Visit by Taoiseach on Engineering Manufacturing was Best Ever EGA Event

 

The EGA Autumn Panel Discussion which was led by An Taoiseach has been hailed by many senior engineers as the 'best ever EGA event'. There is no doubt that it was one of the most extraordinary Engineering events I witnessed in my lifetime. That coupled with the iconic Engineers Ireland Annual Conference in the new Titanic building in Belfast at the 2012 Titanic Centenary.  

An Taoiseach is greeted on arrival by EGA President PJ Rudden, UCD President, Dr. Hugh Brady and UCD Dean of Engineering,  Professor Gerry Byrne



We witnessed such a unique combination of Innovation Design Manufacture and Marketing experience and plain sensible savvy laid out so graphically for a Head of Government. We saw an Taoiseach take such copious notes that he was able to respond point by point to the 4 Panel Speakers. It was real democracy in action before our eyes and tremendous performances by both the Taoiseach and by our Panel in their interaction.

The 'warm up' act before the Taoiseach's arrival was filled at short notice by UCD Engineering Vice Principal for Research and Innovation Professor Tony Fegan. He described in some detail the UCD Research effort concentrating on the diverse number of 'spin out' companies like BiancaMed, APC and others.

UCD Engineering Vice President for Research and Innovation Professor Tony Fegan

The Taoiseach arrived in good form after Leaders Questions in the Dail and wasn't long telling me that he wanted to see some 'action points' out of the Panel Discussion. I promised him that he would not be disappointed and I don't now believe he was. He himself left with his own very clear list of Action Points following the extended Debate.  

EGA President PJ Rudden, Prof. Gerry Byrne, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Dr. Hugh Brady Dean of Engineering

I welcomed him as a Taoiseach who was finally leading us back to be masters of our own destiny as a people. Engineering Manufacturing was leading the national recovery through the export of our food, biomedical, pharma, ICT and other engineering products. Indigenous manufacturing represented some 50% of total manufacturing in Ireland - a little known fact when all the media emphasis is on FDI manufacturing which is also an essential but not the only ingredient in our industrial mix.

'This Government's top priority is jobs' the Taoiseach said in his speech 'a strong manufacturing sector is essential to growing our exports to sustain and create jobs in innovative, home-grown businesses as well as in foreign companies who locate in Ireland'.

The Panel Speakers, four leading manufacturing entrepreneurs from the four corners of Ireland then gave their presentations.



An Taoiseach with the panel of speakers L ro R: Philip O'Doherty, E&I Engineering, Martin Mc Vicar, Combilift,  Edmond Harty, Dairmaster and Ian Quinn Creganna Taxtc Medical

Ian Quinn in his presentation called for a stable environment to allow manufacturing which has a future in Ireland. Short term jobs will come from small indigenous businesses. Long term jobs will come from innovative Irish enterprises'

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny listens intently to Ian Quinn

'Manufacturing is sustainable in Ireland' said Martin McVicar 'it is better to be a big company in a small niche market than a small company in a big market. There needs to be a close link between R&D and Sales/Marketing and we have a relatively short time to market'. Manufacturing long load and specialised forklifts, he has grown employment from 160 in 2009 to 275 in 2013 and hopes to grow to 400+ by 2018.

Philip O'Doherty is in the electrical switchgear export business from Donegal has 475 staff in Ireland and 220 staff in Dubai. He promoted lean manufacturing and working with the education sector to produce highly skilled employees including showing local schools around his factory.

Edmond Harty employs over 300 staff making automatic milking machines. 'Innovation is the key' he said 'we are about making dairy farming more profitable, more enjoyable and more sustainable. Universities should be demonstrating the value and validating the performance of products. This would help exports. I can't get the people with the right skills in Ireland'.

Full attendance for Panel Discussion in Clinton Auditorium

A number of the speakers spoke of the support to FDI companies whereas there should be more State supports for indigenous Irish firms.

UCD Dean of Engineering Gerry Byrne then gave the Response to the Panel Discussion and spoke of the need to internationalise manufacturing education and practice calling the new cyber world the 'Internet of Things'. This was akin to the 4th generation industrial revolution which is now creating transformational in the way we manufacture and go about our business. Colleges like UCD are adapting to these new challenges and will continue to do this. Gerry was recently Chairman of the Irish Academy of Engineering national report on 'The Future of Manufacturing in Ireland' which he presented to the Taoiseach.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny listening to Professor Gerry Byrne's response to Panel Discussion

All through this the Taoiseach took extensive notes and then gave an unscheduled but very welcome and detailed response to what had been said. 'You four people represent the future of manufacturing and you have direct access now to the Head of Government. We hear what you are saying and we will investigate and act further if it creates new jobs for our people. I want to ensure jointed up Government thinking to ensure that we are acting correctly and efficiently. The Government through our Action Plan for Jobs will continue to support measures that will capitalise on our advantages - our people, our proximity to key markets and our pro-business policies.'

An Taoiseach wishing to reply in detail to the Panel Discussion

Taoiseach responds to Panel Discussion

 There was a very full and appreciative audience at the event including the Chairman of Enterprise Ireland Terence O'Rourke and its Director of Cleantech Industry and Global Markets Tom Kelly whose efforts were praised by a number of the Panel Speakers. The audience had many questions about industrial policy to which members of the panel replied.

At the UCD Panel Discussion were Professor Gerry Byrne,
Chairman of Enterprise Ireland Terence O'Rourke, PJ Rudden and Dr. Liam Connellan

Feedback on email, Twitter and Facebook concerning the event has been most positive and also personally by many who attended and thought it a most entertaining and inspiring event. I'm sure that the Taoiseach will bring his first hand knowledge to the relevant Ministers and what he learned to bear at many future educational and job creation events he will attend.

Thanks to UCD President Hugh Brady, Professor Gerry Byrne, Michael Redmond Buildings Officer, EGA Administrator Clare Davidson and security officers for permission and assistance in making the event such a unqualified success in the view of those who attended.

EGA President PJ Rudden with UCD Engineering Graduates at the Panel Discussion

"Manufacturing is a key part of the Governments Action Plan for jobs and is a driving force behind Ireland's economic growth" says Taoiseach

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD will lead the UCD Engineering Graduates Association Autumn Panel Discussion on Manufacturing on October 22nd next starting at 6pm in the Clinton Auditorium Belfield (beside Engineering Building). Manufacturing is very topical at present. What is not generally known is that indigenous firms produce about 50% of total Manufacturing in Ireland; the balance produced by foreign direct investment (FDI) firms from abroad who are also very welcome to Ireland.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny, EGA President PJ Rudden and UCD President, DR. Hugh Brady at the centenary of the old UCD Engineering building (now the Taoiseach's office) 

The Taoiseach will be greeted on arrival by UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady, Dean of Engineering, Professor Gerry Byrne and myself. The Taoiseach will meet our distinguished Panel of Speakers from around Ireland - Ian Quinn of Creganna-Tactx Medical, Galway, Martin McVicar, Combilift, Clontibret Monaghan, Philip O'Doherty, E&I Engineering, Burnfoot, Donegal and Edmond Harty, Dairymaster Causeway, Co Kerry - who will tell their story of economic development and job creation - all from small beginnings each to national and international success stories.

Who would have thought that a small start-up company in North Kerry would be manufacturing and exporting 500 automatic milking machine installations in modular radial shape to farmers in China each year?

And hands up who knows what the function of the Dairymaster Moo Monitor is? Well, if you want to know, you will have to attend the Panel Discussion on October 22nd at 6pm.

I first came across this firm at an Engineers Ireland regional meeting in Tralee IT, some 2 years ago and have since marvelled ever since at their achievements. It was no surprise to me when Dr. Edmond Harty won the 2012 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year.

The four speakers represent the biomedical, transport, electrical and agri-food engineering industries respectively. Our manufacturing output grew in early 2013 and already represents about a quarter of our GDP, according to the World Bank. Most of the markets for our products are international to the BRIC developing countries especially China and to Europe also.

Dr. Edmond Harty, Dairymaster

 

Philip O'Doherty, E&I Engineering

Ian Quinn, Creganna Tactx Medical

Martin McVicar, Combilift

All of our four speakers are leading global players in their niche areas and have been assisted in their development by Enterprise Ireland. Two of our speakers are winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Martin McVicar and Edmond Harty. Ian Quinn is Ireland's leading indigenous manufacturer of biomedical products employing some 800 people and Philip O'Doherty employs some 675 people making electrical products on Malin Head Co Donegal.

As I've stated in many other fora, engineering graduates of UCD and other colleges are leading the national economic recovery in manufacturing exports - both indigenous and FDI companies. To grow our way out of recession we need more of both type companies producing products and services out of Ireland.



Manufacturing

The foundation of a successful manufacturing nation is our educational system. We need to build more of an entrepreneurial class of innovators who can challenge leading national and international brands in the same way as Coca Cola, VW, Siemens and others who have become household names. In this regard the German model of industrial training needs serious appraisal and adoption in Ireland.

Richness in education and economic planning leads to Innovation, Enterprise and Jobs. I'm delighted to see that the Department of Finance under Secretary General John Moran, is leading a new generation of national economic planning similar to the early exercises 50 years ago. That exercise together with the necessary structural reforms in education and training will see us ready as a nation to adopt innovative and competitive methods of manufacture as the Irish economy recovers to steady growth and employment levels.

This promises to be an interesting and exciting evening in over 2 weeks time. All are welcome regardless of profession or occupational status as job creation in Ireland must be a shared experience of all our people.

Medical Stent

Engineers Picnic a Great Success

The Engineers Picnic has been judged a great success by the large crowd who attended. The weather was not as 'fantastic' as forecast earlier in the week but it settled into a lovely evening in the Rose Garden after the initial drops of rain at the start.

People enjoying the Picnic!

We are very grateful to our Sponsors Eircom Networks, ESB and Eirgrid for their support and to our superb Picnic Committee of Karina O'Neill, Angela Treanor, Robyn Kelly and Tony O'Brien for their very hard work and dedication to see it through to such an acknowledged success. Thanks to UCD for the use of the fabulous Rose Garden - a little known amenity on the Belfield Campus beside Belfield House now known as the Clinton Institute.



Karina O'Neill & Robyn Kelly



The quality of the BBQ by With Taste Catering was excellent and the music by TradSoc in the Rose Garden and JazzSoc in the Clinton Auditorium played tastefully in the background. We are indebted to the Class of 1988 who came in large numbers including members from both UK and the US.



JazzSoc playing at the picnic



TradSoc playing at the picnic

  

Some friends from the Class of 1988

We are also indebted to the Energy Needs Ireland (ENI) students of Electrical Engineering led by Professor Mark O'Malley who had a superb multifaceted exhibition expertly manned in turn by most of their 21 enthusiastic members.

PJ Rudden, Mark O'Malley and ENI Students

These are highly talented 21 undergraduate students from universities throughout Ireland who are spending the Summer of 2013 working on the technical, business and social aspects of projects that are related to the "Smart Grid". The group will make unbiased findings on their views of the future for these projects.

The group includes mostly electrical/electronic engineering students but also students of theoretical physics, earth sciences, commerce, mechanical engineering, chemistry drawn from UCD, UCC, TCD, UL and QUB. It’s great to see this interdisciplinary approach with engineers not just talking and conferring with themselves but interactive and drawing expertise from other professional disciplines. This is how 'big picture' problems get solved in today's world and ENI is an excellent formative model for the students involved. 

ENI Students examining Energy Policies

A number of people who attended the Picnic were greatly taken by the ENI exhibition and students particularly by the enthusiasm with which they displayed their research, their ability to communicate and their thirst for knowledge and innovation. I too was bowled over by their individual and collective performance. Their practical demonstration as to how a Smart Meter works to save energy in the home is a good example that these students know who their real audience must be - John and Mary Citizen! - and how best to communicate this message.  I regard the ENI Exhibition as the highlight of the 2013 Engineers Picnic.

The ENI project is conducted with the financial support of Science Foundation Ireland and the Electricity Research Centre (ERC) in University College Dublin in collaboration with the Smart Grid Innovation Hub. ENI was set up by the ERC in 2007 and has operated every second year with growing success from an initial handful of students to 21 motivated young people from across Ireland in 2013.

Back to the Picnic itself! There was an excellent cross section of generations and ages there as the photographs clearly show and a lot of 'third generation' families not seen previously at an EGA event or indeed in UCD. 





Mother with future engineer???



'I'm really enjoying this picnic!'

Maria Blair, Gerry Byrne, Anne Morrissey, Seamus McCague, Anne-Marie McCague, PJ Rudden & Domhnall Blair

The event was briefly and dramatically interrupted by the landing of a giant cardinal red Sikorsky helicopter from the Irish Coastguard Search and Rescue Team bringing a man on a stretcher from where he was rescued on a Wicklow mountainside to a waiting ambulance on the UCD athletics track beside the Rose Garden.

When asked what was happening I was tempted to tell people that 'Its Pope Francis coming to the Picnic as he's a Chemical Engineer'! 'Habemus Papem' in our profession as our eminent EGA Founder Emeritus Professor John Kelly recently put it so well in the Engineers Journal!

Everyone who attended got a copy of the new Engineers Newsletter July 2013 to bring home - also a notice on the forthcoming EGA Panel Discussion on 'Engineering Manufacturing and Job Creation in Ireland' which will be opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny at 6pm on October 22nd next.




Liam Connellan & Friends

  

UCD Engineering Graduates



Mc Carthy's, O'Brien's & PJ Rudden outside the Clinton Institute

An Taoiseach to Open UCD EGA Panel Discussion on 'Manufacturing Engineering and Job Creation'

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD will open the UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) Autumn Panel Discussion on 'Manufacturing Engineering and Job Creation' on October 22nd 2013. This is in recognition of the importance of the manufacturing sector to our current job creation and export drive.
The Panel Discussion will be addressed by leading national and international engineers in the manufacturing space including some of Ireland's leading entrepreneurs.

The Taoiseach recently opened the 5,250 sq metre NexusUCD Research and Innovation Centre together with the offices of ResMed a leading international company in the sensor technology business. 'By providing innovation in Irish business and education we will make Irish high-value products and services more attractive across the world' the Taoiseach said 'Building closer links between industry and higher education institutions will be essential if Ireland is to be promoted as the 'innovation island.'
 


An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD at the opening of the NexusUCD

 At the launch, UCD Vice President for Innovation Peter Clinch demonstrated the UCD ambition in this area. He said that 'the university is actively supporting the transition to a sustainable Irish economy based on innovation, education, enterprise and exports'.

ResMed is an Irish company formed out of innovative engineering research in UCD. Both itself and its predecessor company Bianca Med were founded by UCD research engineers Dr. Conor Hanley and Professor Conor Heneghan who studied chemical and electronic engineering respectively. Their initial research was to invent sleep monitoring technology which became a world leader in non contact sleep and breathing. You can imagine how this transformed the remote monitoring of sleep and breathing in the home especially for babies and the older generation.

Pictured at the launch Dr. Conor Hanley of ResMed, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and UCD Vice President for Innovation Peter Clinch

Dr. Conor Hanley of ResMed was delighted with the new research facilities in NexusUCD. 'We chose to site our new office in NexusUCD because of the excellent facilities available and its proximity to UCD and affiliated hospitals. Together they deliver an ecosystem that is vital to our innovation and growth' he explained.

The EGA Panel Discussion will further illustrate and explore the engineering innovation that is helping to drive our economic recovery. A further example of this in the agricultural engineering area is Dairymaster in Tralee, Co. Kerry, who manufacture automatic milking machines for the export market in China. Dr. Edmond Harty CEO of Dairymaster is a mechanical engineer who has a PhD from UCD in the area of milking performance in dairy farming. Edmond won the Ernst & Young 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

So please put the date of October 22nd in your diary for the Panel Discussion on 'Manufacturing Engineering and Job Creation' commencing with An Taoiseach at 7pm in the Clinton Auditorium. It will be preceded by the UCD EGA Annual General Meeting at 5.30pm.