Friday, 17 October 2003
The Irish Engineering Enterprises Federation (ieef) held a regional engineering briefing in Kilkenny on 16th October in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland and IBEC South East Regional. The briefing was aimed at the managers of engineering companies and addressed key competitiveness issues including:
· Human Resources
· Health and Safety / Insurance
· Engineering Sector Update - Business Environment and Trading Conditions
· Product Innovation Case Study
· Capacity Building / Production Process Efficiency - Case Study
Speakers presenting case studies at the briefing included:
Fergus Robinson of Magna Donnelly Mirrors Ltd who presented a Product Innovation Case Study and;
Pat Kennelly of Richard Keenan Ltd who presented a World Class Business Case Study.
Paul Kelly, ieef Director said that the engineering sector is a major employer in the South East with over 200 engineering companies. He said that the ieef would be making a submission to the Enterprise Strategy Group established by An Tanaiste and would be calling for National Policy to address the strategic requirements of the engineering sector, which needed:
· Grants and/or tax credits for R&D;
· Support for investment in automation;
· Supports for training;
· Assistance with business management improvements e.g. processes, supply chain management, outsourcing, purchasing, etc.
A wide range of engineering companies based in the South East attended including: ABB Transformers Ltd, Boherduff Engineering Ltd, CPM Europe Ltd, Dunreidy Engineering Ltd, E Buttimer & Co Ltd, Enterprise Ireland, Frentech Engineering, Gabbett Industries Ltd, Harte Designs Ltd, Hitol Ltd, Lapple, Magna Donnelly Mirrors, Murphy Innovation, Richard Keenan Ltd, Snap-Tite Europe B V, Spring & Precision Engineering Ltd, Stapleton Engineering Ltd, Veelite Lighting Ltd, Vikingshield Glass Ltd, Waterford Tool Company.