Speaking about the winning business, Christine Charlton, CEO of Westmeath Enterprise Board spoke highly of Michael Corcoran. “Soltec Ireland Ltd were chosen as the winner of our award due to their continuous innovation and investment in their business which has led them to become market leaders. Michael, through careful market research and responsiveness to his client group has secured key market opportunities. This together with hard work, professionalism and an in-depth knowledge of his sector has led him to this successful position. We wish him all the best in the National Enterprise Awards and are delighted that he is representing Westmeath”.