PMS Pavement Management Services have marked the official opening of their new custom built facility in Raheen Industrial Estate in Athenry, County Galway, and also celebrated 25 years in business. The company was founded in January, 1992 and has offices in Athenry and Dublin.  A sister company of PMS, Highway Testing Laboratory (HTL) was established in 1995 to carry out pavement materials testing and research, and now operates as a division of PMS. The Official Opening of the new facility was performed by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Mr. Denis Naughten TD. The Minister of State for Rural Affairs and Natural Resources, Sean Kyne TD, and the Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciaran Cannon TD, were also in attendance. [caption id="attachment_37939" align="alignleft" width="663"] Minister Denis Naughten TD in the PMS Multi-Function Road Survey Vehicle[/caption] Speaking at the opening, Dr. Kieran Feighan, the MD of PMS and current President of Engineers Ireland noted that the company has grown from 3 people in 1992 to 40 people at present. PMS now provides pavement and asset management services using a wide range of high-speed high-tech data collection equipment to a large number of clients in Ireland and abroad. PMS have worked throughout Ireland and the UK, and worked internationally in Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Tanzania, Trinidad, Greece, Turkey and the US. PMS have provided pavement evaluation and analysis services to every local authority in Ireland and also to TII, DTTAS, RMO, DAA, PPP’s, consultants, contractors and material suppliers. PMS are delivering the National Roads Network Pavement Condition Survey and Associated Consultancy Services from 2013 to 2019 on behalf of TII. PMS also work closely with the DTTAS and RMO in the management of the Regional and Local road network. PMS is an innovation-led company and ongoing R&D is essential as the company is continually dealing with changing and evolving technologies. PMS introduced the first FWD, laser rut bar, LCMS 3D laser profiler, mobile LIDAR and integrated GPS/INS in Ireland. More recently, PMS have worked with TII in the development of an analytical approach for the design of surface dressing. PMS have collaborated with TII and the UUJ in the development of a Close Range Photogrammetry (CRP) technique using 3D models of a pavement surfaces to differentiate between positive and non-positive pavement macrotexture. PMS are heavily involved in training and knowledge transfer through collaboration with Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology, and through providing training courses in the pavements area on behalf of the LASNTG. PMS directors lecture at both undergraduate and post-graduate level in Transport and Infrastructure Engineering at NUIG, UCD, TCD and Sligo IT. PMS have collaborated over a long number of years with the College of Engineering & Informatics Professional Experience Programme (PEP) in NUIG providing work placement to over 70 engineering students since 1998. PMS also have ongoing involvement in SFI and Enterprise Ireland funded programmes with Maynooth University, and with an innovative campus company based in Maynooth. [caption id="attachment_37940" align="alignleft" width="663"] Carrying out Automated Cracking Survey at the Main Runway in Dublin Airport[/caption] The company is an active member of the Geoscience Ireland network of 33 companies, whose priorities include delivering integrated expertise in water, minerals, environmental and infrastructure development to clients in over 50 countries, supporting job creation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector; sustaining Irish companies by promoting diversification and access in to overseas markets, and delivering regional growth in Ireland. Koen Verbruggen, Director of Geological Survey Ireland and Chairman of Geoscience Ireland welcomed the opening; “PMS consistently engages with Geoscience Ireland when it comes to exploring new market opportunities both domestically and internationally. PMS is an exemplar of the export orientated approach to the delivery of high quality engineering services across the world and has carried out commissions for public and private sector clients in the United Kingdom, United States, Lithuania, Trinidad and Tanzania.”