For almost 50 years Clonakilty-based Carbery Plastics has been one of West Cork’s most dynamic and successful local businesses.
Family-owned from day one, the company has grown to become a leading European manufacturer and supplier of oil tanks, water tanks, chemical tanks and rotationally moulded products for the agri-sector, commercial, industrial clients and domestic customers.
Carbery Plastics is also one of the largest local employers in Clonakilty, currently providing full-time work for 60 people from the surrounding area.
OUR PRODUCTS:
Environmentally conscious
CARBERY Plastics are also to the fore in meeting changing environmental needs too with HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) tanks, part of the ever-expanding product range.
HVO is an increasingly popular bio-fuel in the agri-sector that can reduce emissions by up to 90% over traditional fuels.
Cal McCarthy, Operations Manager says: ‘We are working with it. It’s a balance. I don’t think heat pumps or electric solar panels are going to solve the whole problem in rural areas.
They’re going to solve maybe 50% of it, and the adapting of bio-fuels is going to solve another 20%. It’s a combination and a balance of technologies that’s going to make the reduction.
We are working with fuel partners and the boiler manufacturers to try and develop systems to do that.
We are working towards a sustainable future using recycled materials and looking at reducing our own Carbon footprint.
West Cork business of the year 2024
Cal McCarthy and his father Michael accepting The Southern Star West Cork Business of the Year Award for 2024
The strong local ethos and Carbery Plastic’s personal touch hasn’t gone unnoticed in West Cork either.
Although the company exports to a variety of overseas markets, Cal says that he and the team are all from the area and local customers remain vitally important.
This commitment to the home patch was rewarded recently at the Southern Star’s West Cork Business and Tourism Awards held at the Fernhill House Hotel in Clonakilty ,where Carbery Plastics were crowned overall Business of the Year for 2024, as well as winning the Best Family-Run Business Award too.
The early days
Members of the Carbery Plastics team in 1988. Company founder Michael McCarthy is on the far left. Five of those pictured still work with the company today
ESTABLISHED back in 1977 by Michael McCarthy, who was just 23-years-old at the time, Carbery Plastics has become synonymous with high-quality products while at the the same time providing the kind of customer service you can only get from a family oriented company.
The company is now managed by a second generation with Michael’s son Cal working as Operations Manager; Michael continues to work in the business as Managing Director.
In the early days, Michael, who is the youngest of five children who grew up on a local farm, saw an opportunity with the modernisation of Irish ag-riculture and began making moulded products for local farmers.
He was joined in the venture by his brother Donal and soon another brother Pat came on board providing haulage services.
Originally a small operation, Carbery Plastics quickly grew moving to a premises in Clonakilty and eventually locating to the present site at Clogheen in 1989.
Community matters
The family business ethos extends right into the local community too with the company supporting local suppliers.
Carbery Plastics use local suppliers where possible for their engineering supplies, their printing and packaging is all done locally and they work with local hauliers and fuel suppliers too.
They work on community projects as well – for example a water harvesting project with the local rugby club, and they work with various Tidy Towns groups in the area too.’
Members of staff with over 30 years of service – all from the Clonakilty area
Customer focus
A key element of Carbery Plastics’ success has been the company’s strong focus on customer service and knowing who their customers are.
Cal McCarthy explains: ‘Michael has instilled in the team the phrase “you find a product for your customer, you don’t find a customer for your product” and that’s something that’s never far from my mind. We are a family business and one of the benefits of that is that we know our customers’.
Thank you to our employees (past and present), suppliers and of course our valued customers! We look forward to serving our existing and new customers in the future.
