Over the past three decades RTU has developed into a leading player within the Northern Irish concrete market thanks to its emphasis on developing its service and the quality of its product range.
The company was established on a potato farm in Ballyclare by the McIlroy family in 1990. It has since developed to the extent it can now provide a wide range of products from its base in Newtownabbey supported by 60 members of staff, which are supplemented by a number of trusted sub-contractors.
RTU started out supplying mini-mix concrete before becoming the first company to introduce tubbed building mortar into Northern Ireland. From there it established itself within the construction market supplying various building products.
Its ability to be the first to market has underlined RTU’s forward-thinking approach and flair for innovation, which has helped its ability to grow. Over the years it has added the likes of Exposa decorative concrete, zircon polished concrete, ultrabead and calcium sulphate-based screed (Ultraflo) into the country.
“We are always looking at ways to improve our offering and add to our service through innovation,” explains Thomas McIlroy, Sales & Marketing. “We have other product developments in the pipeline at the moment but can’t really discuss those just yet.”
Another feather in the RTU’s cap is the fact that it has three plants operating out of its single Newtownabbey site, which gives it a major advantage when it comes to large-scale pours. “The beauty of our set-up is we’re able to use the same recipe and aggregates whilst also using the same computerized batching system,” adds Thomas. “As all the different elements come from the same place initially, this means the quality remains high and everything is easily identified. In contrast, companies with multiple sites have to pull product from different geographical areas, which brings its own issues, particularly as there’s a risk that the quality and the consistency could be skewered. This isn’t an issue that we have.”
Despite RTU’s strong commercial performance and impressive growth over the years, the company has never lost sight of the family values instilled into the business from the very beginning. This is reflected in its firm commitment to its people, both in terms of ensuring their safety and also helping them to achieve their career potential. “Health and safety is an area we focus strongly on,” says Thomas. “We feel a massive responsibility to look after all our staff because we are very much a family-orientated company.
“We’re also a major advocate of developing our people and helping them to build their career with us rather than just being a stepping stone along the journey. We want good people, so have no issue with developing and training them to reach their potential in order that they stay with us in the long term. We want people to be able to progress with us.”
Again mirroring its forward-thinking approach, from a sustainable point of view RTU has adopted a rain harvesting system that helps provide over 50 per cent of its water requirements and has installed solar panels too. It also recycles materials that would otherwise go to landfill, while its fleet of lorries are Euro6, the most fuel efficient in the marketplace.
Thanks to the breadth of its product range, RTU’s customer base is equally varied and consists of B2B to B2C operators and builders of all shapes and sizes. It even includes end users looking to construct something as simple as a dog pen at home. At the top end of the scale, meanwhile, the company has been supplying major flagship buildings, such as film studios in Belfast and a new warehouse at the docks. It has just finished some student accommodation and has supplied Exposa product to the Titanic Museum, Hillsborough Castle and Portrush Golf Club in preparation for the Open.
“Having such a wide and varied customer base gives us plenty of scope to go at, particularly as we’re renowned for our emphasis on service and quality,” outlines Thomas. “This means customers are keen to build lasting partnerships with us. Subsequently we have become very well known in Northern Ireland, having developed a high degree of traction within the marketplace.
“Anybody can plan for a major project but if the customer ends up requiring slightly more volume than originally needed, then we can react to that, as we have the fleet, the manpower and the plant to do so. This is a major advantage in comparison to many of our competitors. We have the flexibility to adapt to last-minute changes.”
With all it can offer, it is clear that RTU’s approach provides a highly competitive offering within the marketplace. That said, it is not immune to the challenges that come its way, although it continues to maintain a positive attitude, as Thomas points out: “There are challenges, but these are day-to-day commonplace issues that we don’t allow to derail us. There is some uncertainty within the industry, particularly as the lack of government in Northern Ireland has made the situation trickier, but commercially we’re strong and I’m confident that there’s further room for growth.”
Regardless of the hurdles it is facing, it is apparent that RTU has developed into a robust operator that looks well positioned to maintain its forward momentum.
“We just want to keep doing what we’re doing,” concludes Thomas. “We have a new managing director, Alan Sproule, and we’re keen to retain what’s made us so special. We’ve grown strongly as a business and are rightly proud of how far we’ve come, so don’t want to jeopardize that. That said, we also don’t want to stagnate either and we have plans to keep improving by expanding our sphere of influence and by adding to our product range. We want to be bigger and better and this will driven by the entire team.
“We started from very humble beginnings before having an idea that we’ve been fortunate enough to have the people to make happen. We all know where we came from and we’re firm believers in everyone putting their shoulder to the wheel. There will be challenges ahead regarding the likes of carbon and the market generally, but thanks to our cutting edge innovation we will continue to make strong progress within the marketplace.”
It is this ‘can do’ attitude coupled with its forward-thinking approach that has served RTU so well down the years and is sure to continue doing so in the months and years ahead.