What Industrial Steel Buildings Does Sullivan Steel Build?

Sullivan Steel designs, fabricates and constructs industrial steel buildings across Ireland — warehouses, workshops, manufacturing facilities, distribution units and bespoke industrial structures. We work from initial site assessment through to structural completion, including in-house steel fabrication, structural erection, insulated panel cladding and full finishing. Industrial buildings typically take 6–9 months from quote to completion when factoring in planning permission, structural certification, and commercial regulations. We work to commercial building regulations as standard, with fully certified teams and structural engineering coordination on every project.

Why Choose Sullivan Steel for Industrial Building Projects

Industrial projects are different from agricultural work. The regulatory framework is stricter, the operational requirements are more specific, and the consequences of getting the spec wrong are bigger. Here's what makes Sullivan Steel different for industrial builds:

Built to commercial regulations. Every industrial building we deliver complies with Part L of the Building Regulations, fire safety requirements, BCAR commencement and completion notices, and structural certification standards. We don't cut corners on compliance — it costs you more to fix later than to do right first time.

Operational design, not template builds. A distribution warehouse isn't a workshop isn't a manufacturing facility. We spec each industrial build around what you're actually doing in the building — eaves height for racking, floor slab for machinery, door package for your loading pattern, cladding for your thermal requirements.

In-house fabrication for industrial-scale structural steel. Our Wexford workshop fabricates structural steel for industrial projects — heavy sections, clear-span frames, mezzanine floors, crane runways. Kit-based contractors are limited to standard configurations. We're not.

Full-service from quote to handover. Structural steel, erection, cladding, doors, flashings, finishing — one contractor responsible for the full build. No coordinating between separate fabricators, erectors, cladders, and door specialists.

Engineering coordination. Industrial projects need structural engineers, M&E consultants, BCAR assigned certifiers. We coordinate with these professionals as standard — your project shouldn't stall because trades aren't talking.

Local accountability with national reach. Our yard is in Ballingly, Wellingtonbridge. Real address, real team. We travel anywhere in Ireland for industrial projects of the right scale.

Industrial Steel Buildings We Build in Ireland

Sullivan Steel builds every type of industrial steel structure across Ireland:

Warehouses and storage facilities. Distribution centres, bulk storage, racking-optimised buildings with clear spans up to 30m+. Built around your storage system — pallet racking, drive-in racking, mezzanine storage.

Workshops and light industrial units. Mechanical workshops, fabrication shops, joinery and woodworking facilities, repair shops. Insulated panels as standard, eaves heights to suit the work.

Manufacturing facilities. Light and medium manufacturing buildings — production lines, assembly facilities, processing units. Built to support the equipment, machinery and workflow you're running.

Distribution units and logistics buildings. Cross-dock facilities, last-mile distribution, fleet operations. Loading bays, dock levellers, yard hardstanding included in the scope.

Cold storage and refrigerated warehouses. Specialist builds with 80–120mm insulated panels, refrigerated dock doors, vapour barriers, and floor slabs designed for cold operations.

Food production and processing facilities. Compliance-focused builds with hygienic finishes, proper drainage, wash-down resistance, and the regulatory documentation food production requires.

Pharma and clean-room buildings. High-specification industrial buildings with controlled environments, particulate filtration support, and the regulatory framework pharmaceutical clients need.

Heavy industrial structures. Crane runway buildings, foundry shells, processing facilities. Heavy structural steel, reinforced floor slabs, designed around plant and equipment.

Industrial extensions and refurbishments. Adding capacity to existing facilities, replacing failed cladding on aging industrial buildings, restructuring older units for new operations. See our re-roofing and re-cladding service for restoration projects.

Industrial Building Specifications That Matter

Industrial projects live and die by the spec. Get clear on these from quote stage and you'll end up with a building that actually fits your operation:

Eaves height. Drives whether your racking system fits, whether forklifts have clearance, whether mezzanines work, whether overhead cranes can run. Most industrial buyers regret going too low. Build for the operation in 5 years, not just today.

Clear span. Wider spans cost more but eliminate internal columns. Critical for warehouse efficiency, manufacturing flow, and machinery layout. Worth specifying carefully.

Floor slab specification. Standard slabs for light loading, reinforced for forklift and pallet racking, heavy-duty for industrial machinery. Get this wrong and you'll be re-pouring later — which is essentially impossible without rebuilding.

Cladding type and thickness. Insulated panels almost always for industrial buildings — driven by Part L Building Regulations. Panel thickness drives thermal performance: 40mm for standard, 80mm+ for heated workshops, 100mm+ for cold storage. See our insulated vs single-skin cladding guide for the full comparison.

Door package. Loading bays, dock levellers, high-speed roller doors for high-traffic operations, sectional doors for security and insulation. The cheapest building can be useless if the doors don't suit your operation.

Service connections. Power capacity, water, drainage, compressed air, gas, fibre — industrial buildings need substantially more services than agricultural builds. Plan capacity at design stage, not retrofit.

Fire safety and compliance. Sprinklers, alarms, fire-rated panels, escape routes, BCAR documentation. Non-negotiable on industrial builds.

Industrial Building Compliance in Ireland

Industrial buildings in Ireland face a stricter compliance framework than agricultural projects. Sullivan Steel handles the structural side; you'll typically need to coordinate with other professionals for the full compliance package:

Required for most industrial builds:

• Full planning permission — typically 8–12 weeks for straightforward applications, longer if there are submissions or appeals
• Fire Safety Certificate application before construction begins
• Disability Access Certificate for public-access elements of the building
• Commencement Notice and BCAR (Building Control Amendment Regulations) documentation throughout the build
• Structural engineer's certificate for the building's structural integrity
• Part L compliance for thermal performance — drives cladding specification
• Environmental Impact Assessment screening for larger developments
• Health and Safety construction site notification to the HSA

What Sullivan Steel handles:

We provide structural steel fabrication, erection and cladding documentation as standard. For the full compliance package (fire safety, BCAR, disability access), we coordinate with your assigned certifier and engineering consultants. We don't try to be everything to everyone — we do the steel and cladding properly and work alongside the specialist consultants who handle the rest.

Our Industrial Building Process

Every industrial project follows the same structured approach:

1. Site visit and consultation. We come to the site, understand your operation, look at constraints (access, services, neighbouring uses, planning context).

2. Engineering coordination. Industrial builds need engineers — your own, or we recommend ones we've worked with. We coordinate at design stage to avoid expensive surprises during the build.

3. Detailed written quote. Steel grade and sections, eaves height, clear span, cladding spec, door package, floor slab, exclusions. Every quote on industrial work is detailed because the alternative is mid-build disputes.

4. Planning permission and pre-construction documentation. We work alongside your planning consultant or assist with the application as needed. No work starts until permission is granted.

5. Fabrication. Heavy structural steel fabricated in our Wexford workshop, including any custom features and engineered details.

6. Site preparation. Groundworks, foundations, service connections, hardstanding — coordinated with groundworks contractor or handled in-scope.

7. Erection. Industrial structural erection typically takes 2–8 weeks depending on building size and complexity. Larger projects with heavy steel sections take longer.

8. Cladding and finishing. Insulated panels, doors, flashings, gutters — all finishing work to compliant standards.

9. Final inspection, certification and handover. Walkthrough, snag list, all structural and compliance documentation provided.

For full project timeline information, see our steel shed build time guide.

Industrial Buildings Across Ireland

For industrial steel buildings in Ireland, we work nationwide. The scale of industrial projects justifies the travel — we'll mobilise to Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, the midlands, or anywhere else in Ireland where the project fits.

Most of our recent industrial work has been across the South East, but we've delivered industrial projects across the country. If you're planning an industrial build anywhere in Ireland, ring us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does it take to build an industrial unit in Ireland? For an industrial unit with full planning permission, typically 6–9 months from quote to completion. The biggest variables are planning permission timelines (8–12 weeks for straightforward applications) and structural complexity. Larger or more specialist builds can extend to 12 months.

Q: Do I need planning permission for an industrial building? Yes, almost always. Industrial buildings don't qualify for the exempted development rules that apply to agricultural sheds. You'll need full planning permission, plus typically fire safety certification, disability access certification, and BCAR documentation. See our planning permission guide for context.

Q: What's the difference between insulated panels and single-skin cladding for industrial buildings? For industrial buildings in Ireland, insulated panels are almost always required to comply with Part L of the Building Regulations. Single-skin cladding doesn't meet the thermal performance requirements for commercial buildings. Panel thickness depends on use: 40mm for standard light industrial, 80mm+ for heated workshops, 100mm+ for cold storage. See our cladding comparison.

Q: Do you work on cold storage and refrigerated warehouses? Yes — including 80–120mm insulated panels, refrigerated dock doors, vapour barriers, and floor slabs designed for cold operations. Specialist projects but well within our scope.

Q: Can you build industrial extensions onto existing buildings? Yes. Extending existing industrial facilities is one of our common project types — including new structural connections to existing frames, matched cladding profiles, and integrated service connections.

Q: What size industrial buildings do you handle? From 300m² light industrial units up to 2,500m²+ logistics warehouses. Larger projects involve longer timelines and more engineering coordination but are within our capability.