Colloide Engineering – A passion for creating sustainable solutions

In our latest ‘Meet the Supplier’ feature, we caught up with Caoimhe-Rose Johnston, Bid Co-Ordinator & Writer at Colloide Engineering Systems Ltd, supplier on the GFP Decarbonisation Delivery DPS.  Caoimhe-Rose talks about the company’s growth from humble beginnings, its passion for creating sustainable solutions and why district heating is a viable, sustainable way to heat UK homes.

What is your company’s mission statement/aims/objectives? 

We’re driven by a passion for creating sustainable solutions, delivering exceptional customer service and technical excellence. We have the skills to take on the role of either principal contractor, specialist sub-contractor or equipment supplier, and are equally comfortable and experienced in all roles.

We’re more than just a process engineering company. We’re a team of highly skilled professionals who are dedicated to making a positive difference in the world.

Our Purpose is to create a brighter tomorrow for people and the planet.

Our Vision is to improve our environment through sustainable engineering solutions.

Our Mission is to deliver innovative, high quality and sustainable engineering solutions, supported by outstanding customer service and superior technical expertise.

Colloide’s principles are anchored around teamwork, innovation, excellence, and sustainability, ensuring a values-driven approach in all operations.

Our services range from design through to construction, installation, commissioning, maintenance and overall project management. Our experience is wide ranging, from major water utility installations and innovative ‘first of its kind’ district heating projects through to work with breweries on process improvements and biomass heating installations on farms.

Our reputation for reliability, innovative thinking and professionalism is of paramount importance to us, as reflected in:

• Our team of highly skilled and experienced mechanical, electrical and process engineers.
• Getting the best solution for our clients, through skills, innovative thinking and a flexible approach.
• Maintaining the highest levels of Health and Safety, with zero reportable accidents and accredited to ISO 45001 and SSIP.
• Our integrated quality management processes, accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

In all cases, we work in partnership with our clients and their consultant engineers and, whether it is a solution to an existing problem or future proofing against upcoming process and environmental challenges, we believe that Colloide is second to none in terms of technical excellence and customer service.

Can you give us a brief history of your company?  

Colloide Engineering Systems was founded in 2002 by Paddy McGuinness, who started out as an engineer.

Having identified an opportunity to provide process engineering turnkey solutions from design right through to commission, he hired a one-room office and started the company, focusing on water treatment equipment and services.

The workforce soon doubled and in 2005, Colloide’s small but determined workforce relocated from a humble space at the rear of Cookstown Enterprise Centre to the front, and investments were made in new tech, such as a 3D drawing package.

In 2008, Colloide relocated to a bigger premise; our current Head Office in Cookstown. This expansion was felt across the company, with team growth, equipment purchases and jobs won.

In 2015, the Colloide team worked on expanding into different sectors while maintaining specialist subcontract work in the water industry. We made strides in the food and drink industry by implementing a pH Correction system to measure and modify the effluent pH for a client to meet their license limits. We were also awarded a place on multiple chemical dosing frameworks.

The following year, the Colloide offices and workshops continued on their journey to carbon neutrality by installing renewable heating and solar PV panels. We were awarded as main contractor on a first of its kind in the world renewable energy project, the Bunhill Heat and Power 2 Network.

The next three years saw Colloide receive accolades including the Alcumus Safe Contractor accreditation and the Investors in People Gold standard, as well as delivering Europe’s largest nitrifying sand filter and setting up Colloide Site Services to concentrate on installations.

The Senior Management team continued to grow and took on the challenge of ‘Ambition to Scale’ with Invest NI, to see how the company could progress over a five-year period.

In 2020, we continued to push innovation across core business areas, winning prestigious awards for the Bunhill project, success in the Waves to Water Competition and taking on our newest renewable energy scheme, the Viking Energy Network Jarrow, a UK first project. In addition to this, we expanded to Ardboe for the production of bridges and chemical dosing systems.

2022 was a significant year for Colloide as the business celebrated its 20^th anniversary and employee numbers grew to over 50, some of whom had been with the company from the very start.

In 2023, we rebranded to reflect our service offering changes, expanding into the renewable energy market and our mission to improve the environment.

2025 has marked a major milestone with the expansion of our Limavady headquarters, adding a new office, workshop facilities and a dedicated 11-acre yard with storage capacity. This strategic investment supported increased off-site construction capacity, enabling higher quality, cost efficiency and fully integrated system builds. We were proud to be awarded the Bloomsbury Heat and Power Network project and saw continued recognition for the Viking Energy Network Jarrow, including wins at the APSE and RICS awards.

What are the benefits of being a supplier on the GFP Decarbonisation Delivery DPS?  

Colloide became a supplier on the GFP Decarbonisation Delivery DPS mid-2025, we believe this will offer various strategic benefits for us. Through the DPS, we’re connected to over 300,000 homes and housing providers committed to achieving EPC rating improvements and tackling net-zero goals enabling us to scale our impact. Being part of the GFP DPS reinforces Colloide’s drive to deliver efficiency and progress towards a net-zero future. While we are new to this DPS, this first step establishes a gateway for meaningful collaborations and impactful projects.

What sets your business apart from its competitors? 

As well as experience in the energy sector, we have 20+ years experience in the water sector, designing and building water and wastewater treatment solutions. We are completing research and development work to align the skills we have within the two industries we work in to develop innovation renewable solutions.

Colloide brings over 10 years experience delivering multiple heat-network projects. This gives us deep knowledge of heating systems, thermal distribution, controls and optimisation. Such experience helps us design retrofit heating or low-carbon heat-network solutions more effectively than a generalist building contractor with little heating-system expertise.

How does your company contribute positively to the communities it operates in? 

On our projects, we are committed to delivering social value initiatives. This includes employing local subcontractors, employing local apprentices and using local suppliers. We give back to the local communities through charity donations, dedicated volunteer hours and our commitment to educate the next generation in renewable energy skills. For example, on the Viking Energy Network Jarrow Project, we worked closely with the STEMETTEs to educate local young women in STEM skills.

As well as our social value commitments, our projects positively impact the local communities. Through our renewable energy projects, local communities receive lower heating bills and lower carbon emissions.

What will be the key areas of focus for your business over the next 12 months?

District heating is the key focus area for Colloide in the energy sector over the next 12 months. We believe district heating is a viable, sustainable way to heat UK homes, it’s a proven solution that other European countries have been benefiting from for over a decade.  We want to use our skills and experience to implement sustainable energy solutions that cut heating bills for local residents.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector? 

The housing sector is facing several well-documented and complex challenges:

• Age and diversity of the UK housing stock – Homes vary significantly in age, construction type and condition, making large-scale, uniform retrofit delivery difficult.
• Funding and affordability – Deep retrofit requires significant investment, and funding streams for landlords and homeowners remain inconsistent.
• Skills shortages – There is a well-recognised shortage of trained retrofit professionals, including assessors, coordinators and installers.
• Data and planning gaps – Many homes lack accurate building data or recent surveys, creating uncertainty in design and costing.
• Resident engagement challenges – Retrofit disruption and lack of awareness can reduce tenant acceptance or willingness to participate.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing your company and your supply chain partners? 

Retrofit often involves multiple components (insulation, heating, ventilation, controls, possibly renewables). Coordinating across different subcontractors, ensuring quality, scheduling works, and integrating systems can be complex , especially when suppliers themselves may be under-resourced or inexperienced.

Are there any recent innovations or developments in your business that excite you?  

We are really excited by the growth of planned heat networks through DESNZ Advanced Zoning Programme. We are also excited about the announcement of investment and support dedicated to heat networks in Ireland. We hope these announcements will create more opportunities for Colloide to add value and use our experience to deliver, carbon and cost cutting heating solutions in the UK.

If you were Housing Minister for the day, what would you change? 

We would prioritise getting low-carbon, renewable heating solutions in place for all houses in the UK.

Can you tell us an interesting fact about your organisation? 

We also operate in the water industry designing and building water and wastewater treatment solutions such as chemical dosing, bridge scrapers and lamella treatment.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges the housing sector is facing as it works to make housing more sustainable?

From what we see, the biggest sustainability challenges are the enormous number and diversity of housing that needs to be retrofitted. The diversity of housing complicates design, delivery, costing, and quality assurance.

Again, funding and expenses are a huge challenge. We believe more government funding will be required to retrofit UK houses.

Lastly, achieving sustainability requires occupant participation and acceptance, which can be challenging where disruption or perceived costs are high.