HOW ALTRAD IS HELPING SOLVE CONSTRUCTION’S BIGGEST CHALLENGES
Marking 40 years globally and four years in Ireland, Altrad Generation’s Graham Henderson looks forward to the next four years and how our industry builds smarter, safer, and faster.
This month marks four years since Altrad Generation acquired Actavo Hire & Sales. In that short time, Altrad Generation has grown into Ireland’s largest supplier of scaffolding, groundworks, formwork, falsework, hoarding and temporary fencing, offering both hire and sale solutions to a sector that needs new ways to do more with less.
And “less” is what Irish construction has been grappling with: less labour availability, less time to deliver, and less tolerance for risk; at the same time facing ever growing demand, especially in housing.
Over the past four years, Ireland’s construction market has moved from post-pandemic recovery to full-throttle demand, underpinned by population growth of nearly 2% annually and a persistent housing supply gap of over 20,000 homes versus government targets. In the same period, the sector has faced serious friction: skills shortages, material inflation, planning delays, and a growing imperative to build more sustainably.
Despite significant government support through the National Development Plan and Housing for All, delivery has fallen short. In 2024, for example, new housing completions declined due to an apartment sector slowdown, even as public investment reached record highs. Apartment completions fell 15% year-on-year. Labour costs surged due to shortages, and the market remained volatile.
Altrad’s growing presence in Ireland, has brought more than just equipment. It has introduced new systems thinking to site support. Its product portfolio, including innovative technologies like the Futuro scaffolding system and the DESSA UNI-Roof System, directly addresses the need to build safely with fewer people.
In today’s environment, that’s no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. More broadly, Altrad’s ability to provide integrated services, from design engineering to logistics and on-site technical support, helps contractors reduce risk, manage timelines, and control costs, particularly valuable in an industry facing tender competitiveness and tighter margins.
As Ireland prepares for a projected 10 to 14% rebound in housing output in 2025, the role of strategic partners for equipment needs becomes more important. Through better partnership and working together we will enable safer, leaner, smarter building practices.
In the end, what Altrad brings isn’t just product, it’s capability. And in a sector short on time, people, capital, that capability will continue to support Irish construction towards meeting the expectations and needs of the country.
Altrad – 40 years of innovation, four years of impact in Ireland.
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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine
Email: michael@irishconstruction.com WWW.MCDMEDIA.IE