Kircubbin-based E & C Fitzgerald has been operational as a family business for around 40 years; however the company was established as a partnership in 2000 before becoming a limited company in 2014.  Starting off with only Eamon and his brother Ciaran as employees, today, E & C Fitzgerald has six employees as well as 28 contracted labourers across its timber frame business and sister company, Duraframe, which manufactures UPVC windows and doors.  

Developing Cross Border Business and new customers

E & C Fitzgerald has several competitors in the agricultural and residential sectors, in particular, across the island but has flourished by building close relationships with its clients.  Carrying out the majority of its business in Northern Ireland, with only a low percentage of work undertaken across the border; managing director, Eamon Fitzgerald, wanted to look at how to take advantage of the company’s closest export market.

Eamon explains:  “We were carrying out around 70% of our business in Northern Ireland with a further 20% or so in GB, however, only 10% was carried out in the south, which we felt had the potential to increase. 

“As part of my participation in business support programmes, I was attending Corkmeet, a three-day international business networking forum, where I met Paddy Savage, who looks after InterTradeIreland’s trade programmes and his colleague Seamus Hennessey, an Acumen consultant.  They told me about InterTradeIreland’s Acumen programme, which would provide us financial support to employ a skilled individual for a project, supported throughout by the organisation. I could see the benefits from the outset and knew we could get a lot out of it. 

InterTradeIreland Support - Acumen  

“Thanks to Acumen we have increased our cross-border work significantly and this now accounts for around 25% of our business.  This is a growing market for us and we hope to win new contracts as we move forward and further relationships come to fruition.  During the project duration, we increased cross-border sales by 95%, which was beyond our expectations and something we couldn’t have achieved in the time frame, had it not been for Acumen.   

“I would thoroughly recommend Acumen to other local SMEs.  The difference that Acumen  made to our business has been, and continues to be, game-changing for us.   Across the business, a legacy of the Acumen project has been the creation of three new jobs and the retainment of other roles.  We are more focused on market and strategic planning as well as R&D, as we look to infiltrate niche markets and continue our growth.  

Trading Conditions (Brexit)

 In light of Brexit, Eamon believes that business will change into the future.  He adds:  “Today, we carry out around 50% of our work in our home market; 25% in GB, which is also a developing market for us and the remaining quarter of our business in Ireland.  However, we are already seeing that this has the potential to change as we step into the unknown. 

“With the value of sterling dipping so low, I have already had communications from suppliers in Finland and across Scandinavia, saying that wood and metal prices will be rising so our costs will be going up but we will have to remain competitive so there will be a deficit. 

“We are determined to keep exporting across the border and this is a vital source of income for our business.  We appreciate that the future is unknown at present but I have already been in contact with our customers and potential customers in Ireland to assure them that it is business as usual for us and to confirm that we can and will continue to meet all contracts in light of Brexit.

 “As the impact of the referendum result is still to be felt, we appreciate the advice and counsel of trade development bodies, such as InterTradeIreland.  The cross-border consequences are a grave concern for us and we would be disadvantaged severely if we went back to the VAT at point of entry days. 

“It could become the case that suppliers already in Ireland are more competitive due to VAT and customs’ changes but we may also become more attractive to the GB market as any Irish suppliers they are using will have the same duties imposed in reverse.   It is so open-ended at present but we will keep going as we are and wait to see what changes Brexit will bring and how we can adapt to them.”

 http://www.ec-fitzgerald.co.uk/