New life for factory equipment

The equipment at Rathkeale, near Limerick, had previously been used by a costume jewellery manufacturer.

When the redundant jewellery site was acquired by local economic development agency Innovate Limerick, the electroplating facilities had to be sold and decommissioned in keeping with EU legislation for safe disposal of industrial chemicals and other hazardous materials.  

Riley appointed chemical engineer Neil Cremin, through his company Chemical Surface Treatment Technologies, to act as project manager for the decommissioning and to assist with the machinery site clearance.

An acid copper electroplating line was sold to Billdidit, a musical accessories manufacturer in Nova Scotia. The entire plant was dismantled, shipped across the Atlantic and re-assembled in Canada by the Riley Surface World support team.

The second phase saw the remaining electroplating plants and all ancillary waste water treatment equipment sold by auction using Riley’s online bidding channel.

The site is now ready for conversion to a mixed commercial development.