Automation from the village to the global stage By LYNDA LAWTON, Waterford Chamber
H
ow many times have you had to turn your camera off during a video call because of a poor connection? It’s happened to most of us but the answer for Gerry Horan of Horan Automation is never. But what is even more surprising is that Gerry operates his global business from the small rural village of Drangan, Co. Tipperary – population 100! “We got fibre optic broadband to the village a couple of years ago and it has made a huge difference
16
to the business. All our drawings are done on big software packages and we need to be able to send and receive 3D drawings instantly. I’ve often been on Teams meetings with peers in the UK and Germany and I’ve been the only one able to leave my video on!”, Gerry explained. Horan Automation has been steadily growing in the village since 1996. “I served my time as an apprentice fitter and spent 16 years servicing and repairing machinery. The company I worked for closed, and with no job, I started to work
Gerry Horan for myself. We had small children so they couldn’t go hungry, and with my wife Kathleen, we just decided to go for it – no business plan or anything. “All these years later we’re still here and still together! Kathleen is the financial controller of the
NETWORK • Q1 2021
