Kingspan |

Name: Samuel Fairbrother.

Job Title: Graduate Global Projects Engineer.

Location: Based in Kingscourt, travel to work at different sites globally.

Degree: BEng in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. University attended: DCU

What does your role in Kingspan involve?

My role in Kingspan involves the design, development, commissioning, and management of new factories and upgrading existing factories for Kingspan Insulated Panels Division. What this means is that as part of my job I get to be involved in every step of different projects whether it's from early design stages with suppliers for a green field site or getting stuck into the commissioning work and signing off for the final handover to a local team, all while managing different aspects of the project such as contractors and health and safety.

What is the most interesting project you have been involved in since you joined?

For me, the most interesting project has been the new build in Vietnam because it's my first time getting to experience a project of this scale from breaking ground to commissioning equipment.

What prompted you to apply to Kingspan?

As part of my degree, I had to do a 6-month internship and I did it with the team I’m currently on, the Global Engineering team. So having done my internship with the team I really enjoyed all aspects of the job and decided to apply for a permanent position for when I graduated.

What was your experience of the Kingspan graduate recruitment process?

Thorough and engaging are what spring to mind first when I think about the recruitment process.

Have you any tips for someone else thinking of applying to Kingspan?

I would definitely say go for it and to just be their genuine self, I found through my time working here that Kingspan is like its own small community and people really care for each other, so being genuine goes a long way.

Looking back, what qualities and behaviours do you think you displayed during the recruitment process which made you a good fit for Kingspan?

Being an engineer I think I showed good critical thinking and problem solving skills like nearly every other engineering graduate but what I think helped me to stick out for my role in particular is that I have a strong mechanical background from working on cars growing up as well as very good communication and teamwork skills which are always important but especially in my team as we often travel and spend several weeks away from home together, therefore getting along well is quite important to keep morale and work quality up.

What does your role in Kingspan involve?

In my role as an engineer, I am responsible for designing and developing new and existing products using CAD software, crafting prototypes for testing, and working closely with colleagues to align designs with project requirements. I also oversee project management to ensure on-time delivery within budget and compliance with industry standards. Ultimately, my contribution lies in transforming innovative concepts into practical solutions, leveraging technical skills, creative thinking, and effective collaboration.

What is the most interesting project you have been involved in since you joined?

The most interesting project I have worked on was designing a liquid fertiliser storage tank. This involved critical material selection and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to ensure optimal performance. Choosing the best suited plastic material was crucial for durability, chemical resistance, and cost-effectiveness. My favourite aspect of this project was conducting FEA to simulate and analyse the tank's structural behaviour under different loading conditions, guiding the design optimisation efforts."

What prompted you to apply to Kingspan?

Joining the Kingspan’s graduate “Yours To Shape” program offers me structured learning, mentorship, and career progression. It provides me with valuable networking opportunities, enhances employability, and exposes you to industry trends. Starting your career, a graduate programme can be a strategic step towards gaining skills, experience, and professional development in your chosen field and Kingspan’s graduate programme appealed to me.

What was your experience of the Kingspan graduate recruitment process?

The recruitment process for the graduate program was both enjoyable and challenging. It provided a rewarding experience that allowed me to showcase my abilities while gaining valuable insights into the organisation's culture and expectations. This process not only prepared me for the programme but also fuelled my excitement for the opportunities and growth that lie ahead in my career journey.

Have you any tips for someone else thinking of applying to Kingspan?

• Research thoroughly about Kingspan's products, values, and culture.
• Highlight relevant skills and achievements that match the job.
• Customize your application to demonstrate a strong fit with the role.
• Network to gain insights and potential connections.
• Prepare well for interviews by researching common questions.
• Show alignment with Kingspan's mission and values.

Looking back, what qualities and behaviours do you think you displayed during the recruitment process which made you a good fit for Kingspan?

My successful recruitment experience with Kingspan was attributed to key qualities and behaviours that highlighted my suitability for the role:

• Thorough research and preparation demonstrated genuine interest and alignment with Kingspan's values.
• Showing adaptability and a willingness to learn indicated readiness to excel within Kingspan's industry.
• Articulating values aligned with Kingspan's mission conveyed cultural fit and commitment to the organisation.

Name: Sophie Van Maanen

Job Title: Graduate Marketing Executive

Location: Tate, Ballyfermot, Dublin

Degree: BSc Marketing

University attended: Technological University Dublin

What does your role in Kingspan involve?

My job involves taking care of the marketing and social media for Tate Europe. On a day to day basis I take care of the Tate Europe LinkedIn account, organize content for the website, take care of the internal communications and gather content and create the Kingspan data and flooring newsletter. In addition, I organize the trade shows for Tate Europe. I have also been involved in new product launches. My job involves communicating and coordinating with colleagues all over the world.

What is the most interesting project you have been involved in since you joined?

Since I joined in September the most interesting project I worked on was the launch of Tate Grid LEC. LEC is a group initiative which involves making products using Lower Embodied Carbon. Tate Grid LEC was the first of its kind, and therefore it was extremely exciting to be part of such a big launch.

What prompted you to apply to Kingspan?

With Kingspan being a hugely successful Irish company, I had heard great things about it, and its graduate programme. In addition, I was keen to find a job after college that offered a graduate programme, as I was keen to develop myself as an employee.

What was your experience of the Kingspan graduate recruitment process?

The process was tough but efficient. It was a Assessment Centre spread out over four hours, which involved an interview with my potential manager, a group case study and an individual case study. I heard back quite soon after this interview, which was reassuring, and I soon had a call with my current manager.

Have you any tips for someone else thinking of applying to Kingspan?

I would encourage anyone wanting to apply to Kingspan to try to gain some relevant experience first. A summer or college internship would provide a great base for starting in Kingspan.

Looking back, what qualities and behaviours do you think you displayed during the recruitment process which made you a good fit for Kingspan?

Looking back, I think my patience and ability to work in a team stood to me.

The Assessment Centre process required working in a team, and understanding when the right time to speak was, and the right time to listen. My final year in college was based entirely on group work, which I think provided me with the experience needed to excel during the recruitment process.

Name: Luke Kinsella

Job Title: Graduate Research & Development Engineer

Location: IKON Innovation Centre Kingscourt

Degree: Mechanical Engineering

University attended: Dundalk Institute of Technology

What does your role in Kingspan involve?

My role involves the design and testing of new Kingspan products to meet ever growing customer needs. Compliance testing of current Kingspan products is necessary to make sure they meet all international standards/regulations and research projects into the cutting edge of materials & technology helping to ease the construction and better the performance of future buildings.

What is the most interesting project you have been involved in since you joined?

Since joining, I have been heavily involved in research into bio-based insulation alternatives and conducted a multitude of tests with current products in this market. Some of this testing has resulted in acquisitions and resulted in further work in developing these materials into Kingspan products.

What prompted you to apply to Kingspan?

During my time in college, I worked part-time in the construction industry, specifically pharmaceutical construction. Therefore, I had a lot of first-hand experience with Kingspan products and understood the quality and variety of the products they offered. This along with word of mouth from classmates who had completed placement in the company pushed me to apply for a graduate role and I haven’t looked back.

What was your experience of the Kingspan graduate recruitment process?

My experience of the graduate recruitment process was very positive. It is well spaced out which is key when a lot of applicants would be in the middle of final year studies and it provides plenty of opportunities for a potential candidate to show themselves off through the range of tasks and assessments.

Have you any tips for someone else thinking of applying to Kingspan?

From my experience Kingspan like to employ individuals as opposed to robots who always have the right answers. My advice for someone applying to the graduate program would be to be yourself, voice your opinion and be able to listen to others and take their views into consideration too. There is rarely one perfect candidate and that is very evident when you look at the range of unique personalities in any of the Kingspan divisions.

Looking back, what qualities and behaviours do you think you displayed during the recruitment process which made you a good fit for Kingspan?

In line with my tips, I believe I was just myself. I voiced my opinions and gave honest answers in all of the tasks & assessments. I was open minded when listening to others points and opinions. I tried to remain as relaxed as possible through all the steps and tried to show I would be a good fit to any department that gave me a shot.

Q.1 What does your job involve?

I work as a Graduate R&D Researcher with Kingspan Insulated Panels out of our Group Headquarters and Global Innovation Hub ‘IKON’ in County Cavan, Ireland.

My job involves researching lower carbon and more circular building materials for our insulated panels and insulation. This involves scanning the external environment, establishing relationships with companies, ordering samples, conducting mechanical and thermal testing, creating test reports, investigating results, investigating improvements; all towards developing products.

Q.2 What is the most interesting project you’ve been involved with?

Unfortunately, there is commercial sensitivity around the specifics of what I am working on, but I can say that all my projects are driving sustainability and are closely linked to themes of our 10-year Planet Passionate strategy such as Carbon and Circularity.

Q.3 What advice would you give to new Graduates joining our Company?

To new graduates, I would first say welcome! Then, I would say embrace everything Kingspan has to offer. If you are on the Kingspan Graduate Programme, you have great modules coming up which will help you become more effective in countless ways.

I would also say, take the opportunity to really get to know your colleagues and especially other graduates. You’ll have plenty of chances to network. Making friends doesn’t only make work even more enjoyable; a large network will become invaluable later when you need to find solutions. Your colleagues/friends in other divisions may already have the answer.

Q.4 What excites you most about Kingspan?

The thing that excites me most about Kingspan is the important role we are playing in the fight against climate change.

Combined, construction and buildings are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions globally. Roughly 28% are operational emissions from buildings (heating, cooling, appliances) and 11% is upfront or embodied carbon associated with materials and construction processes through the whole building lifecycle.

Kingspan, through selling insulation systems that reduce the need for space heating or cooling, is helping to drastically bring down operational emissions from buildings. Our insulation systems sold in 2021 alone will save an estimated 850 million MWh of energy or 193 million tonnes of CO2e over their lifetime.

Addressing upfront carbon; our 10-year sustainability strategy Planet Passionate will continue to drive down embodied carbon of our product offerings through serious Energy and Carbon targets. Planet Passionate is also addressing wider issues within construction by having targets for Circularity and Water. Performance against targets across these four focus areas is reported on each year in the Planet Passionate Annual Report.

A couple of other things that excite me are that you are given a lot of responsibility from day one, and, when looking at colleagues as an example, there seems to be great scope for career progression. This is motivating to me.

Q.1 What does your job involve?

My job involves creating and maintaining relationships with clients. On a day-to-day basis, I would be developing project proposals, attending design calls with architects, contractors and end clients to ensure our products are up to their standard of requirements as well as using my technical knowledge of the products to educate and answer any queries they have.

Making sure that orders are processed and delivered in a timely manner as well as maintaining accuracy of our sales pipeline on our CRM system. Going to trade shows and meeting clients outside of the office are also helpful in growing and strengthening relationships between us and our clients.

Q.2 What is the most interesting project you’ve been involved in?

One of the most interesting projects I've been involved with was a recent multi-million project in Amsterdam that Tate closed as a team where it involved everyone from various departments working together to secure the project.

From the engineers, commercial, production and admin team to ensure a seamless transition from initial inquiry to delivery. Everyone involved put in extra hours of work to make sure that the client is satisfied with our products and services.

Q.3 What advice would you give to new Graduates joining our Company?

Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, be willing to learn new things every single day even when you think you know the ins and outs of the product and be proactive in the work you do. Your colleagues will do their best to help you and make you feel comfortable in your role.

Your managers will support your ideas and you can also create your own opportunities within Kingspan as long as you're willing to show them what you're capable of.

Q.4 What excites you most about Kingspan?

I would say the people you meet, whether they are clients or colleagues from different division. Working together with people halfway across the world to get something done, as well as the opportunity to grow and the support to help you grow into a more mature individual, both professionally and personally.