2023: A Year in Review for the KORE Group

by Lisa Downey | Dec 21, 2023
2023 reflecting on a year at KORE

2023 was a year of huge success for the KORE Group, with significant growth on both sides, new opportunities within the industry both nationally and on a European level, with a staunch commitment throughout to sustainability and the environment.  

In our final blog of 2023, we reflect on our achievements and highlights for both KORE Insulation and KORE Retrofit.  

KORE’s Insulated Foundation System growing nationally

2023 saw one of the biggest years for our Insulated Foundation System, with 30% growth in sales, 20% growth in new contractors and developers using it for the first time, as well as 25% growth in engineers specifying the system.  

Our award-winning foundation system has been proven to reduce time, cost and waste on site, allowing contractors to build 25% more units annually, while saving approximately €40,000 per month on operational costs according to our most recent site study.  

Utilised on small- and large-scale sites in almost every county, with new developers nationwide including Comer Homes Group, Anchor Homes, Clancy Homes, and Durkan New Homes, with a strong year planned for 2024 with more double-digit growth.  

We are extremely proud to have a solution that offers so many benefits and is an integral part of new modern methods of construction.   

2023 year in review

KORE Low Carbon utilised on large scale development in Northern Ireland  

In 2022, KORE introduced a low carbon alternative for our EPS insulation solutions, using Neopor® BMB by BASF. Manufactured using raw material produced from organic, renewable feedstock, and certified under REDcert2, KORE’s Low Carbon EPS floor insulation was chosen by the Braidwater Group for their 127-unit development in Ballyclare, Co. Antrim.  

Braidwater chose KORE’s Low Carbon EPS Floor Insulation as it comes with a significantly lower product carbon footprint when compared to competing insulation materials Choosing products with a lower carbon footprint in our building materials enables us to meet green building certification requirements and cut our greenhouse gas emissions” says Rory Devlin, buyer for the Braidwater Group. 

KORE are thrilled to see the expansive use of our new low carbon alternative EPS, and are excited to see the completion of the homes in 2024, heralding a new era of low carbon construction in Ireland. 

Progression in Production

Another record year for production with a continuous increase in output year on year, as well as valuable achievements & highlights including: 

  • 20% reduction in kWhr for every m3 produced 
  • New transport vehicles including a rigid and articulated truck, with three more coming in 2024 
  • Cross training on all machinery, with six employees up-skilling to become forklift drivers 
  • Increase in recycling due to new KBM machinery 
  • New standard profiles launched for the Insulated Foundation System for engineers, as well as a new Engineer’s Design Guide 
  • New wrapping machine installed for quality wrapping of the foundation system 
  • New foundation labelling, each piece has its own unique label that adheres to the foundation plan for that system, making it even easier to install  
  • New compactor installed for excess material, ready for recycling 
  • New innovative processes implemented including the 3P’s – People, Programmes and Plans 
  • Over 30 new employees in the KORE Group 
  • Successful completion of audits for both KORE Insulation (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 50001) and KORE Retrofit (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001) 
  • KORE Insulation became founding members of the Modern Methods of Construction Association of Ireland  
  • Our fleet of electric vehicles grew, with more EV chargers installed at our production facility and office 

KORE joins Project Reno 

KORE are proud to partner with our European counterparts in the Interreg Circular Reno project. Over the next three years, alongside Tuath Housing in Ireland, we join with Energie Sprong Global Alliance, Vilogia of France, LEG of Germany, Building Balance of the Netherlands, and many more, to develop four scalable biobased, deep energy retrofit packages for both social and individual housing on 4 sites (in total 88 homes), using a range of biobased solutions, experimenting with the different biobased materials (straw, wood, etc.) that grow in various countries. 

With the project having started in June 2023, our team have travelled to France, the Netherlands, and Scotland thus far to learn about the best innovations and technologies on the market. A stakeholder advisory group has been established, with a stakeholder network in development for 2024, looking to further engage groups within the supply chain. Further research and consultation will take place next year, with the design and development of pilot-mock up bio-based modular systems. Learn more about Circular Reno below. 

A bountiful year of Events & Trade shows

KORE Insulation and KORE Retrofit had a record year for events, amassing over 30 events between both, from self-hosted events to trade shows, community events, sponsored industry events and more.  

Starting off our calendar events as always is the SEAI Energy Show in the RDS, Dublin in March, which again proved to be a tremendous success for all involved. Throughout spring and summer, KORE Insulation exhibited at various energy mornings in builder merchants, such as Chadwicks, Brooks & T.J O’Mahony’s. KORE Retrofit exhibited and spoke at many community energy events in Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Westmeath and Sligo. KORE’s commercial director Caroline Ashe Brady spoke at the Hardware Association of Ireland’s Empty Homes Roadshow, three events nationwide, discussing innovations and strategies to bring derelict homes back to life in Ireland.  

This summer, KORE Insulation had the pleasure of hosting three race nights across the country for our customers in Leopardstown, Mallow and Dundalk. Hugely successful events to bring our customers together and have some fun. KORE Retrofit also held two events for contractors in September, teaching them about our new innovative project software, and showing our appreciation with dinner and drinks in Athlone.  

As the end of year approached, we were busy with KORE Insulation sponsoring the CIF Annual Conference in Dublin, and Southern Conference in Cork in September, as well as the National Property Summit in November in Dublin. This year our brand elevated at industry events, and we were proud to sponsor, and exhibit at Ireland’s largest professional gatherings.  KORE 2023 events

KORE win at National Construction Awards

KORE Insulation were proud to be winners at the Irish Construction Excellence Awards 2023 in May, winning the Construction Product Innovation – Building Fabric category for our Insulated Foundation System. It was an incredible achievement to be recognised amongst our peers for our innovative, sustainable product that is an integral part of modern methods of construction. As Ireland’s first NSAI certified insulated foundation system, our system has endless benefits for contractors, homeowners and the environment, including off-site and on-site benefits, as stated by our customer Carroll O’Keefe, used on their large-scale development in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.   

KORE Retrofit were proud finalists at the Cavan Business & Tourism Awards 2023, in the Innovation & Resilience category. As a growing company, our commitment to innovative technologies and solutions not only empowers us to work more effectively for our customers and partners, but also allows us to increase project completions that increased energy efficiency in homes nationwide, decreased carbon emissions, while helping Ireland reach its Climate Action Plan targets for 2030.  

KORE Retrofit experiences huge growth and new offering  

Another busy year for KORE Retrofit working on the One Stop Shop grant scheme, and the Fully Funded Grant Scheme with SEAI. 2023 saw huge growth, hundreds of homes upgraded nationwide, with a 50% increase in output of homes completed, including homes taking part in the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme. Our supply chain of contractors has grown exponentially with an extensive list of building contractors, energy upgrade experts, BER assessors, and more available across Ireland.  

This year we also welcomed the news of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, where homeowners can receive funding up to €70,000 to renovate and refurbish vacant or derelict properties in Ireland. KORE Retrofit are the first One Stop Shop providers who project manage both the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the One Stop Shop Grant, where homeowners could avail of funding of up to €103,600 for measures including wall, floor and attic insulation, heat pump, windows and doors, ventilation, structural works, plumbing, lighting and much more.  

KORE Retrofit 2023 review

Educate with KORE 

Education and up-skilling is particularly important at KORE, with all employees completing annual training and education in their departments, as well as cross-training in other areas to increase knowledge and awareness of company processes.  

This year we had many opportunities for learning, from hosting and participating in webinars and events, to engaging with DCU Practicum Project and their business master’s students. This postgraduate learning experience required the students to analyse KORE Insulation and develop a project around certain areas of the business they feel would benefit from in-depth research and development strategy. We had the honour of working with four groups, who worked tirelessly in producing projects for us in areas such as digital marketing, customer service, and sustainability. We are delighted to have worked with the students and learn from their research and findings on the company.  

In November, we collaborated with Mount Lucas National Construction Training College to train school students, contractors and employees on nZEB standards, retrofit best practices and more. We welcomed fourth, fifth and sixth year students from St Clare’s secondary school, Ballyjamesduff, Cavan who had full days of learning about low energy building practices, as well as having some virtual reality fun. Our employees and contractors also trained for full days, deep diving into airtightness and renewable energy solutions. A hugely successful week for learning, and one we hope to bring back in 2024.   

Education at KORE

 

 

Thank you for another great year!

As 2023 comes to an end, we’d like to show our gratitude to all our employees, partners and customers for another successful year. This year we flourished with new employees, new customers, new ideas and new projects. We are excited to enter 2024 with a continued commitment to sustainable construction and retrofit, bringing innovation and high-performing products and solutions to our customers.

Thank you to everyone for supporting KORE this year, we wish all our employees, customers, suppliers, family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. See you in 2024!