PASSING THE TORCH AT PIPELIFE

After two decades of dedication, leadership, and success, Gerard Healy is stepping into a well-earned retirement, leaving behind a remarkable legacy at Pipelife

Since joining as Sales Director in 2004 and later becoming Managing Director in 2011, Gerard has been at the heart of Pipelife Ireland’s growth, guiding the company through transformation, innovation, and industry challenges.

Reflecting on his journey, Gerard shares his deep gratitude for the incredible colleagues, friendships, and achievements that have defined his time at Pipelife. His leadership has not only shaped the business but also created a culture of collaboration and excellence that will
endure long after his departure.

While he may be stepping away, his connection to Pipelife remains strong, and he will be cheering on its continued success from afar. As Gerard bids us farewell, Conor Manning is stepping forward to take on the role of Managing Director. Having been with Pipelife for over 20 years, Conor brings a wealth of experience, a deep understanding of the business, and an unwavering commitment to customer focus and operational excellence. His journey has taken him through various operational roles, culminating in his most recent position as Operations Director, where he played a pivotal role in shaping Pipelife’s strategic direction. Conor is eager to build on Gerard’s legacy, driving innovation, strengthening customer relationships, and ensuring that Pipelife remains a leader in the industry.
His vision for the future is clear—to continue evolving, adapting, and growing while maintaining the high standards and strong values that have always defined Pipelife.
Conor will receive comprehensive support in his role through the collaboration and assistance of other members of the senior leadership team. This team includes John Murray, who is leading the Finance department, Padjoe Barry, who heads up Sales and Shane Nevin, who is leading Operations. Their collective efforts will help to enhance decision-making, streamline operations, and ultimately contribute to the success of the company. While change can bring uncertainty, one thing is certain the future of Pipelife is in capable hands. We’d like to extend our deepest thanks to Gerard for his years of dedication and leadership and wish him all the best in this exciting new chapter. At the same time, we look forward to the journey ahead with Conor at the helm, guiding Pipelife
toward a bright and sustainable future.

What is your career background and how long have you been with Pipelife?
I have been with Pipelife for over 20 years, which has allowed me to witness and contribute to the company’s evolution and growth within the industry. My journey began in various operational roles, where I developed a deep understanding of our products, processes, and, most importantly, our customers’ needs. For the past 10 years, I have held the position of Operations Director. In this capacity, I have been an integral part of the senior leadership team, helping to shape the strategic direction of the business. My commitment to fostering a strong customer-focused culture has been paramount; I believe that understanding and anticipating our customers’ needs is essential to our success. This focus ensures that our services and products consistently meet, and often exceed, customer expectations. As I transition into my new role as Managing Director, I remain dedicated to driving our success further into the future. I am committed to continuing our emphasis on customer focus and operational excellence, while exploring innovative strategies to ensure that Pipelife remains a leader in our field. My extensive experience and passion for this industry will guide me as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead, ultimately contributing to sustained business growth.

What are you aiming to bring to your new role?
In my new role as Managing Director of Pipelife Ireland Solutions Limited, my focus is on driving operational excellence, innovation, and sustainable growth. With over 25 years of experience in manufacturing and strategic leadership, I aim to bring:
• Enhanced Efficiency & Productivity – Streamlining operations, optimizing processes, and ensuring we maintain record-high levels of output, quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Business Growth & Expansion – Identifying new opportunities, strengthening partnerships, and positioning Pipelife for long-term success.
• Sustainability & Innovation – Leading initiatives that align with modern energy efficiency and environmental goals, ensuring we stay ahead in renewable heating and piping solutions.
• Strong Leadership & People Development – Investing in our team, fostering collaboration, and ensuring a positive and motivated workplace culture.
• Customer-Centric Approach – Strengthening relationships with clients and stakeholders to deliver solutions that truly meet their needs.
My goal is to build on Pipelife’s proud 55-year legacy while driving continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring we remain Ireland’s leading plastic piping and heating solutions provider.

How do you see the future for Pipelife?
The future for Pipelife Ireland is filled with exciting opportunities, innovation, and sustainable growth. As we build on our 55-year legacy, we are committed to staying ahead in the industry while supporting Irish jobs and delivering market-leading solutions.
• Innovation & Product Development – We will continue investing in new technologies like advanced renewable heating solutions, smart controls, and next-generation piping systems to meet evolving customer needs.
• Sustainability & Environmental Responsibility – Reducing our carbon footprint remains a priority. From eco-friendly manufacturing to eliminating single-use plastics, we are focused on leading the way in sustainable solutions.
• Operational Excellence & Efficiency – By optimizing processes and leveraging cutting-edge automation, we will drive even greater efficiency, quality, and service.
• Expanding Training & Support – With our Renewables Academy, we are empowering installers, merchants, and industry professionals with the best training on heat pumps, underfloor heating, and smart energy systems.
• Strong Customer & Industry Partnerships – Pipelife will continue to work closely with installers, merchants, engineers, and contractors, ensuring we provide trusted, high-quality solutions that support homes and businesses across Ireland.

Our primary goal is to be a provider of industry-leading products and services to the building sector. We recognises that modern systems require fully designed specifications that our customers can have confidence in. As such, we are investing heavily in in-house design services, particularly, but by no means exclusively in the heating sector. We will provide custom-designed systems to the building, with full-design indemnity insurance and full-life after-sales support services. Our motto has been “Our Reputation, your peace of mind”, and this goal remains the cornerstone of everything we do.

Many customers are actively seeking a smaller number of larger ‘one-stop’ shop suppliers that have the scale, financial strength and credibility to be a long term supply partner. This is ever more important in the building sector in general where the end products need to be supported over a life span measured in decades.

Developers, builders, and homeowners are faced with ever-increasing upfront costs for new builds and with regulatory changes and the move to low temperature, low-emission heating systems impacting building design and heating systems. In these situations, scale brings efficiency, so the greatly enhanced scale of the new Pipelife Ireland will allow us to invest and provide competitively priced class leading design services and products.

The significant investment in new equipment, personnel, and services is without parallel in our sector in the country and will position our Irish operations as a world-class manufacturing facility for many years to come. The investment also shows Pipelife’s long-term commitment to the Irish market and the scale, modernity, and product portfolio will make Pipelife very attractive as a supply chain partner for the major merchant groups, builders, and installers in the country.

The main challenges I see is the same being faced with so many other businesses throughout Ireland and further afield. A very tight labour market is greatly hindering the ability to fill the positions created by the expansion of the business. The additional pressures arising from increasing raw material, energy and transport costs are being felt across the board, and within the plastic pipes market the shortage of raw material.

As an industry that has drawn some negative opinion in relation to the historic environmental impacts of manufacturing and building, Pipelife has a very strong commitment to achieving world class results in its ESG targets. On a group wide level Pipelife is leading the way within the industry to improving safety, reducing its carbon footprint, and designing its products to maximise their potential in a truly circular economy.

Looking Ahead – The next 50 years will be just as ambitious as the last. With our talented team, strong values, and commitment to excellence, Pipelife Ireland is set to lead the way in sustainable and innovative piping and heating solutions.

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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine

Email: michael@irishconstruction.com      WWW.MCDMEDIA.IE