Manufacturing our way out of a Pandemic

Manufacturing a way through a Pandemic

Boru Stoves, a small company surviving COVID-19

It’s hard to believe that it is the middle of June heading for the Summer Solstice. What a year it’s been. Most of us have only read about pandemics in history books and the odd Hollywood Blockbuster. There is no doubt that it has been a blight on society and our lives. The one thing it has done is given us perspective on what is important and the impact people have on other people.

I always remember my mam talking about never having to lock the door of her house as she was growing up and how neighbours wandered in through the front door. Everyone looked out for everyone and everybody cared. Madness I thought, she’s looking through her rose tinted glasses. That was until this year. I’ve seen humanity and compassion from strangers and friends alike. Do you know what? I like this New Ireland but as my mam said “this isn’t new its old Ireland reborn”.

Where am I going with this? I hear you ask. Quite simply I’m just passing on my experience since this all started in February. For me I found it tough trying to order items from a certain website that has the same name as a very big river in South America. Every second product had the following on that site “We currently do not have any vendors shipping to your area”

I noticed a massive over reliance on imported goods of all descriptions from PPE to a garden hose. This was when the penny dropped for me, the minute they had enough orders they simply forgot about us here in Ireland. In a previous life I was part of those sales strategy meetings where it was discussed that Birmingham has a similar population than the whole of Ireland and then with the stroke of a pen any expansion plans were forgotten about.

For me I made a pledge in 2008 that I would manufacture all our products in Tipperary, I have kept my pledge.

Now I am going to make another pledge on behalf of Boru Stoves, we are going to create a strategy that will ensure the viability of manufacturing in Ireland for decades to come. As I write this we are ramping up production to levels that we have never achieved before. As Kevin Costner said “Build it and they will come” On top of this we are not going to the stratosphere alone, we are bringing other willing Irish SME’s with us. By Christmas 2020 we will have doubled our work force and quadrupled our production, why? Because we believe in this Island.

No longer will people just see Ireland as a small country with green fields, multi-nationals on tax breaks and funny sayings that nobody ever uses like “begor, begosh, to be sure, to be sure. We will be known as the best of the best on manufacturing. We built the world in the 50’s and 60’s now I think it’s time for a re-design.

Thank you for purchasing Irish made products and if you’re an SME that needs a leg up or you share in our vision let us know. Let’s change things, starting now.

Boru Stoves Limited manufactures over 30 different variations of wood burning stoves. When other manufacturers closed production in Ireland and moved to the Far East Boru Stoves started production in Tipperary. Before COVID we employed 20 full time employees, we now have 25 with a target of 40 by Christmas.

By Dermot Fitzgerald

Managing Director & Founder of Boru Stoves Limited

087 2310142