EPS Water Launches New State Of The Art Facility In Poole, Dorset

EPS Water is pleased to announce the official opening of its new production, fabrication and refurbishment facility in Poole, Dorset.

This milestone underscores the Cork, Ireland headquartered EPS Group’s ongoing commitment to growing its footprint in the UK, enhancing service levels for utility and industrial clients and enabling efficient delivery in the upcoming AMP8 investment period.

The Poole facility is designed as a versatile, high-capacity centre, bringing together manufacturing, assembly, refurbishment, testing and administrative support under one roof. Following an intensive commissioning and fit-out phase, the site is now fully operational and ready to play a pivotal role in EPS Water’s operations.

Over the last few months, critical installations have been completed, including the commissioning of a new overhead gantry crane, enabling safe and efficient lifting operations across the production hall, fabrication and assembly machinery and safety equipment.

Following this, remaining floor reconfigurations are underway so that fabrication and assembly can begin at full pace.

Within the site’s offices and welfare areas, striking new wall-mounted imagery has been installed. These visual displays celebrate the local area, as well as past EPS Water UK projects across the country, reminding staff, clients and visitors of the depth and range of EPS’ UK delivery experience.

The facility is not just about increased capacity, it’s about smarter, more agile delivery. EPS Water’s model emphasises asset re-use and repair, modular construction, off-site fabrication, digital design workflows and seamless integration with project delivery teams. The Poole site gives EPS even greater control over quality, timing and responsiveness.

EPS Water sits within the broader EPS Group, which combines design, manufacture, project delivery and long-term operations in water and wastewater sectors. EPS’ UK arm is known for providing full lifecycle solutions, from concept design through manufacture, installation, commissioning and ongoing operations support.

Speaking at the official opening event, EPS Group’s Contracts Director, John Lynch highlighted the enhanced capabilities offered by the facility, particularly its role in modular build, refurbishment and integrated project delivery, saying that, “Today marks a significant milestone in EPS Water’s evolution and gives us new flexibility and control in delivering complex projects as well as supporting our framework in the south of England”.

The strategic importance of the Poole site in supporting EPS’ growth and its ability to respond more rapidly to client demand was noted by EPS Water UK’s General Manager Shaun Stevens. “Our Poole facility enhances our capacity, will reduce lead times and bring some of our manufacturing and assembly capability closer to key UK clients”, said Shaun. He also expressed the team’s pride in opening the new branch, saying, “We’re proud to be here and to be investing the local economy and community.

Continued support for EPS Group’s activities and expansion has been provided by Enterprise Ireland/Enterprise Ireland UK, led by Sheila O’Loughlin, Senior Market Advisor. Speaking at the launch, Sheila emphasised the strong UK/Ireland collaboration that underpins EPS’ growth and the importance of continued innovation and export success. “This investment in Poole demonstrates the strength of collaboration between the UK and Ireland – as well as EPS’ export-driven growth strategy.”

The connection between educational facilities and organisations such as EPS was outlined by Jackie Watson, Head of Apprenticeships for Bournemouth & Poole College. Ms. Watson underlined the support provided to companies like EPS on their skills journey. “We are pleased to be working with EPS to deliver the apprenticeship scheme and NVQ Level 2 qualifications for CSCS compliance”.

The investment by EPS in the local community and economy was highlighted by Councillor Millie Earl, Leader of Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council., saying “Businesses like EPS play a vital role in the economic development of the BCP region and we’re delighted they have chosen to come here and to see them supporting skills within our community here in Poole”.

In recent years, EPS Water has strengthened its technical offering through strategic alliances and ventures - such as its joint enterprise with Nuove Energie (Italy) and co-operation agreements with Haskoning (Netherlands), Cimico (Spain), Salsnes Filter (Norway) and Passavant-Geiger (Germany) – to bring advanced technologies into the UK market. The company also continues to support innovation in the UK water space, including projects such as a low-carbon Nereda solution at Winchburgh for Scottish Water, and a the first-of-its-kind nutrient neutrality treatment works near Canterbury.

With the new Poole branch, EPS is better positioned to serve regulated water companies, capital delivery partners, developers and industrial clients through AMP8 and beyond.

The Poole branch joins EPS’ existing network of UK offices, including Alton (Hampshire), Thetford (Norfolk), Lichfield (Staffordshire) and East Kilbride, Glasgow (Scotland), further strengthening EPS’ footprint across the United Kingdom.