Thor Duct ® and Breffni Air Limited go way back. Breffni Air, a successful and well-established specialist ventilation manufacturer and contractor, was Thor Duct’s first licensee in Ireland and the United Kingdom. After 16 years of providing quality ductwork, Breffni Air saw the potential for Thor Duct’s EN standard ductwork to help them become more competitive, expand the types of projects they did and grow their business.

Marketing Manager Brenda O’Leary joined Breffni Air several months after they started with Thor Duct ® in 2015. She has seen the impact first hand that being able to provide superior fire-rated ducting has had on Breffni Air’s growth.

"We wanted to be more competitive in Europe by having fire-rated ducting in our products,” O’Leary explained. “Thor Duct ® gave us a better offering of jobs we could look at. It separated us from the smaller players in the market.”

Being the first licensed manufacturer was a unique experience. Breffni Air paved the way for other companies to fuel their own growth by adding Thor Duct ® to their product offerings. Specialist ventilation is a very niche market, and being able to offer top of the range, fire-rated ductwork makes a company stand out, and can have a dramatic effect on the bottom line!

Mersey Vent is currently working on a fantastic project – a new cancer treatment centre at Clatterbridge Hospital in Liverpool, England. Landing this project was a victory for Mersey Vent. The original Clatterbridge Hospital opened in 1958 as a purpose-built radiotherapy treatment centre. It is being redeveloped into a state-of-the-art, 11 storey, comprehensive cancer centre for the 21st century. Mercy Vent’s role in this multi-million public sector project is almost finished, and the cancer centre is due to open in 2020. Given the vital importance of providing the very best for patients whose immune systems are weakened by their battle with cancer, ventilation must be the absolute best available. And of course, it must offer the ultimate protection against fire and smoke. Being able to offer Lindab Thor Duct ® gave Mersey Vent the edge in winning the contract for this critical work

"Lindab Thor Duct ® opens doors for us to unique projects,” Baker said. “We would never have picked up that job (Clatterbridge Cancer Centre) without Lindab Thor Duct ®.”

The Breffni Air Story

Based in Kilnaleck, County Cavan, Breffni Air Limited began business in February 1999. Founder and Managing Director

Patrick Sheanon saw a need for high quality ventilation systems that were also cost effective. Over the years, the company has expanded to offer DW144 galvanised and stainless steel ducting, data centre electrical containment services, contract cutting and modular process skids. Their clients are primarily pharmaceutical companies and data centres, although they work in other industries as well, such as food processing.

With a strong focus on safety, Breffni Air built a solid reputation on a series of successful projects throughout Ireland and the UK and grew to be one of the largest specialist contractors for ducting in the region. Becoming a Thor Duct ® Licensee was the next step.

Thor Duct ® was still a new product at that time, and Breffni Air had a learning curve ahead. This is one of the most extensively tested ductwork products available, and testing was still underway when Breffni Air became a licensee. Over time, as further testing was completed, the resources documenting why EN fire standards in general and Thor Duct ® specifically grew, and licensees now enjoy a wealth of technical training and support from Thor Duct ®. Licensees now have comprehensive resources to help them explain why Thor Duct ® is a superior choice.

The construction and ventilation industries needed education to understand the importance of the newer EN standards. Good, fire-rated ventilation ductwork is a fundamental part of building safety. In the event of a fire, ventilation ducting plays a critical role in safeguarding people in the building by extracting smoke. Thor Duct ® exceeded the British standards required for fire safety in ductwork, but not everyone saw the benefits at first. People needed to learn how and why the EN standards superseded the old BS standards.

Specifically, the European (EN) standard involves more tests and requires that ductwork must retain 90% of its integrity instead of the previous BS standard of 75%. It offers a significant improvement in smoke extraction. In an indoor fire, smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death, so this upgrade quite literally can save lives.

Breffni Air’s Early Days with Thor Duct ®

Initially, clients were a little hesitant to pay more for the extra safety provided by Thor Duct ® . Breffni Air’s sales team had to work hard to make the advantages clear and to convince clients that the increased safety was worth the small increment in price. As more testing was done by Thor Duct ® on the products and new documentation and standards were reached, the value of the EN standard and the exceptional quality of Thor Duct ® became increasingly clear. But Thor Duct ® licensees still need to be prepared to teach their potential clients about it. Having more documentation available now makes this process easier than it was for Breffni Air at first. Thor Duct ® has built a considerable secure online licensee area and this is updated frequently with documentation, and sales materials to help the process. Licensed manufacturers need to be aware though that it still involves some effort.

“Be under no illusion,” O’Leary said. “There will be work involved to educate and encourage clients to make the investment in a life-saving mechanism. It is a long-term investment.”

While the first two years were challenging, O’Leary says the effort had paid off. Breffni Air has secured important projects in Ireland, the UK and Sweden using Thor Duct ® products, and the company anticipates continued growth and success offering this EN fire rated ductwork.

Advice From Breffni Air

Becoming a Thor Duct ® licensed manufacturer is an effective way to expand your business and win new business in new markets. But success is down to good preparation. Like most things in life, what you get out of it depends on what you put in! Rushing in without good preparation will not create an immediate jump in sales. But if you take the time to learn about the product and relevant building regulations, by accessing the online licensee area, you’ll be far more competitive when tendering for projects, and ultimately more successful.

“We are delighted we can offer Thor Duct,” she said. “It is such as specialist license in a niche market that you really need to know the market and know the product. We would advise and encourage prospective licensees to understand the legislation in the country where they operate and to know the application of the suite of Thor Duct® products before you get the license.”

Knowledge of the local legislation and standards is crucial. And of course, these vary by place, so a company that operates in more than one country needs to understand the details of safety requirements everywhere they operate. It helps too to understand the local building standards overall, particularly around fire safety. This will empower your salespeople to explain the benefits of Thor Duct ® to their projects in detail that makes the appeal of EN fire rated ductwork clear to potential clients.

“Be prepared to engage with the client and the designer about the importance of fire-rated ducting,” O’Leary advised.

People are naturally resistant to selecting the more expensive option, so salespeople need to be able to explain why an EN fire safety rating is so critical. Time is needed for salespeople to first educate themselves about why Thor Duct® is a superior product and then to share that knowledge with potential clients. But once the technical specifications are explained, the value of this life-saving option is clear.

As of Q4 2019, the Mersey Vent team is hard at work at the Liverpool Football training complex. We’re not sure if they are getting any football tips from the team while there, but what a great opportunity for a behind the scenes peek! All kinds of doors do open for Lindab Thor Duct ® Licensed Manufacturers.

If your HVAC company is ready to grow and eager to see more doors open with higher value contracts, then it is time to become a Lindab Thor Duct ® Licensed Manufacturers and offer the best possible compliance approved fire duct work.

Contact Lindab Thor Duct ® to learn how your firm can grow by offering the ultimate in fire safe duct work.