How Re-Gen is closing the recycling loop

Re-Gen has become an industry leader in developing the market for aluminium, glass, paper, cardboard, plastics, and steel, Joseph Doherty, managing director of the Co Down company, said.

Winning in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies awards is significant for the company and its staff, he said. “It means we are performing against other companies to an international standard in terms of performance, growth, innovation, and leadership.

“Our staff are very important and completing the Best Managed Companies application process consolidates our development and learning culture. Underpinning our HR strategy is an investment in training, and this is evident in a constant stream of finance employees going through chartered accountants’ qualifications and our Re-Gen Academy where we have appointed seven apprentices across the Group this year.

“We’re delighted to join the Best Managed Companies Network,” Doherty said. “We are looking forward to sharing knowledge with companies across Northern Ireland and the Republic who have achieved the Best Managed Companies accolade. Learning from other leaders outside our industry means we will have access to experts’ opinions, approaches and experiences.”

Investing £9 million in the plant over the last five years, Re-Gen has ambitious plans for recycling, waste management, and R&D projects. “Over the past year, we invested in ten TOMRA Insight optical sorts which have increased productivity of materials processing,” Doherty said.

“We have introduced integrated ERP, weighbridge and transport systems which have streamlined our collection, processing and ‘sales in’ functions, ensuring our teams in customer service and finance know deliveries have been made,” Doherty said. A ‘sales out’ function sees materials sold to processors across Europe.

Material analysis has become more efficient through investment in a state-of-the-art IT system, including digitising transport and logistics. IT and Finance teams developed an automated digital solution for the bureaucracy around the NI Protocol, minimising potentially costly and operationally challenging processes to a workable, cost-effective solution, Doherty said.

Doherty said that the company has made a number of key appointments in recent months, including a strategic finance and commercial business partner, customer relationship manager, R&D assistant/chemical engineer, business development executive for the waste-to-energy market, marketing manager, and trainee business development executive for product sales.

“We have used a scenario planning methodology for our senior management team and middle managers. Our focus over the coming months is threefold: to embed our strategic plan, develop our staff, and grow our business.

“As managing director, I lead Re-Gen’s stakeholder engagement and over the coming months I will be writing business articles, attending political conferences and speaking at recycling forums,” Doherty said.

“We want to focus on the issues that differentiate Re-Gen from our competitors, namely operational excellence, whereby we process more tonnes per hour than anyone else, world-class engineering and plant management, and having customer contract management that beats the competition.”

Seven apprentices have recently started with the Re-Gen Academy. “We will be developing induction programmes, providing mentoring, and introducing them to colleagues across the company.” These will cover Higher Level Apprenticeships in Accountancy, Mechatronics, Technical Design and Manufacture, Digital Marketing, and Level 2 Apprenticeships in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Welding/Fabricating.

“We want our employees to build long-term careers with us and the Academy is the start of that process,” Doherty said.

Re-Gen was founded in 2004 by brothers Joseph, Aidan, and Colin Doherty, designing a purpose-built MRF facility at Carnbane Industrial Estate, Newry. It employs more than 300 people, manages more than 100 trucks and purpose-built trailers, and has a core base of contracted and non-contracted customers across the Republic and Britain. Their sister Celine Grant is the commercial director; older brother John joined the company in 2007 as director of organisation and business development.

“Recycling resources are important, and we are committed to developing the circular economy of paper, card, plastic and glass,” Doherty said. “We will continue to work with manufacturers and outlets in NI, RoI, and Great Britain. Our focus is on innovation and developing manufacturing facilities that close the recycling loop, create jobs at home and ultimately boost the Northern Ireland economy.”