Power Food Technology driving further growth with US venture
The company has found its equipment is being put to different uses by its American customers
Power Food Technology aims to expand its offerings across continental Europe over the next 12 months, while also diversifying its services in the US.
The company, based in Clane, Co Kildare, has developed an automated storage system for food. Originally designed with cheese in mind, Power Food develops large storage units which allow for the temperature control and movement of any type of food. The company was started by John Power in 2013 and currently has 32 staff.
“We produce a large piece of equipment that is about the size of an average house. It’s fully automated. The product goes in, there’s a lift that puts the product onto shelves. We do all the stuff involved in putting the stuff into it with conveyors and there’s a system to put it onto pallets for removal,” John Magill, director at Power Food Technology, told the Business Post.
“Initially we sold to cheese manufacturers for making hard cheeses. If you make cheddar or mozzarella, the more control over how you lower the temperature and maintain it, the more control you have over the quality of the cheese.”
In simple terms, if you’ve eaten cheddar or mozzarella in Ireland or the UK in recent years, it has almost certainly been stored in one of Power Food’s units. The business deals with enormous volumes of cheese.
In the US, however, where the company has also enjoyed growth, the same unit has proven to be of an entirely different use to customers.
Fact File
Founded by: John Power in 2013
Staff: 32
“With the same machine, you just drop the temperature and it works as a freezer. The food business in the States is different to Europe. In the States they freeze a lot more food, particularly meat, than in Europe,” Magill said.
“It’s a big investment for the client. A small machine costs €1.2 million but, if you want the bells and whistles, it’s usually around €2.5 million. It’s worth it because the temperature control removes a lot of the issues that come in a manual process.”
Magill joined the business in large part due to his prior 25-year experience of working with Enterprise Ireland. He felt there was a logical route for Power Tech to work with the agency to aid its growth.
“It’s mostly on the soft side more than investment. They have provided support on improving efficiency through their Lean programme. They have also helped us with adapting to changes caused by Brexit, such as managing Vat,” Magill said.
“They also provided us with a grant to help us research new markets as well and we’ve also been able to expand our design team with their help.”
The goal for the company now is to expand its presence in mainland Europe while also providing more services in the US.
“Most of our cheese plants are in Europe and our freezers are in the US right now. We’re still a small company. We’re looking at expanding into Spain and we’re also doing research in the US, particularly in Wisconsin, to develop our cheese plant product there,” Magill said.
This Making It Work article is produced in partnership with Enterprise Ireland
