Enterprise Ireland showcased some of the top Irish companies with solutions to enhance dairy productivity and farm-related manufacturing at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin from October 2nd to 6th.
The World Dairy Expo is the international dairy meeting place, a five day event showcasing the finest in dairy genetics and the newest technologies available to the dairy industry. The event provided an opportunity for Irish companies to establish connections with potential U.S. partners or distribution centers, and heighten awareness of innovative farm equipment and best practices in food safety and animal welfare.
“International partnerships are a key ingredient for successful business today. Ireland is home to numerous key manufacturing leaders within the dairy and manufacturing industries and Enterprise Ireland is proud to sponsor these companies as they introduce and further highlight their technology on a global platform during the World Dairy Expo,” stated Simon Barcoe, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Construction Sector, Enterprise Ireland. “The Irish presence at the World Dairy Expo will position our client companies, helping new partnerships incubate to continue developing safety and manufacturing standards for dairy production around the world.”
Mike Piche, VP for Dairymaster who exhibited as part of the Irish delegation agreed; “The show was very good for Dairymaster in respect to serious inquiries received for our products locally as well as a good deal of International visitors.”
The Irish companies who participated at the Expo are:
Alanya – Has developed a first-of-its-kind health monitoring solution for dairy cows. The company has dramatically improved solutions that detect ailments within farm animals.
Dairymaster – A world leader in dairy equipment manufacturing, operating from its head office in Causeway, Co. Kerry, Ireland as well as having operations in the UK and the USA. Dairymaster exports to over 40 countries worldwide, and has a wide innovative product range including milking equipment, automatic scrapers, automatic feeders, milk cooling tanks, heat detection systems plus much more. The company has reached its position in the market offering customers significant performance advantages thanks to its emphasis on research and development.
Easy-Fix – Designs, develops, patents and markets a wide range of unique and innovative products for the Agricultural, Equine, Recreational/Industrial & Construction markets. The company saw the need for a product to improve the welfare and comfort of livestock on concrete slats, so it committed substantial resources to develop a rubber matting suitable for use in slatted sheds which has today evolved into the leading product in the marketplace.
Force Field – Manufactures a full range of mains and battery electric fences for the global farming industry. Their highly competitive product range and pricing structure allows the company to cater to the highest standards and specifications within the industry.
Irish Custom Extruders – Produce a wide range of extruded profiles in rigid, flexible and co-extruded forms.
Kel-Tec Engineering – Provides a wide range of design, development and manufacturing services - from concept development to volume production. The company's personnel have built up a high level of expertise in custom design and are currently involved in various research and development projects for construction, food and horticultural industries, including semi-automated beef deboning system, semi-automated daffodil picking system, concrete pumping system, combi trail bale wrapper.
McHale Engineering – Leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery and equipment, developing a range of specialist farm machinery focusing on balers and bale wrappers for the production of round and square baled silage, and round bales of hay and straw.
Piper Systems – Manufactures multiple metering, information and control systems for the dairy industry.
TANCO Autowrap – Manufactures round bale wrappers, square bale wrappers, round bale stacker, round bale handler, bale shear, bale stacker and livestock feeding implements in a state of the art 7,000-square-meter production facility in the heartland of Ireland. TANCO is committed to developing innovative agricultural wrapping machinery and agricultural machinery implements distinguished by high performance, durability and functionality.
Other news
National Geographic recently visited Ireland for a week to shoot Irish product and scenery for their Fall/Winter 2012 Catalogue (which has a circulation of approx 3million). Enterprise Ireland who have worked with National Geographic for the past four years expects them to purchase $1million of Irish based product in 2013.
Opennet, a leading Irish company who provide high-performance network transaction software for the world’s largest network operators overturn US patent dispute - read more
Enterprise Ireland, Toronto launch Access Canada, a guide for Irish companies exporting to the Canadian market with tips on market entry and establishing a presence in market, plus information on leading growth sectors.
Canadian journalist Mark Evans travelled to Ireland for the Web Summit and commented on the bubbling start up scene in Ireland in an article for Forbes: Read a fantastic article from Canadian journalist Mark Evans in Forbes: How Entrepreneurs Can Save Ireland
The Minister for Small Business, Mr John Perry launched the new Enterprise Ireland €200,000 Competitive Feasibility Fund aimed at stimulating start ups and creating jobs and growth in the Midlands Region. This fund, which can provide up to €25,000 per project, is now open for applications from entrepreneurs.
Pictured at the launch are (L-R): Michael Brougham, Enterprise Ireland Director Midlands Region, Richie Loughran, Director, COMSS Ltd, Longford and John Perry TD, Minister for Small Business
The Minister for Small Business, Mr John Perry launched the new Enterprise Ireland €200,000 Competitive Feasibility Fund aimed at stimulating start ups and creating jobs and growth in the Midlands Region (Counties Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath). This fund, which can provide up to €25,000 per project, is now open for applications from entrepreneurs, and will remain open until Tuesday 20 November 2012.
The Competitive Feasibility Fund is aimed at supporting entrepreneurs or new start-up companies to explore the feasibility of start-up ideas with job-creating potential to be located in the Midlands Region. Its particular focus is on growth-oriented businesses with the potential to move into export markets over time. The funding will enable the promoters to reach firm conclusions regarding the project's viability and set out investor ready plans for developing and commercialising the innovative product or service on international markets.
The fund is open to applications from the ICT, Industrial and Food sectors including the following sub-sectors: Internet, Games, SaaS, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Telecoms, Lifesciences, Cleantech, and Industrial Products.
Making the announcement, Minister Perry said: ‘This Fund will support entrepreneurs and start-up companies to develop innovative ideas into high-growth businesses that will create jobs in the Midlands Region. I strongly encourage people with new and innovative business ideas with high job-creation potential to step forward and compete for the funds available through this exciting initiative. In this way, by nurturing such ventures, we can create high-value and high-growth companies that will drive job creation in the Midlands Region’.
Governments across the world are centralising procurement in order to avail of potential efficiencies. Keelvar Systems, an Enterprise Ireland supported HPSU client company, developed a novel auction technology that brings sophistication to the financial proposal stage of tendering.
Pictured from left: Debbie Rennick, ACT Venture Capital, Minister Richard Bruton, Tom Cusack Enterprise Ireland, Alan Holland Keelvar Systems, Conor O’Connor Enterprise Equity
Governments across the world are centralising procurement in order to avail of potential efficiencies. Keelvar Systems, an Enterprise Ireland supported HPSU client company, developed a novel auction technology that brings sophistication to the financial proposal stage of tendering.
Keelvar Systems, Cork a spin-out from University College Cork, now based at the Rubicon Centre in Cork, has lately secured €750k in a funding round led by ACT Venture Capital and with investment from Enterprise Equity and Enterprise Ireland. The company is planning to use the funding to increase staff numbers to 18 and expand the company’s innovative procurement optimisation service for large scale government tenders and multi-national companies.
Keelvar’s software-as-a-service helps purchasers establish a balanced and cost effective outcome between large and small suppliers, which can be critical to indigenous industry. It is a price gathering mechanism that supports communication of creative ways in which waste can be removed, helping Government departments and multi-national companies reduce costs.
Alan Holland, CEO of Keelvar explains: “The market opportunity is huge, global and timely due to the technology’s ability to help resolve the conflict within government budgets to protect and grow employment while saving significant costs and maintaining service levels. Savings of between 4 and 10% are achievable in most spend categories. “
“Keelvar’s approach helps realise efficiencies while at the same time allowing suppliers improve their margins, says Holland, “This is a win-win outcome for both the supplier and the purchaser. “
Keelvar emerged from the 4C research laboratory in the Dept of Computer Science, UCC. According to Prof Barry O’Sullivan, who is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and the Director of 4C, “Keelvar is an example of how technology transfer from research in UCC can provide a transformational solution for a sector in which reform is a high priority.”
Pictured above are John Power, Director General, Engineers Ireland, and from PM Group; Eilish Quane, Electrical Instrument & Automation Department Manager; Una Healy, Training Officer; Laura Grehan, HR Manager and Dave Murphy, CEO.
PM Group Scoops Top CPD Award
PM Group won the Best Large Company Award at the recent Engineers Ireland CPD Awards. PM Group was honoured for its CPD Framework, which has been instrumental in supporting the internationalisation of their business over the past five years.
PM Group’s CPD programme is designed to support a world-class engineering organisation delivering excellent services to clients focused on building expertise across the organisation throughout the career lifecycle, from graduates to technical experts and managers to senior executives.
“A number of years ago, the PM Group Executive Team analysed the challenges facing the organisation and determined that the best strategic direction for the company was to expand delivery of its services to new markets overseas. Our CPD programme was recognised for enabling us to adapt to a rapidly changing environment as we shifted our work base from Ireland and internationalised our company over a relatively short time period,” according to Dave Murphy, CEO of PM Group.
Commenting on the award winners, Engineers Ireland Director General and Chartered Engineer, John Power said: “The success stories that we’ve heard about today clearly demonstrates that investing in the professional development and up-skilling of people is money well spent. Increasing Ireland’s competitiveness and creating jobs is in everyone’s best interests. That the Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard is helping to do just that is a wonderful endorsement of the scheme and I would like to thank the Department of Education and Skills who have backed the initiative since its launch.”
PM Group was given the award despite stiff competition from major multi-national companies such as; Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare and Dalkia. It is their second time winning the award following their last success in 2007.
Meanwhile, another Enterprise Ireland client, Westmeath company IO Systems Ltd, secured a large project in Dubai International Airport for the supply and installation of airport security equipment. The project was won in the face of stiff competition from a host of leading international aviation automation providers.
The provision by IO Systems Ltd of Automated Tray Return Systems (ATRS) for the Dubai International Airport involves 116 machines designed to speed up the flow of passengers through security. The technology automates the presentation, flow and return of the security trays familiar to air travellers worldwide when processing through airport security. The product has been developed by IO Systems in partnership with Herbert Systems in the UK.
IO Systems Ltd currently employs over 70 people at its Garrycastle base in Athlone, and it plans to create additional 30 positions over the coming years as the roll out of the new machines to other international hub airports gathers pace. The vacancies will be in the areas of Project Management, Software, ITC, Electrical & Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronic Technician.
Congratulations to Continuum, digital media agency based in Dublin, and an Enterprise Ireland client, on winning the 2012 Chambers Ireland's Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Excellence in CSR for an SME. The award celebrates Continuum’s work with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children’s International (CCI).
Pictured at the Chambers Ireland's CSR awards are: Adi Roche, CEO of Chernobyl Children's International and Colin Meagle, Managing Director of Continuum
Continuum’s Managing Director travelled to the worst affected areas from the Chernobyl disaster to understand first-hand the plight of nuclear meltdown and how it affect the lives of a new generation after more than a quarter of a century.
Continuum staff worked closely with CCI to conceive and rollout a comprehensive internet strategy and online presence that spans and measures all relevant digital communication channels over five years and serves as a primary fundraising channel. Accepting the award, Managing Director, Colin Meagle acknowledged the positive impact of having a CSR strategy on the motivation and commitment of the staff of his organization. He stated that “The Continuum team are very aware of their active CSR policy. This is not something we do in our spare time. We embrace CSR as a key component of our business strategy. It’s only through the understanding and belief in the value and importance of our CSR role that very worthy initiatives can be delivered”.
He acknowledged that his clients appreciate the Continuum contribution back to the community and they in many ways are part of that initiative.
Adi Roche, CEO, Chernobyl Children’s International congratulated Continuum on the award stating: “Every charity is struggling as Ireland continues to suffer from an economic tsunami. Companies Corporate Social Responsibility now takes on an even larger burden of helping charities survive. Chernobyl Children International is one such charity that has become indebted to CSR. Continuum has been a 'Torch bearer' for us enabling the charity to use the Internet to tell the story of Chernobyl to a worldwide audience. Through the two websites built by Continuum in tandem with developing our social networks we have been able to keep the tragic story of Chernobyl alive. This lifeline provided by Continuum has helped to save countless lives & helped give a strong message of solidarity to the survivors.”
Founded in 2002, Continuum specialise in internet-based strategy, services, applications, and online marketing solutions. Continuum are a full service agency who work in partnership with their clients as their digital department to ensure they harness the internet to develop new business opportunities that turn into progressive, measurable growth.
Continuum celebrated its 10th year in business by recently announcing growth in 2012 of over 30% including a large recruitment campaign.
In October, the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, participated in a two day Enterprise Ireland programme to visit a number of Irish life sciences companies in Philadelphia and Cleveland.
Taoiseach officially opens Zenith’s US Office. Pictured (l-r) are: Jim Lehane; Zenith Technologies, Mike Smith; Zenith Technologies, Pennsylvania State Rep Mr. Brendan Boyle, Sean O’Connor; Zenith, Eddie Goodwin; Enterprise Ireland, Brendan O’Regan; CEO Zenith Technologies, An Taoiseach Mr Enda Kenny T.D., Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz.
In October, the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, participated in a two day Enterprise Ireland programme to visit a number of Irish life sciences companies in Philadelphia and Cleveland.
The programme began with the official opening of Zenith Technologies’ new US headquarters in Philadelphia. With its global headquarters in Ireland, Zenith Technologies provides automation and manufacturing execution systems (MES) engineering services to the life sciences industry.
Speaking at the event, the Taoiseach acknowledged that Zenith Technologies and other leading high-technology companies supported by Enterprise Ireland would continue to drive export growth, underpin Ireland’s economic prosperity and support valuable Irish jobs in the future.
Also in attendance at the official opening of Zenith Technologies’ US headquarters were Allyson Schwartz, the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 13th congressional district; and Kate Harper and Brendan Boyle – both members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The event in Philadelphia was followed by a visit to the Cleveland Clinic where it was announced that the Irish-based company, i360medical has formed a strategic partnership with the Cleveland Clinic and its Innovation Alliance. Through the partnership, i360medical will represent the European wing of Cleveland Clinic’s Innovation Alliance programme which includes North Shore LIJ, MedStar Health, Promedica and Notre Dame.
Derek Young, founder and CEO of i360medical noted that the collaboration would facilitate the commercialisation of technology and innovative ideas in the healthcare industry using Ireland as a launch pad for emerging companies.
Enterprise Ireland has a long established relationship with the Cleveland Clinic, and the partnership between i360medical and Cleveland Clinic is the result of introductions brokered by Enterprise Ireland.
Following an official tour of Cleveland's top Cardiovascular Hospital and 4th highest ranked healthcare Center in the world, An Taoiseach spent time meeting with a number of Enterprise Ireland companies who are partnering with and winning business from the Cleveland Clinic.
Rigney Dolphin from Waterford operates a successful “Nurse on Call” service for the Clinic. The company has already handled over 12 Million calls by qualified nurses based in Waterford for Ohio patients of the Clinic The indigenous Irish companies: Proxy Biomedical and Creganna-Tactx have recently established US “beachhead operations” in the Cleveland Clinic to access Clinician expertise and business development opportunities in the hospital which has over 40,000 employees.
Frank Ryan; CEO Enterprise Ireland, Dr Brian O’Neill; Enterprise Ireland, Dr Thomas Graham; Cleveland Clinic, An Taoiseach Mr. Enda Kenny T.D., Eddie Goodwin; Enterprise Ireland, Chris Coburn; Cleveland Clinic; Dr Brian Griffin; Cleveland Clinic.
Speaking at an event in Cleveland Clinic, the Taoiseach said: “I strongly welcome this latest successful outcome of the relationship that exists between Ireland and the Cleveland Clinic.
Healthcare and life sciences is a sector that holds particular potential for growth and job creation and is a key sector in the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. This latest alliance is further endorsement of the international calibre of Ireland’s indigenous healthcare sector. The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, is keen to support and promote more strategic international collaborations such as this one to enhance innovation and generate break-through research. I trust that this will be a mutually beneficial alliance for both i360 Medical and Cleveland Clinic that will yield significant benefits for both organisations.”
During the Philadelphia visit the Taoiseach also discussed Enterprise Ireland’s planned Life Science Trade Mission to Pennsylvania mid next year to introduce Irish Pharma and Med Device companies to the significant cluster in Pennsylvania where over 80% of the world’s big pharma have operations.
Pioneering research and development by a new Limerick based Irish genetics company, GenCell Biosystems, has achieved major recognition from an international syndicate of investors and Enterprise Ireland in a €2.7m (USD $3.5m) seed funding round which will now see the company continue to expand its international operations.
Dr. Kieran Curran, founder and CEO of Limerick based GenCell Biosystems, pictured with Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Minister Richard Bruton, T.D.
Pioneering research and development by a new Limerick based Irish genetics company, GenCell Biosystems, has achieved major recognition from an international syndicate of investors and Enterprise Ireland in a €2.7m (USD $3.5m) seed funding round which will now see the company continue to expand its international operations.
Founded by its CEO, Dr. Kieran Curran, GenCell has developed a highly advanced genetic analysis technology that addresses key life science challenges. It has prototyped a new ‘Composite Liquid Cell’ diagnostic system. This mirrors nature by performing molecular biology within inert synthetic cells. The GenCell system uses microfluidic processes and special light wavelengths to automatically analyse DNA profiles and to predict future growth outcomes in individual cells.
GenCell currently employs 29 staff - mainly PhDs and postgraduates in areas including molecular biology, engineering, software and business management. The company has established an 18,000 sq ft facility at Raheen in Limerick. It will recruit a further 20 highly qualified staff and also intends establishing an operation in the United States in the current year. GenCell has also formally filed US patent applications and plans to enter full commercial production of its technologies by 2014.
Until now, this type of analysis process has typically involved an intensive use of multiple resources. GenCell’s new system brings the various stages of genetic analysis into a single process. It also allows users to massively increase the quantity and speed of data processed in the genetic DNA analysis of biological samples at an unprecedented rate.
With initial applications proving successful in the field of plant and animal related diagnostics, the company has already gained a number of major international customers.
The Learnovate Centre and the Innovation Value Institute, two centres of excellence in learning within Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland’s Technology Centre Programme, joined forces in October to discuss the challenges facing the education and learning industries at the European Learning Industry Group’s annual meeting.
L-R: Martyn Farrows, Centre Director, Learnovate Centre; Richard Straub, Secretary General, European Learning Industry Group; and Martin Curley, IVI Co-Director, Intel Vice President and Director Intel Labs Europe
The Learnovate Centre and the Innovation Value Institute, two centres of excellence in learning within Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland’s Technology Centre Programme, joined forces in October to discuss the challenges facing the education and learning industries at the European Learning Industry Group’s annual meeting.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the European Learning Industry Group’s (ELIG) annual two-day meeting was held in Dublin, hosted by the Learnovate Centre, Enterprise Ireland and Intel Ireland. The event brought together leading industry experts, policy-makers and academic specialists from across Europe to discuss the future of learning technologies and innovation in learning.
ELIG is an open industry group with members representing the full value chain of services, products and solutions to support and promote knowledge and learning advancement throughout Europe.
The theme of this year’s event was: “Towards the Next Decade of Innovation for Learning and Knowledge”. The meeting reflected briefly on the achievements within eLearning over the last decade and then brought into focus the opportunities that lie ahead.
The event provided an ideal opportunity to introduce the newly launched Learnovate Centre to a core audience within the learning industry.
Speaking at the opening of ELIG’s annual meeting, Dr Martyn Farrows, Centre Director of the Learnovate Centre said: “The Learnovate Centre is tasked with enhancing the competitive advantage of the Irish learning industry and this important event provides us with a great opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities of this with the key stakeholder groups.”
Gearóid Mooney, Director of ICT Commercialisation at Enterprise Ireland added: “The event provides a unique forum to focus the research agendas of two important technology centres in order to generate innovative opportunities and build the competitive advantage of Irish industry within the global eLearning sector.”
Enterprise Ireland has established a new €500,000 Competitive Start Fund for Female Entrepreneurs aimed at stimulating high potential female-led business start-ups.
Pictured at the launch are (l-r): Leonora O’Brien, Pharmapod, Mary Kelly, Feepay, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland Executive Director, Global Business Development.
The Fund is part of a drive by Enterprise Ireland to boost the number of innovative, export-oriented businesses being set up and led by female entrepreneurs.
The funding call will be open for applications until the 3rd of December 2012 to female-led start-ups in Manufacturing and Internationally Traded Services including Internet, Games, Apps, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Lifesciences, Food, Consumer Products, Medical Devices and e-Health.
The Competitive Start Fund for Female Entrepreneurs provides female-led companies with critical early stage funding to test the market for their products and services and progress their business plans for the global marketplace. Up to 10 companies are expected to benefit under this round of funding, and up to €500,000 is available.
The fund is aimed at businesses with the potential to become a High Growth Potential Start-up (HPSU). These are companies that can develop scalable innovative technologies, products or services for sale on world markets. We are seeking to support projects that are likely to achieve significant growth in three to four years (sales of €1m per annum and employment of 10 or more) or, where a company is required to have FDA or CE approval, to have €1 million in sales within three years of approval to sell.
This announcement follows the launch in June of the Enterprise Ireland Competitive Feasibility Fund for Female Entrepreneurs. This attracted over 100 applications and will now see 20 female-led businesses receiving feasibility funding to investigate the viability of new growth orientated businesses which can succeed in global markets.
Together with the new Competitive Start Fund, they mark another step in the delivery of a key measure under the Action Plan for Jobs 2012 aimed at supporting growth in female entrepreneurship.
Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland Executive Director, Global Business Development, said: ‘The development of high-potential start-up businesses is core to Enterprise Ireland’s role in developing sustainable export-oriented companies. We see this new fund as a strategic investment in female-led start ups. It will support them to expand their business horizons and set up innovative international companies that can win business abroad and create jobs at home’.
Enterprise Ireland’s trade mission to Brazil, 8-11 October, the largest ever to the leading country in Latin America, was a big success for the participating 42 Irish companies and education institutions.
Pictured is President of Ireland Michael D Higgins meeting Geraldo Alckmin, Governor of Sao Paulo, at Bandeirantes Palace,in Sao Paulo, Brasil.
Enterprise Ireland’s trade mission to Brazil, 8-11 October, the largest ever to the leading country in Latin America, was a big success for the participating 42 Irish companies and education institutions. During the trade mission, which was led by Joe Costello TD, Minister for Trade and Development, two Irish companies opened new facilities, six Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between leading Irish and Brazilian Universities and Institutes of Technology, and a landmark education and research agreement, Science without Borders, was signed that will see 4,000 under-graduate Brazilian students study in Ireland over the next four years. Substantial new export contracts were also secured by a number of participating companies.
As part of the State visit to Latin America, President Michael D Higgins joined the trade mission in Sao Paulo and Brasilia. The presence of both President Higgins and Minister Costello on the trade mission demonstrates the importance the Irish Government places on Brazil as a future trading partner. Brazil is now ranked the sixth largest economy in the world. All events on the trade mission were aimed at opening doors for Irish companies and paving the way for more Irish exports into Brazil. The mission was organised and run in close co-operation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Irish Embassy in Brasilia.
In addition to the education and research agreement under the Science without Borders scholarship programme, significant commercial agreements and contracts were agreed by a number of companies including Galway company HygenX and global company Kimberly Clarke in the healthcare area, and Dublin company Daon and Montreal Informatica, a leading player in biometric security.
Minister Costello opened the new Synergy Laboratory in Sao Paulo, a subsidiary of Cork company, Carbery Group, which dramatically enhances Carbery´s potential to market its ingredients and flavours in Brazil. Kerry-based Fexco announced the opening of a new office in Sao Paulo. In addition, Minister Costello held a number of one-to-one meetings with Irish companies and their Brazilian partners including: Mantis Cranes, Donegal and Rossi Residencial CPS, Tuam, Co. Galway and Transitions Optical Brandtone, Dublin and Brazil Foods Combilift, Monaghan and Case New Holland Prodieco, Dublin and Eurofarma
According to Kevin Sherry, Head of International Sales and Partnering, Enterprise Ireland:
‘The trade mission was a significant success for participating companies and education institutes. Brazil is a significant and growing market where Irish companies are already successfully doing business, carving out a strong reputation for Irish products and services. Growth in Enterprise Ireland backed companies’ exports to Brazil were 29% in 2010 and 43% in 2011 and the outlook for the remainder of 2012 and 2013 is very promising. Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting more companies break into this market and also has plans to bring a substantial inward buyer group from Brazil to Ireland during 2013.
‘The impact of export success in markets such as Brazil on the Irish economy is significant. Indigenous Irish companies are responsible for the direct and indirect employment of more than 300,000 people in every town and village in Ireland. The performance of Irish exporters in Brazil is to be commended. Enterprise Ireland will continue to provide every support to Irish companies to secure more business in Brazil and Latin America, boosting the economy and sustaining and creating much needed jobs in Ireland.’
Fourteen of Ireland’s leading and most innovative food and lifesciences companies took part in a week-long Enterprise Ireland Functional Foods and Lifesciences trade mission to Japan led by the Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock TD.
Fourteen of Ireland’s leading and most innovative food and lifesciences companies took part in a week-long Enterprise Ireland Functional Foods and Lifesciences trade mission to Japan led by the Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock TD.
Enterprise Ireland organised this focused mission as there is particular potential for growth in these sectors in Japan. The Japanese market for functional foods is estimated to be worth €8.13billion with drinking yogurts the largest sub-sector at €2.5billion. Meanwhile, Japan is the second largest pharmaceutical and medical device market in the world valued at $96billion in 2010.
Announcing the mission Minister Sherlock said:
“The innovative quality of Ireland’s food and lifesciences products, the strong Japanese demand and the active interest of Irish companies in doing business in Japan all combine to create significant potential for winning new business during this mission.
“I am also conscious of the significance of the Japanese market for Irish goods and services which presents many opportunities for Irish companies. In 2011 Ireland exported nearly 3bn worth of goods and services to Japan making it our 11th largest export market. A large proportion of our goods exports were accounted for by products in the pharmachem/medical devices sectors”, Minister Sherlock concluded.
The mission involved key meetings between Irish companies and potential Japanese partners such as Suntory, Meiji, Terumo and Astellas Pharma as well as a Food Innovation Seminar and a Lifesciences Seminar for Irish and Japanese companies.
During the mission, Luxcel Biosciences Ltd, a University College Cork spin-out signed a distribution agreement for the distribution of its products in the Japanese pharma and academic markets. The agreement was signed with Shigematsu Co. Ltd, a large Japanese trading servicing the pharma, diagnostics, chemical, food, electronics, universities and public institutions within the food, retail and chemical sectors.
Luxcel is a specialist producer of high-achieving, non-invasive optical sensors that monitor oxygen levels in food, beverage and pharmaceutical packaging.
Welcoming the announcement Minister Sherlock said: “Luxcel’s innovative and scientifically advanced products are ideal for the Japanese lifesciences market. I strongly congratulate Luxcel on securing this important distribution agreement which will enable them to secure even greater penetration and grow their business in this very important, high potential market.”
Richard Fernandes, CEO of Luxcel added:
“Japan is a market with enormous potential, particularly for innovative, technically driven products such as the sensors and related biological and analytical tests and solutions for cell biology, food & beverage safety and packaging research and development that Luxcel develop. Securing such a strong and established partner in Shigematsu speaks volumes for the technologies we offer and is vital when penetrating such a complex market space”
Irish marine science and technology company TechWorks Marine, Enterprise Ireland client, has secured a contract to lead a European Space Agency (ESA) research project on monitoring coastal outlets.
Pictured at the announcement (l-r): Mark Doherty, ESA; Seán Sherlock T.D. Minister for Research and Innovation; Charlotte O'Kelly, CEO TechWorks Marine, Pierre Eymery, CEO Veolia Ireland
Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin-based TechWorks Marine is to lead the ESA Earth Observation project. Earth Observation is the gathering of information about the earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems from satellites orbiting the planet. This new ESA project is specifically working on the coastal effect of waste water treatment plants in Ireland, notably in Donegal Bay.
This is the first time an ESA Earth Observation project has been led by an Irish group and is the culmination of four years’ work by TechWorks Marine. The project was secured with support from Enterprise Ireland which is the co-ordinating body for the ESA in Ireland.
Speaking at the announcement Minister of State for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, TD, said that the win was a “significant” one for TechWorks Marine. “It clearly indicates that Irish SMEs have the capability and expertise to lead projects in this highly competitive sector,” he said.
TechWorks Marine specialises in the development of real-time marine data platforms. These are used by Governments and businesses to manage the oceans surrounding their countries and business operations.
Charlotte O’Kelly, Managing Director of TechWorks Marine explained: “The coastal zone is a notoriously complex area to monitor from space due to its proximity to land and also sensor pixel resolution of the images. However, improvements in sensor technology, mean it is now possible to develop Earth Observation products specifically aimed at areas of coastal activity. These products can be used to analyse the effect of waste water treatment plant outfalls in the coastal environment, or ensure that water close to the intakes of desalination plants does not have harmful algal blooms which could be a health hazard to humans.”
Ireland’s membership of ESA is funded by the Irish Government and is managed by Enterprise Ireland. Membership of ESA enables Irish companies’ and research institutes to participate in ESA programmes and secure valuable contracts for technology developments that can be commercially exploited. Enterprise Ireland’s role is to assist Irish entities to successfully bid for ESA contracts and help them exploit their technologies in the commercial space and non-space markets.
Ireland’s reliance on domestic demand should be a thing of the past. This was signalled by the results of a new survey by Enterprise Ireland and Deloitte which found that almost three quarters (72%) of Irish CEOs see overseas markets as far more significant to Ireland’s economic recovery than the local economy, believing that greater participation in these markets will speed up the process.
Pictured are at the CEO Forum launch are (l-r): Frank Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise Ireland, Brendan Jennings Managing Partner, Deloitte and keynote speakers Louise Phelan, Vice President, PayPal and Fidelma McGuirk, Managing Director, Taxback.com
Ireland’s reliance on domestic demand should be a thing of the past. This was signalled by the results of a new survey by Enterprise Ireland and Deloitte which found that almost three quarters (72%) of Irish CEOs see overseas markets as far more significant to Ireland’s economic recovery than the local economy, believing that greater participation in these markets will speed up the process. The survey was carried out on 365 CEOs registered to attend this year’s CEO Forum hosted by Enterprise Ireland and Deloitte.
According to Frank Ryan, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, “The record export sales achieved by Irish companies in recent years clearly show that investing in internationalisation delivers for Irish companies. We continue to support existing Irish exporters in securing overseas business but, knowing the opportunity that’s out there, we are also ramping up our efforts with more potential exporters to help them realise the opportunities that exist for them beyond domestic market.” Brendan Jennings, Managing Partner, Deloitte, added: “There is a growing realisation within Irish businesses that even relatively small firms need to be more focused on the opportunities abroad and less on the traditional home market”.
The survey also identified that only 21% of business leaders believe that Ireland will return to consistent strong GDP growth in 2013, while two thirds (67%) envisage that scenario during 2014.
The primary focus of the CEO Forum is to create an opportunity for chief executives to discuss what they perceive to be the major issues facing their companies and Irish businesses. The forum provides a unique opportunity for CEOs to share information, air their views and hear, first-hand, the experiences of some of Ireland’s leading CEOs, who talk about their businesses and the challenges they face both nationally and internationally.
“Growth is on the Horizon” was the theme of this year’s event and the speakers included: Louise Phelan, Vice President, Global Operations EMEA, PayPal, Fidelma McGuirk, Managing Director, Taxback.com, Chris Martin, Chief Executive, Musgraves and Colm McCarthy, Lecturer in Economics at UCD.
October brought us great news for the Irish economy with the historic announcement by Kerry Group that they are to invest €100million in developing a Global Technology and Innovation Centre in Kildare. The move will create of 800 permanent and 400 temporary construction jobs.
Pictured: Frank Ryan, CEO Enterprise Ireland, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore TD and Stan McCarthy, CEO Kerry Group
October brought us great news for the Irish economy with the historic announcement by Kerry Group that they are to invest €100million in developing a Global Technology and Innovation Centre in Kildare. The move will create of 800 permanent and 400 temporary construction jobs.
Located on a 28 acre site in the Millennium Business Park, Naas, Kerry Group’s new campus will accommodate 800 people in 2015 and a further 100 positions when fully commissioned by mid-2016.
The new Kerry Global Technology & Innovation Centre will also include Kerry Ingredients & Flavours global and EMEA regional management, 1 Kerry Global Business Services and support functions.
Food is Ireland’s number one export sector and critically important to our economy and to export-led growth. This is the largest single investment in food innovation ever by a company in Ireland, and puts Ireland firmly at the forefront of global food innovation. The €100m investment will be part-funded by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.
The new flagship global technology and customer innovation centre will serve as a key focal point for Kerry’s customer engagement activities providing strategic customers with access to the Group’s complete breadth and depth of technologies, scientific research, innovation and applications expertise across food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets.
Welcoming the announcement, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mr Richard Bruton TD said:
“This is the largest single investment in food innovation ever by a company in Ireland, and puts Ireland firmly at the forefront of global food innovation. The fact that this is the work of an Irish company will help raise the ambitions of other Irish companies to become world-leaders in their own fields. Through implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs I am determined to continue improving supports to Irish enterprises so that we can see more businesses aiming high and creating the jobs we need”.
Commenting on the announcement Frank Ryan, CEO of Enterprise Ireland said:
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to support this significant investment by Kerry Group. It represents tremendous vision and determination on the part of the company’s management team to bring a project of this scale to fruition.
