A Mayo company’s patented system of manufacturing and installing ventilation ducts has been nominated for a prestigious all Ireland innovation award. PanelDuct, which is based in Ballinrobe, is just one of three companies nominated in the manufacturing category of The Irish Times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards.
The company has revolutionised the installation of ventilation ducts in major building projects, significantly cutting both the parts and installation costs involved. Traditional ductwork is manually fabricated in a workshop, shipped to the site, and installed in bulk form. It must then be wrapped with insulation and externally cladded for protection. That is three separate fixes.
PanelDuct is pre-insulated in an automated process and is supplied in modular flat panel format to minimise transport costs. The panels click together onsite, accomplishing all steps in a single operation. Air tightness is assured thanks to integral compression seals. The company has already completed several large projects in Ireland and its patented systems are due for launch on international markets in March.
Eighteen companies in total from across the island in six different industry categories were nominated. The aim of the awards, which are now in their sixth year, is to showcase and reward excellence in innovation across a range of products and services.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday April 17 in Belfast. Each category winner will secure a €10,000 media package with The Irish Times and an iPad. PanelDuct is up against AmaTech Group from Spiddal in Galway and Belfast based Andor Technology. The overall winner of ‘Innovation of the Year’ will win a communications and advertising package from The Irish Times, worth in excess of €150,000. In addition, he/she will also win a UCD Smurfit Business School scholarship for an executive education programme commencing in 2016 and a state of the art laptop.
