Cork company ActionZero secures €3m deal with Dunbia
Pictured is Niall Browne, CEO of Dawn Meats with Denis Collins, CEO of ActionZero. Picture: Jill O’Meara
Cork-based climate technology company ActionZero has announced a new partnership with Dunbia, a division of Dawn Meats, in a deal worth in excess of €3m.
The partnership will see the two firms work to eliminate fossil fuel use at the company's processing facility in Llanybydder, Wales, with hopes to reduce emissions by a minimum of 577 tonnes per year.
The Project is supported by the BEIS Industrial Energy transformation Fund, and will see ActionZero’s patented EscoPod system decarbonise heat at the facility.
Founded in 2021 following the merger of Energy Services and Straightline Energy Solutions, ActionZero is run by Cork businessman, Denis Collins who was previous Chairman of IDA Ireland Regional Development and Board Director.
The merger saw 80 new jobs created, with its headquarters located in Penrose Docks in Cork city. The company’s primary focus is developing energy solutions across industry and enterprise.
Last year, the company was credited for cutting Cork Airport's carbon emissions by more than a half, with a spokesperson stating that between 2009 and 2019, the airport saved €3.9m in costs.
In total, 4,003 metric tonnes of emissions were saved, an amount equivalent to taking more than 800 cars off the road.
ActionZero has also teamed up with Bon Secours Health System to drastically reduce carbon emissions across the group’s network of hospitals.
The deal saw ActionZero’s dedicated heat pump system for the healthcare industry installed across the group's hospitals, with the company's EscoPod AZH heating water for use throughout the complex without the need for fossil fuels.
The Cork company has grown steadily since its inception in 2021, with ActionZero expanding last year, opening new manufacturing, research, and development centre in Tralee which created over 50 new jobs.
ActionZero works with a number of large companies, including Dell Technologies, Kepak, Pfizer, and most recently, Dunbia and Dawn Meats.
The company's heat pump system, which will be used in Llanybydder, Wales, is expected to reduce heating-related CO2 emissions at the site by a minimum of 58% and provide a 67% reduction in thermal system energy use.
The partnership fall under ambitious plans by Dawn Meats to reach zero operational emissions by 2040, with the company launching a €100m sustainability fund in December.
Group CEO of Dawn Meats, Niall Browne said, “Sustainability has been at the heart of our business for more than 20 years. We’re committed to investing in new technologies across all of our divisions to help us to reach our Net Zero operational emissions target by 2040."
The UK's subsidiary of Dawn Meats, Dunbia operates across 13 sites, employing more than 5,000 people. Earlier this month, the company expanded its presence in the UK's West Country following its acquisition of a lamb processing site in Cornwall for an undisclosed amount.
Dunbia works with over 32,000 farmers across the UK and Ireland, with three sites in Waterford and one in North Cork.
Founded in County Waterford, Dawn Meats was established in 1980 and has since grown to report €2.5bn in annual revenue. The company employs 8,000 people and took full control of Dunbia in July 2020, following the successful joint venture that had been established in May 2017.
The combined businesses in the UK and Ireland process approximately 1m cattle and 3.5 million sheep annually.
"We’ve already made significant progress and we are delighted to partner with ActionZero on another project as there is still much for us to do," Mr Browne continued. "We’re looking forward to seeing the positive results ActionZero’s technology will have on our Dunbia site in Wales.”
Also speaking on the partnership, ActionZero chief executive, Denis Collins said the Dunbia project represented yet another important inroad for Action Zero into the UK, saying, "It’s a major market for us and is a key strategic focus for 2023.”
ActionZero is also supported by Enterprise Ireland, with the agency's CEO, Leo Clancy saying the company is highly innovative in delivering energy reduction to companies like Dawn Meats.
"We are proud to have worked closely with ActionZero and we look forward to continuing to support the team in this ambitious new phase of growth as the enterprise sector transitions to a more sustainable future.”
