Irish Aviation House at Dubai Airshow

How innovative Irish companies are leading the world in aviation

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Every industry has been affected by the twin challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit, but it’s fair to say that one of the industries affected the most by the pandemic, in particular, is aviation. Eighteen months of grounded fleets, changing restrictions, lockdowns and reduced capacity took its toll on the industry resulting in redundancies, closures and mass disruption.

But travel remains a necessity in today’s business world, and thankfully things are finally looking up for global aviation. Mass vaccination programmes and the easing of restrictions mean that people are once again travelling abroad, and there has even been reports of pent-up demand in both business and leisure travel. While virtual platforms kept the business world ticking over during the pandemic, there appears to be a general realisation that these could never replace the power of face-to-face meetings – thus resulting in a big increase in air transit activity once restrictions were eased.

But while some semblance of normality has returned, it’s fair to say that the pandemic has resulted in huge changes for the industry.

“Companies and stakeholders are now looking for innovative solutions to substantial challenges in many areas,” says Alan O’Mahony, International Market Advisor in the Middle East and North Africa.

“With a strong and growing ecosystem that covers virtually every area of the sector, Irish companies can now offer a compelling package of solutions for every challenge faced by global aviation companies.”

 

A proud tradition

It’s no surprise that Ireland is leading the way once more as aviation enters a new age. Our long and proud history in aviation dates way back to when pioneering aviators Alcock and Brown landed in Ireland after the world’s first transatlantic flight. We also introduced the concept of duty free shopping to the world at Shannon Airport in the 1940s. Most significantly, Ireland’s Guinness Peat Aviation launched the concept of aircraft leasing in the 1970s – today Ireland commands around 60% of the global leasing market, with more than 50 aircraft leasing companies with a presence in Ireland.

 In more recent years, the concept of low-cost flying was pioneered by Ryanair in the 1990s, turning the airline into Europe’s largest by passenger numbers. We have also produced some of the most important people in global aviation today, including Alan Joyce, Chief Executive of Qantas Airways; Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA; and Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair.

 Today, Ireland is home to a thriving ecosystem of 250 aviation and aerospace companies that spans all aspects of the sector, from maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) to simulation training.

“These companies have proved their resilience and flexibility by producing solutions to some of the most serious and urgent issues faced by the global aviation industry today,” explains Alan. “These include travel tech solutions, such as the world’s first widely adopted mobile health passport, VeriFLY from Daon; technical textiles, such as anti-microbial carpets from aircraft interior experts Botany Weaving; and training and development, such as simulator training for pilots and crews from Simtech Aviation. In addition, Irish MRO operators such as Atlantic Aviation Group, Dublin Aerospace and Eirtech Aviation Services have made acquisitions of facilities in Ireland and the UK to increase their capacity for international business and take advantage of the impending sharp rebound in air travel.”

 

Irish Aviation House at the Dubai Airshow 2021

To demonstrate our strong offerings in aviation’s new dawn, Enterprise Ireland launched the Irish Aviation House at the Dubai Airshow in November, the only international airshow to be held in 2021. This world-class show is known for facilitating thousands of face-to-face meetings, commercial deals and new partnerships. For example, the 2019 Dubai Airshow achieved an order book worth a staggering $54.5 billion.

The Irish Aviation House was a new collaborative concept that brought together the best of Ireland’s aviation and aerospace ecosystem under the one roof. It was designed to showcase the strength of Irish aviation stakeholders in every area of the industry, such as MRO, aircraft interiors, training & recruitment, technology, aerospace manufacturing, drones and, of course, aircraft leasing.

“Our aim was to build stronger ties between Irish aviation and aerospace companies and global aircraft lessors headquartered in Ireland,” says Alan. “We have an incredibly strong complementary offering, which along with our traditional strengths, makes up a truly compelling offer for international airlines and aviation stakeholders. Even before the show, the Irish Aviation House attracted a lot of attention from leading airlines and companies in the Middle East and worldwide.”

The Irish Aviation House proved to be the perfect showcase for innovative Irish companies in the world of aviation; a showcase that was strengthened even further by Enterprise Ireland’s hosting of a symposium event in conjunction with IATA at the Dubai Airshow, which was attended by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar. Attendees included CEOs from some of the world’s biggest airlines, including Emirates, Fly Dubai, Egypt Air, Kenya Airways and Kuwait Airways.

Showcasing such innovative talent in the Irish aviation industry in Dubai cements Ireland’s reputation in global aviation – a reputation that we intend to nurture and grow right into 2022.

 

 

Rising from the ashes

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Photo of Manus Rooney

As industry around the world slowly begins to get back on its feet after an unprecedented period of instability, Manus Rooney, Enterprise Ireland, Country Manager for the DACH region (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), says the green shoots of regrowth are already beginning to take shape.

“Like companies in many countries across Europe and indeed around the world, Irish firms have faced several challenging years with Covid and Brexit and more recently the disruption to supply chains and price increases in raw materials,” he says.

“But despite this, exports to the Eurozone grew in 2020 by 1.6% to €5.85 billion and 23% of Enterprise Ireland supported companies’ exports are to the region. In addition, Ireland was the only EU state in 2020 which experienced positive economic growth. So despite the challenges, there are plenty of opportunities available for Irish companies across the region, which comprises of 440 million people and is the biggest free trading area in the world.”

 

Benefits of being part of the Eurozone

According to Rooney, the single market and customs union is an extension to our domestic market, which is of huge benefit to Irish firms – particularly as the EU is investing over €2 trillion to make Europe greener, more digital, and more resilient.

In addition, each member state has committed investment in a range of their own national priority issues – providing great opportunities to leverage the increase in investment.

“Of course, like a lot of markets around the world, Covid has had a big impact, particularly on travel and tourism – but numbers have shown that Irish companies have been very resilient throughout the pandemic,” he says.

“The region, as a whole, is now in recovery with a lot of strong optimism, which has been fuelled by the opening up of the leisure and tourism sector – and recovery in Asia is driving business across the Eurozone.” says Rooney. 

“Vaccination and the easing of restrictions is also leading to a faster than expected recovery, so the EU and the Eurozone are set to expand at equal rates of 4.8% this year and 4.5% in 2022.”

 

Supports for business

Enterprise Ireland supports clients across its eight offices in the region and while Ireland’s good reputation has traditionally stemmed from our food and drink exports, the region expert says Irish firms are increasingly gaining a reputation for innovation and flexibility.

“A lot of the markets in the region are sophisticated with local incumbents and alternatives so the key, for Irish companies wanting to scale, is to translate this innovation into value and a language the customer understands, which often needs to be tailored market-for-market,” he says.

“Planning is also so important, and we have seen time and time again that companies which take part in our Enter the Eurozone programme or put in the effort to plan early, will reap rewards in the end. This also applies to selecting the right market – not all are the same – so I would encourage SMEs not to focus simply on size but to look at what makes it attractive to them and whether or not they have the resources and skills to access it.

“They should test and validate their findings and then determine the value proposition for the local market by working out who the target customer will be and what they will be looking for. Then they can determine what value they, as a company, can bring to the table, whether that involves benefits around price, speed, simplicity, or compliance. And as nothing happens without resources, plans should be costed and agreed in advance.”

 

Success in the region

While Manus Rooney and his team are on hand to offer advice and support to companies wishing to enter the market in the DACH region, there are already a number Irish firms with a strong foothold in the market.

“There are many Irish companies who have already reached success in the DACH region, and each have taken different approaches to build scale across Europe,” Rooney says. 

“These include Dennison Trailers who have recruited locally and the Watershed Group in Germany, the latter who have grown by acquisition to build and scale quickly.

“In France, PEL Waste Reduction Equipment use a local distributor and recently won a tender with Metropole of Marseille – and in Benelux, Druid Software work with their partner Koning & Hartman – who have enabled them to sell into the Port of Rotterdam.”

 

Opportunity and digital information

It is clear that there is a lot of opportunity for Irish businesses across the Eurozone and Enterprise Ireland is currently running a webinar series, Europe is our Future, the most recent of which looked specifically at Building Sales and Marketing for a European Audience.

“It is very relevant for companies looking to start and scale in the Eurozone,” Rooney explains. “And it uniquely offers insights from both European and Irish company perspectives on how they approached building European sales and marketing capability.

Learn more about Enterprise Ireland’s Enter the Eurozone programme and watch our webinar Europe is our Future: Developing Sales and Marketing for a European Audience.

Net Zero UK – Ready For a Green Future

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The net zero challenge facing the UK will precipitate fundamental changes to the UK economy and to the ways in which business is done.

To help companies understand how these changes will affect their sector and their business, Enterprise Ireland UK has launched “Net Zero UK – Ready for a Green Future”, a new market intelligence initiative for Irish exporters to the UK.

The Enterprise Ireland UK office will be providing focused sectoral insights on the key UK net zero challenges, opportunities, and market developments. This will include analyses on products and services that are at risk of becoming obsolete and an examination of future net zero technology trends and demand areas. This market intelligence will help to inform your company’s strategic business planning and R&D efforts, helping to future-proof your activities in the UK market.

A series of webinars featuring sector-focused sustainability experts, corporate stakeholders and UK net zero policy specialists will take place daily between Tuesday 22nd and Friday 25th June.

Learn more and register below:

 

Webinar – Net Zero UK Overview, Why, When and How? 

Tuesday 22nd June, 15:00 to 16:00

The net zero challenge facing the UK will reform the ways in which business is done. To help Irish exporters understand how these changes will affect their sector and growth, Enterprise Ireland UK and UK net zero experts will host a market insights webinar to examine:

  • The major industry and policy drivers that will accelerate the UK economy towards net zero emissions

  • The impact of the UK’S Sixth Carbon Budget, Green Industrial Strategy and individual corporate net zero plans

  • Key sectoral updates

  • Enterprise Ireland’s organisational climate action strategy

  • Green initiatives such as the €10 million Climate Enterprise Action Fund

Register today

 

Net Zero UK webinar series

Net Zero UK Overview – Introductory Session   – 22nd June 15:00-16:00 

Getting to the start line of the race to Net Zero – Decarbonising the Construction Supply Chain  – 23rd June 10:00-11:30

The Role of the Energy Transition in UK Net Zero   – 23rd June 15:00-16:00

UK Local Authorities and Net Zero   – 24th June 15:00-16:00

UK Agriculture and Net Zero   – 25th June 10:00-11:00

Keogh’s Crisps – Keep Going, Keep Growing – Innovation and Insights

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“We were able to draw on the insights from the professionals which gave us a fantastic understanding of consumer preferences and thoughts. The knowledge we gained using the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher Scheme enabled us to make tweaks and improvements and our sales have grown on the back of it”

Ian Maher, Head of Operations, Keogh’s Crisps.

The Irish success story of Keogh’s crisps is now a worldwide one and their range of premium hand cooked small batch crisps and popcorn continues to expand. Their share bag sales increased by a third during the pandemic and the family-owned company has innovation at its core and continues to scale up.

The family has been farming for over 200 years at Oldtown, North County Dublin and their crisps now account for nearly 10% of the total Irish crisp market. They also currently export to 20 countries worldwide including the USA. Known as the only firm in the world to have actually taken a potato brand and turned it into a crisp brand, their use of Irish ingredients and flavours like chorizo and cherry tomato, Irish Atlantic sea salt, shamrock sour cream and roast turkey and secret stuffing sets them apart from other brands.

Keogh’s took part in the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher Scheme and worked with Teagasc to research and test consumer reaction to some upcoming product innovations. “We found it very useful testing and trialling and tasting products to give us an idea of what consumers might think, so that we could go forward and down the right track. After feedback we changed some of the seasoning applications and made improvements” explains Ian Maher, Head of Operations.

Working with experts from Teagasc, Keogh’s Crisps was able to use the Innovation Voucher Scheme to set up bespoke research models to draw insights from professional panels. They could then realign their thoughts and make changes where they needed to. “We got a good steer in the right direction with the research and we were able to ascertain what aspects of the products that we needed to revisit. We got a good understanding of how we should go about testing something. We learned that it is not about just asking questions, it is about asking the right questions. It was like a light switch for us.” explained Ian.

“The Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher Scheme helped us to get to where we wanted to faster and with less of a pinch than we would have because we had the support and professional help in the background. It’s not just the process – it’s all about the potential of where it leads you to.”

Looking to the future, Keogh’s Crisps are always looking at how they are going to expand their range and do even healthier versions with great flavour and taste. They’re also prioritising sustainability and having less impact on the environment. Recommending the Innovation Voucher Scheme to other companies Ian Maher advises: “You cannot do everything at once. Plan out what you need to do over a period of time and think about what you want to achieve with the innovation vouchers. In our business for example, it’s all about timing and there are certain windows during the year for new products.”

To take your next step towards Innovation visit Innovation Vouchers.

Market Watch – A view from Manchester

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Key Takeaways

• The UK is the largest export market for Enterprise Ireland clients
• The North West of England has been growing at a faster rate than London in recent years.
• The Manchester office for Enterprise Ireland opened in 2019 and is providing support for many Irish firms operating into and in the region.
• Despite Covid and Brexit, business is still moving.
• There are opportunities for Irish companies in many areas including construction, healthcare, digital technology, and life sciences
• Irish companies may also achieve contracts with local authorities

As our closest neighbour, the UK has long been a crucial trading partner for Ireland and as one of the fastest growing regions of the country, the North West of England was the obvious choice for Enterprise Ireland to open up a second UK office last year.

Headed up by Laura Brocklebank and her colleague Kevin Fennelly, the Manchester branch focuses on opportunities for Irish clients in manufacturing – covering areas such as pharmaceutical and food and drink as well as paper, print and packaging. It is also leading on UK local authorities with major spending budgets across infrastructure, transport, healthcare and more.

“The UK is the largest export market for Enterprise Ireland clients, which, despite the challenges of Brexit, grew 2% to €7.9 billion in 2019, with all non-food sectors recording growth of 6%,” says the senior marketing advisor.”

And the market continued to perform strongly in spite of uncertainty, demonstrating that client companies have remained committed to the UK market and its short/medium-term growth potential.

“Adding to this, the north west of England is a particularly dynamic region which actually grew at a faster rate than London in recent years – in fact, if it were a country, it would be the 12th largest economy in Europe. And this was the key driver for Enterprise Ireland when selecting Manchester to locate its new office last year.”

Brocklebank says the Greater Manchester region alone is the size of the Irish market and the combined authorities of Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, North of Tyne, Sheffield City Region and Tees Valley have devolved powers which means that decision-making powers and funding are transferred from Westminster to these regions.

“The UK remains a key first export market for Irish industry to enable them to innovate and diversify and for these reasons, many Irish companies look to the North of England to set up a presence in the UK and it is often their first overseas presence,” she says.

“Our Manchester team focuses on opportunities in manufacturing, along with partnerships with UK local authorities who have major spending budgets. We collaborate extensively with our London office and work as one team with our 20 colleagues who are specialists in various sectors including Construction, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Digital Technologies, Cleantech and Renewables – all of which are of strategic importance and opportunity across the region. In effect, we are also the eyes and ears on the ground for our colleagues leading these sectors.

“As the North of England is traditionally the industrial heartlands of the UK, having a base here shows our commitment to the region and we are attuned to the needs of Irish companies, which are active all across the area.”

Accessibility is key and the Irish Sea has long been an important link between the UK and Ireland. So as the Port of Liverpool has submitted a bid to become established as a UK freeport, the regional lead says this could provide an opportunity for Irish companies with relevant smart ports solutions and automated and high-tech solutions which facilitate maritime trade and logistics.

“Ireland’s strong marine and civil engineering companies will be keen to collaborate with UK partners in the North West to help facilitate the necessary infrastructural upgrades required to cater for increased trading and customs realities,” she says.

“In addition, over the past number of years the area has experienced a boom in new building and infrastructure projects and there are many Irish companies leading in the Construction sector – John Sisk & Son have created a major landmark with Manchester’s Circle Square Affinity Living Project, ESS Modular opened their Manchester office in July 2020, having completed a number of projects in Leeds and Oldham, and have a current project with North Manchester General Hospital. And Techrete’s architectural precast concrete cladding can be seen on the iconic One and Two St. Peter’s Square.”

Manchester is also home to a fast-growing £5 billion digital ecosystem and has been officially ranked as the UK’s Top Digital Tech City, while Newcastle became Smart City of the Year 2019 for its innovative approach in using technology to help transform services and improve the lives of residents.

The marketing expert says there is a lot happening in the region which could provide opportunities for Irish firms.

“Digital tech company, Gamma Location Intelligence has recently opened their first overseas office in Manchester as they expand into the UK, having established in Ireland in 1993,” she says. “They have become a market leader in the provision of location intelligence systems and services which drive innovation across many sectors including insurance and retail, focusing heavily on cutting-edge research and development projects, leveraging Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.

“And in October 2020, VRAI, a data driven VR stimulation training for high hazard environments, announced their expansion into the UK with their first overseas office in Gateshead’s PROTO Centre, the UK’s immersive technology cluster.

“There are also opportunities for Irish businesses who can support local authorities in digital transformation, smart cities, connectivity, transport, housing, infrastructure, roads and highways and adult and social care. And a great example of this is SilverCloud which works with Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, providing support for those who may be feeling stressed and anxious due to the current pandemic.”

Of course, there are still some challenges, with uncertainty surrounding both Covid-19 and Brexit but the UK will continue to be an important and attractive market for Irish enterprise.

“Earlier this month, we had a rich and productive meeting with Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotherham, to discuss and agree the strongly aligned sectors of which Enterprise Ireland clients have strong supply chain capability,” says Brocklebank. “So we are looking forward to further collaboration and to have deeper engagement across these sectors.

“Enterprise Ireland also warmly welcomes the announcement of a new Consulate General for the North of England and we are looking forward to working together to strengthen Ireland’s presence in the region.”

To learn more about UK opportunities see the Evolve UK page here 

How Rennicks are looking to the future with support from the Sustaining Enterprise Fund

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“Covid-19 was an obstacle, but, thanks to Enterprise Ireland, it hasn’t thrown us completely off our desired path. The Sustaining Enterprise Fund has given us peace of mind and the stability to pursue the future we had planned for our business.”

Dolores Cantwell, Director of Finance & Operations, Rennicks Group Ltd.

Key Takeouts

  • Established more than 40 years ago, Rennicks Group Ltd. is an Irish company specialising in retro reflective products for the licence plate and traffic sign markets. The global pandemic halted factory operations, drastically impacting the company’s revenue stream.
  • Director of Finance & Operations, Dolores Cantwell, contacted Enterprise Ireland about applying for the Sustaining Enterprise Fund, who partnered with them to prepare documents for the financial assessment.
  • Funding from Enterprise Ireland has allowed Rennicks to meet its existing financial commitments and continue administrative operations, supporting the business as it plans for recovery and beyond.

Case Study: Rennicks

Rennicks is a Dublin-based company servicing the vehicle licence plate and road infrastructure markets in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The business has existed since 1976, but was the subject of a management buy-out in 2017. Director of Finance & Operations, Dolores Cantwell, says they were on an upward trajectory at the start of 2020, with solid numbers reported for the first quarter of the year, before the global lockdown landed.

“When Covid-19 hit we were worried,” says Cantwell. “Initially, it looked like there would be a complete shutdown with no revenue stream for at least four months. It was an extremely concerning prospect.”

Rennicks’ primary business involves a light manufacturing process, which means the business relies on its factory operations. The lockdown in Ireland prevented employees from working. The factory closed and all staff were sent home. Cantwell says their administrative team was forced to quickly adapt to a remote work style. The company was also forced to immediately assess its cost outlays, resulting in a combination of lay-offs and pay reductions across the organisation.

 

Searching for solutions

Thankfully, Rennicks has always maintained good relationships with its supply chain partners, which gave them some time, but they still had commitments to fulfill. After the initial shock of a global pandemic and a total halt in production, the team took stock and realized they would need to look outside of their existing resources for financial support if they were going to successfully ride out the storm.

“We saw the information about the Sustaining Enterprise Fund and contacted Enterprise Ireland,” says Cantwell. “The two team members they sent us were superb.”

She says Enterprise Ireland worked with Rennicks to gather and reformat its financial information for the SEF assessment. The team calmly worked through the numbers, showing an enthusiasm for the business that bolstered Rennicks and gave the team the confidence to move forward. Admittedly, Cantwell says, she expected red tape and political hurdles when applying for funding, but this wasn’t the case at all. Instead, she says they found a group of engaged, forward-thinking people at Enterprise Ireland, eager to support their business.

“The team at Enterprise Ireland couldn’t have been more responsive, open, and encouraging,” Cantwell says. “It was a breath of fresh air.”

 

Looking toward the future

Despite the global pandemic, Rennicks was able to continue a small portion of its distribution business. The supply chain was disrupted by lockdown and the company’s revenues still dropped 60%, but funding allowed them to meet their commitments and work toward recovery. Thanks to the Sustaining Enterprise Fund, Rennicks had the working capital to continue administrative operations during lockdown, allowing it to focus on its future. Currently, the business is working on a push into new markets, and is developing value-added propositions for its existing market in the UK. Cantwell says they did everything they could to support their customers during a difficult time.

 

“Our business has been built on providing quality products and excellent customer service,” she says. “During lockdown, it was our key priority to maintain contact with our customers.”

Cantwell’s advice for other companies impacted by Covid-19; Focus on the fundamentals, but be prepared to be flexible and to adapt to the changing situation. She believes if you continue to give excellent customer service, keep your eye on your goal, and are adaptable in your approach, you’ll eventually make it through.

“Business will come back,” Cantwell says. “In the interim, it’s important to stay customer-focused. Try not to get side-tracked. And do make use of the supports that are available.”

 

Click here to learn more about applying for the SEF. Contact your Development Advisor or our Business Response Unit to find out more.

Evolve UK Webinar – Pricing

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This webinar,  in  conjunction with Simon-Kucher & Partners, examines the most important profit driver; Pricing. It will also discuss how professionally managing pricing can add millions to your bottom line.

Chaired by Deirdre McPartlin, Manager of Enterprise Ireland UK, with expert insights from Simon-Kucher & Partners, a leading global consultancy specialising in top-line growth strategies with 35 years of experience with monetization topics of all kinds – from pricing strategies, customer segmentation, user experience, offer design, and packaging, to negotiation techniques, and sales excellence.

    • Mark Billige – CEO

    • Peter Colman – Partner

    • Phil Derby – Business Partner, Ireland

     

    Changing Construction – How GreenStart has Powered Passive Sills

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    Cork-based company Passive Sills was created with a vision of making changes in the construction industry

    The company could not be more timely in their mission as together building and construction are said to be responsible for a massive 39% of all carbon emissions in the world right now.  Passive Sills produces thermally efficient building products and offers environmentally friendly building materials and product options to the construction industry.

    Globally, leading cities and companies are committing to a highly efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050 but put simply – the Paris Agreement is demanding an even more ambitious built environment strategy than is currently there and for this to happen strong implementation is required.

    The European Commission has recognised the vital role that the built environment sector can play in delivering the requirements of the EU2050 long-term strategy to become climate-neutral.

    Passive Sills wanted to push forward on this with the help of Enterprise Ireland GreenStart funding and gain a clear picture of the environmental impact of manufacturing their products.

    “In the construction industry, everything is going towards zero carbon emissions.  It’s going to be a requirement in EU legislation anyway and taking into account the Paris agreement and what this country, the world and individual companies are doing to reduce emissions, it made sense for us to get on board as soon as possible”, explains spokesperson Janice O’Leary.

    “We want to spread the word and change the way people think when they are building. They have the option to move away from heavy concrete and go for lightweight more thermally efficient options.  New Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards requirements are a reality now and people are making more informed choices as it’s all about future proofing.  Our products including our insulated window sills and oversills suit most types of construction projects, have a lower carbon footprint and are 64% more thermally efficient than concrete, reducing cold bridging. They also have almost half the embodied carbon of concrete alternatives.”

     

    Support from GreenStart

    So how did Enterprise Ireland GreenStart support Passive Sills?  The company had very clear goals – to carry out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of their products to understand clearly all the processes and materials that have an impact on the environment and to produce a Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and a public Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) which now sits proudly on their website. Passive Sills also wanted to produce an Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEF) for their custom manufacturing facility in Youghal.  In addition, they wanted to receive access and training for a new online reporting tool called Ecochain, to generate detailed reports for clients.

    “The Enterprise Ireland GreenStart grant helped us to nail all of this down. While we needed a lot of information for certain calculations and it did take time, we were able to calculate our carbon footprint and were pleasantly surprised with some of the results that we found. We have now also launched a new website – lightweightmouldings.ie – offering a full range of lightweight decorative mouldings and we’re expanding our product range.”

    “The GreenStart process made us think in a slightly different way.  All of this was something that we would have had to do in the future anyway – specifically we knew the requirement for an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) would be coming down the line – and Enterprise Ireland gave us a push to get it done now.”

    “We were more than happy with the process and what we achieved and we would highly recommend the process to other businesses.”

     

    To get your business ready for a green future visit Climate Enterprise Action Fund or contact the Climate Action Team

     

    One Planet. One Health – Danone and GreenPlus

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    “The health of people and the planet are intertwined.  You can’t have one without the other”, states Mark Stafford, Nature and Sustainability Manager at Danone, Wexford.

    Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible with high quality products contributing to all life stages. This is where sustainability and the environment comes in and it is one of the four key pillars at the company – they have now adopted ‘nature’ as a business fundamental for all supply points and sustainability roadmaps for their brands.

    The company used Enterprise Ireland’s GreenPlus scheme to empower line management and teams to manage and improve energy performance at basic unit level and they have now achieved certification to the prestigious ISO 50001 International Energy Management Standard.  This standard aims to help organisations to continually reduce their energy use and therefore their energy costs and their greenhouse gas emissions.

    Through their work with GreenPlus, the Energy Management System (EnMS) at Danone has now been implemented successfully across the site, system accreditation has taken place and a number of energy saving opportunities have been identified. This has enabled the company to implement solutions and their annual energy savings are now measured and verified.

    So how was their journey with Enterprise Ireland’s GreenPlus and what were their main challenges? Peter Pearson, Nature Co-ordinator explains: “We started looking at the gaps and found the biggest gap was metering.  Data monitoring and reporting systems presented a challenge as the metering available on-site did not satisfy our requirements with regard to reporting detail and frequency”.

    “Going down the ISO 50001 route focused our minds on the areas we needed to tackle. It raised awareness within the company.  It identified savings and improved our knowledge on the use of energy onsite.  We found the process easy to navigate and it was fairly straightforward. It was great to have the support of Enterprise Ireland and it was very helpful.”

    Danone aims to become carbon zero across their value chain by 2050 and to do that all elements of the business need to become carbon neutral. “Our plant in Co. Wexford has become the first infant formula production site in the world to be certified as carbon neutral.”

    “Our net zero carbon rating has been certified by the Carbon Trust, an independent global climate change and sustainability consultancy,”  said Stafford

    Explaining the benefits across Danone of engaging with GreenPlus, he pointed out that “We needed buy in from management which we quickly achieved and it was also important to make all employees aware of where we needed to get to and our ambitions. We weren’t surprised that through the GreenPlus process we identified many opportunities – we knew they were there but just didn’t have visibility of them.  The process helped us to pinpoint exactly where we needed to make improvements”.

    “As part of our roadmap for the project there was also a huge focus on energy reduction and efficiencies and implementation of the ISO 50001 was crucial to that journey”.

    From a business perspective, Mark Stafford and Peter Pearson point out that consumers and customers are looking for sustainability more and more and all the research backs this up.  The expectation is there and that goes for all activities within a company.

    “The feedback is that people want more sustainably produced products and environmentally friendly products.” 

    “All employees are now aware of where we need to get to.  We have nature champions across our business units and they are now bringing in their own ideas in relation to sustainability and the environment for our brands.  There are a lot of projects now going on in the company. This includes our intention for all of our supply points and business units to be BCorp certified. We know where we are and where we need to get to and what we want to achieve.  We are very focused.”

     To get your business ready for a green future visit Climate Enterprise Action Fund or contact the Climate Action Team

    Webinar Series: Free Trade Agreements

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    EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Canada, Japan, Mexico and South Korea enable Ireland to increase its trade, GDP and national income. The FTAs allow Irish exporters to explore new opportunities as market access increases and they benefit from competitive advantage in doing business in these countries.

    Join Enterprise Ireland as it hosts a webinar series on Free Trade Agreements and doing business in these four export markets: Canada, Japan, Mexico and South Korea.

    Each webinar will be opened by Robert Troy TD, Minister of State Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Trade Promotion. The webinars feature contributions from market experts and guest speakers from Irish companies who will share their experiences on doing business in specific markets.

    If you’re considering exporting to these markets, or scaling your existing export business, these webinars are for you.

    Click on the links below to register for upcoming webinars.

    Doing Business in Japan

    Thursday, 17 June 2021, 9am BST

    The EU Japan Economic Partnership Agreement provides a positive backdrop to Ireland Japan trading relations. This webinar will explore the experiences of key Irish business interests in Japan, and will outline the knowledge, networks and access supports available to capitalise on what is an increasingly important market for ambitious Irish exporters.

    For the full agenda and to register, click here.

     

    Doing Business in Mexico

    Tuesday, 22 June 2021, 3pm BST

    With duty-free trade on most goods and a simplification of the customs procedures, the latest 2018 EU-Mexico trade agreement has improved the already positive and prosperous relationship between Ireland and Mexico. This webinar features two market experts who will highlight opportunities and explain business culture and processes, as well as providing practical guidance for market entry.

    For the full agenda and to register, click here.

     

    Doing Business in South Korea

    Thursday, 24 June 2021, 9am BST

    The EU-South Korea FTA can provide enhanced business opportunities for Irish businesses. This webinar brings together experts on the topic to provide knowledge and insights on key elements of the FTA, and to enable Irish businesses to make use of the FTA to its fullest in doing business in South Korea.

    For the full agenda and to register, click here.

    Doing Business in Canada


    Tuesday, 25 May 2021, 3pm BST

    Attendees will learn more about the opportunities available in the Greater Montreal region, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and Europe, and what incentives are available to Irish companies looking to expand in North America.

    Watch back on-demand, available here.

    Key questions to ask at your Canadian Market Advisor meeting

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    Canada is an affluent, high-tech industrial society with a market-oriented economy, low inflation and high living standards and has recently strengthened its close trading relationship with Ireland.

    If you are considering doing business in Canada, your first step should be a call with our team in Toronto.

      The questions below were designed to help Irish businesses get the best out of their first Market Advisor call

      • What should I be aware of as I start to think about exporting to Canada?
      • Do I need to localise my products or services for Canada in any way?
      • Are there any differences between Canada and the USA market?
      • Is there a trade deal or are there any trading barriers I should be aware of?
      • Do I need a local presence and is it easy to establish one?

      Set up a call with our team in Toronto today and also check out our Going Global Guide.

       

      Enterprise Ireland’s top tips for entering the Canadian market can be viewed by clicking the graphic below.

      Evolve UK  Report – UK Local Authority Report: An Overview

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      The UK remains the largest export market for indigenous Irish companies.

      A new focus for Enterprise Ireland in the UK is to support Irish companies looking to enter the UK Local Authorities space.

      This report examines:

      Where the requirements are

      Who makes the decisions

      What is the purchasing process

      In short how do you sell to the local authority market. As with any sales process it starts with really knowing and understanding your customer. Read the below report to learn more.