Ireland 4.0

Leaving Dublin last month, headed back to Boston, I encountered a basket of stuffed leprechauns and adorable sheep ... one last chance to grab a piece of Duty-Free and a vestige of old Ireland. Thankfully, the days when Ireland markets itself with shamrocks and stuffies is largely gone, but as the travel season ramps up, I wonder how many tourists are aware of what really drives the modern Irish economy?

Ireland of today is a hub of innovation, with low 4.8% unemployment, a thriving MedTech ecosystem, comprising 300+ companies and employing 40K people, Silicon Docks, home to numerous IT companies, world-class research institutes and a strong public-private industry support network. I've been visiting Ireland since I was small enough to fit in a bulkhead bassinet and now my visits are a blend of pints with family and equally fun visits with professional colleagues.

On my last trip, I finally had the privilege to finally meet in-person the team at the Irish Manufacturing Research facility in Mullingar along Tim Noone from the Malone Group. We came together, virtually, this time two years ago to collaborate on developing emergency ventilators. IMR brought the research team and Malone deep expertise in developing factory automation systems. This visit gave me a chance to see a side of Ireland that is a significant source of employment - manufacturing - and a partnership model for advancing that sector.

The IMR team graciously shared with me a sample of their projects to upskill Irish companies wishing to incorporate additive manufacturing, Industry 4.0 technologies, flexible robotics, private 5G communication infrastructures and process monitoring into their facilities. Some of their projects focus on specific challenges, such as an improved process for assembling Airbus wing panels, and others are more general, such as miniature “factories” that can be rolled onto a truck for onsite training in sensors and process planning. Many more case studies to read here!

IMR is a public-private partnership, backed by the government of Ireland and their industry members. The model is highly flexible, comprising sponsored research projects, in-house ideation and development, workforce training and specialty consulting. Their pan-industry perspective, collaborative structure and hands-on capabilities are fundamentally different from typical research institutes or trade organizations. Small companies, with a unitary technical problem, and large companies with diverse businesses, are equally at home. IMR should serve as a model for other countries or regions wishing to support high-tech and high-performance manufacturing.

It's worth noting that in Ireland 260K people, or 12% of employment, is in the manufacturing sector. Compare this to the UK where only 8% of jobs are in manufacturing. Why does this matter? As a mechanical engineer, I still believe that manufacturing, not just services, must be a core element of any robust economy and IMR is an example of an important supporting element and a good model for other regions.

A very big thanks to Peter Purcell, Niall Aughney and Tim Noone as the instigators and everyone who came in on a wet Friday to meet with me!