AgROBOfood – stimulating the uptake of robotics in the agri-food sector

“The Horizon 2020 & Horizon Europe funding streams give participants exposure to a large European network of relevant research organisations, business advisory services, investors and companies.”

 

Christine O’Meara, Walton Institute, AgROBOfood, Horizon 2020 project

Key Takeouts:

  • Walton Institute, formerly TSSG, part of the Waterford Institute of Technology, is involved in a major project to encourage and facilitate the uptake of robotics in the agri-food sector.
  • The AgROBOfood project is being funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
  • Acting as a Digital Innovation Hub, The Walton Institute, is a one-stop-shop, supporting those in the Agri-food sector in locating and accessing robotics services or expertise and is mapping out the robotics ecosystem in Ireland.

Case Study: AgROBOfood

By 2050, our planet will be home to almost 10 billion people and the pressure on food production will be immense. There is now an urgent need to find and develop smart ways to farm and process food, and this underlies the European Union’s huge investment in agri-food-related innovation projects.

AgROBOfood is one such project. Focused on helping the Agri-food sector become more efficient through the use of robotics, the four-year, €16.3m Horizon 2020 project involves 39 partners and is led by Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands.

The project team is broken into seven territorial clusters enabling more agile and effective group sizes. Ireland, represented by The Walton Institute (formerly TSSG) – an internationally recognised centre of excellence for ICT research and innovation and part of the Waterford Institute of Technology is in the North West cluster. This cluster comprises the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, United Kingdom and Ireland.

AgROBOfood has three aims: to build a network of digital innovation hubs and competency centres; to load this network with a catalogue of services; and to showcase what robotics can do for the sector.

“Walton Institute is the Digital Innovation Hub for Ireland. We can signpost stakeholders to competency or research centres or other hubs in Ireland or across Europe that can provide the services or expertise they need. And as an R&D centre itself, Walton can also provide services directly,” explains Christine O’Meara, Walton Institute project lead.

“There’s definitely an appetite for digitization and automation, and Ireland has strong national players in, for example, the dairy sector where smart technologies are well advanced.” says O’Meara

“There are a lot of exciting start-ups in Ireland working in robotics in diverse areas from pasture management to sustainable poultry production. Across Europe, great progress has been made across agri-food with areas like robotic weeding and harvesting set to advance quickly.”

A key driver in the growth of the robotics ecosystem will be the results of three funding open calls. Two of these (Open Calls for Innovation Experiments) will involve a technology provider and a technology user coming together to advance and demonstrate their solution. The third open call will be targeted at a range of specific industrial challenges, for example, asking if robots can improve working conditions in the food industry.

“From a TSSG perspective, the opportunity to reach out to, and build relationships with, start-ups and SMEs in the agri-food space through these open calls is really important,” says O’Meara.

 

The Horizon advantage

One of the advantages of the Horizon 2020 approach, says O’Meara, is that it presents a means of looking at broader impacts, beyond the local and across disciplines.

“The Horizon 2020 funding stream gives participants exposure to a large European network of relevant research organisations, business advisory services, investors, technology companies, agri-food start-ups and large enterprises,” says O’Meara.

“Although in this project each cluster is working somewhat independently, we’re collaborating through a shared technology platform to ensure best practices are replicated and everyone has full visibility of progress and developments.”

O’Meara is involved in several Horizon 2020-funded projects, including Demeter and NIVA, and is keen to encourage others to explore the opportunities such projects present.

“As well as giving access to a breadth of expertise, Horizon projects provide a way of broadening your network and extending your skills,” confirms O’Meara

 

Don’t be daunted

For some, however, the Horizon process remains an intimidating prospect.

“Don’t be daunted by the proposal process. It’s quite structured and it’s clear what the EU wants to see. But you need to give yourself plenty of time. As soon as a call comes out you need to start thinking about what topics you’re interested in, what partners you’ll need and get the right team on board. Remember that there’s a lot of support available,” O’Meara advises.

Most research institutes have in-house support for Horizon 2020 applicants but another excellent source of support is Enterprise Ireland’s National Contact Points These provide information and guidance on all aspects of Horizon 2020 from signposting to webinars about areas of interest, to helping identify partners and reviewing proposals.

“Begin by identifying what supports are available to you and speak to someone who’s been involved in the process before. If you or your organization need help in writing the proposal, Enterprise Ireland can also provide consultancy support,” adds O’Meara.

“If you’re successful in getting Horizon 2020 funding, you will have a  very well defined plan of action set out in your implementation description and detailed work packages and you’ll have specific deliverables. So you’ll know exactly what to do from day one.”

For advice or further information about applying for Horizon 2020 support please contact HorizonSupport@enterprise-ireland.com or consult www.horizoneurope.ie

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Irish companies banking United States

How to manage US banking, employees and legal fees

Two challenges that Irish companies sometimes experience when preparing to export to the United States for the first time involve banking and employment. The following pointers will help you to prepare.

Download the full Going Global USA: Learn your Legals guide now.

All US banks require an Employer Identification Number (EIN) confirmation letter, also known as Form SS4, before opening a business account in your company’s name.

 

How to apply for an Employer Identification Number

You can apply for an EIN online on the Internal Revenue Services website, if you already have a US social security number (SSN), or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).

If you don’t have an SSN, you can apply for an EIN from the IRS by fax or have a lawyer act as a ‘third-party designee’ to prepare and process an EIN application on your behalf.

 

If you have an EIN

Some banks will accept a copy of a fax from the IRS assigning your business entity with an EIN. Others will need to see the EIN verification letter sent by the IRS, which can take weeks to arrive.

Most banks will also require a copy of the company’s formation documents – US business address and annual statement of officers and directors.

To comply with mandatory anti-money laundering legislation, US banks need to verify the identity of those opening business accounts under Know Your Customer (KYC) rules. There are several ways the requirement can be met:

  • Get a visitor visa to travel to the US and personally open an account at your bank of choice
  • Use third-party services to help you set up an account
  • Some banks will set up an account without the relevant corporate officer being in the United States. If acting on a referral from a legal representative, the process can be completed via email.

 

Employment considerations

Irish companies should carefully plan their approach to hiring personnel in the US as there are a number of potential pitfalls to be aware of. For example, if you hire someone as a consultant or independent contractor, it could later be determined that they are actually an employee under US law. Improper classification risks exposing a company to penalties and liabilities, including the withholding of taxes, benefits, and the possibility of being sued by the employee.

Laws governing US employment and benefits are complicated, which makes it vital for potential exporters to seek the advice of legal professionals.

As US benefits packages vary widely and differ significantly from those in Ireland, companies should seek advice on what employees in specific roles are likely to expect when considering a job offer.

 

Legal costs

For small companies using a lawyer or legal service provider for help with company formation and setting up, fixed fee packages in the range US$3,000 to US$5,000 are available. Packages usually include general counsel, registration fees, and the creation of incorporation, confidentiality agreements and stock issuance.

In general, you can expect to pay additional fees for operating and shareholder agreements, as they can be highly complex. While legal assistance with IP transfers can also be costly due to complexity, many Irish companies keep IP rights within the Irish parent, with the US entity established as a servicing company.

 

Access more insights on doing business in the US.

Enterprise Ireland’s top tips for entering the Dutch market

The Netherlands is active worldwide in providing creative and sustainable solutions for global challenges relating to water, food, energy, health, environment, and security, this thriving economy welcomes foreign business and is a great starting point for clients who wish to enter the Eurozone.

If you are considering doing business in the Netherlands, please be sure to explore our tips to enter the market below and also be sure to reach out to our dedicated team.

  • Dutch is the national language of the Netherlands, but they are very open to conversing in English, with 90% of the population speaking it. Although a translator may not be crucial at first, it is considered a sign of good intent to have local people and services involved on the ground.
  • In Dutch business culture, meetings are important and famous for their traditional ‘Afspraken’, (crucial discussion opportunities.) The Netherlands has led the shift towards remote working long before the Pandemic, and are well prepared for digital meetings, something that is of increasing importance in today’s age. Come dressed relatively formally and you’ll fit right in.
  • The Dutch are masters in logistics, and home to world-class seaports, airports, and railway systems. You also have access to 170 million consumers at your fingertips, and not only that, NL is ranked no.1 in the world in digital connectivity, something that should be embraced.
  • Decide on a route to market: Joint ventures and acquisitions can be a successful route to market in the Netherlands, gaining you a foothold and bringing on board established contacts and market knowledge.
  • Like Ireland, the Netherlands relies heavily on exports. As a result, they are naturally more open to international trade, making it very possible to sell directly. That being said, export strategies that include a local partner are usually more successful and foster a consistent presence.
  • Trust the Process and embrace the economic and cultural benefits that the Netherlands has to offer. A global pioneer in several markets this is an ideal location to step into Europe.
  • Understand that sustainability is key: At present, the Corporate Tax rate is 20% on the taxable amount up to €200,000 and 25% on excess, worldwide. The environment is important to the Dutch, and reliefs are provided for companies who value sustainability.
  • Be prepared and know your competition: It is important to do your market research. This is a highly competitive landscape, with 15,000 foreign companies competing in a country smaller than Ireland. Luckily, our world-class Market Research Centre can assist you with valuable market intelligence to help shape your strategy.
  • Be innovative: in the Netherlands, it is important to be forward-thinking and competitive. Make sure you have a strong value proposition and stand out from the rest.
  • Finally, do your research! Explore the different resources available from Enterprise Ireland to delve deep into the market and really understand the opportunities and challenges that will arise. Our world-class Market Research Centre provides countless market reports, and MA’s are happy to help with market-related requests.

For more be sure to check out our Going Global Guide 

If you would like to know what to prepare ahead of your first MA call, click the graphic below

East Africa

Silicon Savannah beckons for exporters keen to capitalise on East Africa growth

Lisa Kallback, a trade representative for Kenya at Enterprise Ireland, describes exciting opportunities heating up for Irish exporters in East Africa.

The Rift Valley in East Africa is generally thought to be the area in which modern humans first appeared. Fast forward 200,000 years and this Cradle of Humankind has been reborn economically.

Three of the top 10 fastest-growing economies in the world in 2017 were located in East Africa. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has forecast growth of 5.9% in the region this year and 6.1% in 2019, with Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda all reporting GDP growth in excess of 5%.

Why East Africa is on the radar of Irish exporters

Trade between Ireland and Africa is also on the rise, forecast to reach €24 billion by 2020. In 2018, as in every year since 2012, East Africa will be the continent’s fastest-growing region.

It is little wonder then that the region’s burgeoning middle class, estimated to comprise about 10-15% of its 430 million-strong population, is on the radar for exporters.

While agriculture is an area in which many Irish companies have enjoyed success, opportunities also abound in other high-value sectors, such as healthcare, fintech, and ICT.

Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, is at the heart of East Africa’s transformation. Indeed, its reputation as an ICT hub has earned Kenya the moniker Silicon Savanah.

 

Opportunities in the Silicon Savanah

Mobile money technology was pioneered in Kenya. The electronic wallet service – which allows users to store, send, and receive money using their mobile phone – has transformed how many Africans receive their pay and spend funds. The service is actively used by an estimated 66% of all adults in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Dublin-based provider Oxygen 8 offers mobile payment solutions through their Tola subsidiaries in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, as well as Ghana in West Africa. Group CTO Shay Hamilton explains, “The economies in East Africa are growing quickly. Of course, some will be coming from a low base but the emerging middle class means there are more opportunities to come and sell, particularly in the digital space, due to the prevalence of tolled mobile infrastructure, coupled with the mobile payments services.”

Key advice for Small and Medium Enterprises looking to break into East African markets is to ensure you have a strong local partner.

Ruth Barnes is Director of Commercial Operations at Vitro Software, which provides medical records software to the fast-growing private health sector. She says, “We have a partner in Kenya and work very closely with them. But even when you have a partner, it’s hugely important to make the trips and be on the ground there. They are an extremely warm and affectionate people. The relationship is all important and you need to invest time in building those relationships first of all.

Pricing is another issue that Vitro has focused on. “African people are very tech savvy. They’re open to innovation but price has to be achievable because, while growth in East Africa is strong, they are still developing countries. If you’re willing to be a bit flexible in terms of your model and pricing, there are opportunities.

Peter McEntee, of telecoms software provider Nasc Technologies, draws parallels between opportunities in East Africa today and those in Ireland in the 1990s. “A lot of the telecoms software we started out doing was suited to helping telecoms companies in developing countries, and specifically, to Africa. We’ve since developed a range of software for fibre deployments as well, and there is a lot of fibre deployment happening in East Africa, similar to Ireland in the 1990s when the market opened up and new players came in.”

The modern reality of East Africa is much changed from the West’s image of the region in the late twentieth century.

Enterprise Ireland can help exporters with an eye on the savvy Silicon Savannah to identify sectors and opportunities, make introductions to potential partners and buyers, and advise on important procedures, market entry barriers and license requirements. For more information contact Lisa.Kallback@enterprise-ireland.com.

 

This article was originally published in the Sunday Independent.

FlowPhotoChem helping to green the chemical industry

“Innovation activities in the area of solar energy conversion technology, including solar chemicals, are key to achieving the decarbonisation targets set by the EU.”

Dr Pau Farràs, coordinator of the FlowPhotoChem project

Key Takeouts:

  • NUI Galway is leading a major project that is developing innovative, sustainable ways to manufacture ethylene using artificial photosynthesis.
  • The four-year project has received €6.99m from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
  • The FlowPhotoChem project will pave the way for a range of other green chemicals to be produced solely from sunlight, water and CO2.

Case Study: FlowPhotoChem

If the European Union is to achieve its target of a climate neutral economy by 2050, which will involve reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 80–95%, new and disruptive approaches and technologies is needed across all sectors. Reducing emissions is a challenge, in particular, for the chemical industry, one of Europe’s largest manufacturing sectors but also one of the most polluting, emitting over 145 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents each year.

The Horizon 2020-funded FlowPhotoChem project is one of many innovative projects currently developing technology that will help to reduce the chemical sector’s CO2 emissions. The project aims to develop an integrated system of modular reactors that consumes CO2 and uses concentrated sunlight to form ethylene.

Involving 14 partners from eight countries, €6.99 million in EU funding and led by Dr Pau Farràs from the Ryan Institute, NUI Galway, FlowPhotoChem will produce ethylene as a proof-of-concept and will pave the way for a range of other green chemicals to be produced solely from sunlight, water and CO2.

Innovation activities in the area of solar energy conversion technology, including solar chemicals, are key to achieving the decarbonisation targets set by the EU,” says Dr Farràs.

Combining the expertise of research teams from Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Uganda and the UK, FlowPhotoChem’s technology is innovative and so too is the overall aim of the project. “Our new technologies will enable the production of chemicals using solar energy to be carried out in small-scale installations and not just in large-scale infrastructures as at present,” says Dr Farràs. For example, this technology can be used to create small devices that could produce hydrogen peroxide to purify water, responding to the needs of rural, isolated areas in sun-rich countries.”

 

Unique platform for collaboration

Alongside FlowPhotoChem, Dr Farràs is involved in a number of other EU-funded projects related to green energy and chemicals, including Solar2C­­­­­­hem, SeaFuel and HUGE, and recognises that funding mechanisms such as Horizon 2020 offer a unique platform.

“A wide range of skills is needed on an ambitious project like this, beyond what an individual organisation would have, so collaboration with different partners is compulsory to achieving our goals,” says Dr Farràs

As coordinator of the project, Dr Farràs is tasked not only with keeping on top of the development of the technology but also with managing the integration of academics and industry with different skills.

“Our approach is to manage the individual work packages through monthly conference calls to keep everyone engaged and make sure we are on track with the work. This means that when we have larger meetings with all partners, we can talk about the bigger picture because the technical details have already been covered. This kind of management structure is working well. I feel it’s important to have face-to-face interactions; at the moment it’s all virtual meetings but we’re planning for physical workshops next year.”

 

Advice for Horizon 2020 applicants

Horizon 2020 had a budget of over €80 billion over seven years and its successor, Horizon Europe, will have a significantly bigger budget offering immense opportunities for individuals and consortia to secure funding for cutting-edge research.

However, some potential applicants are wary of the paperwork involved in securing funding.

“It’s true that there is a lot of work involved in putting together projects like this,” admits Dr Farràs. “But my advice would be to use the help that’s available. The support from Enterprise Ireland is fantastic. For both the FlowPhotoChem and the Solar2Chem projects, I applied for and received the Enterprise Ireland Coordinator Grant.

“I needed someone not only to review the proposals but also to help write them. Thanks to the Coordinator Grant I was able to work with a consultant who had a lot of experience in this area, and who also helped with the administrative side of things,” says Dr Farràs

“It was also good that FlowPhotoChem was a two-stage call so the shorter document that we had written for the first stage helped with the longer second stage proposal.”

 

Personal and professional benefits

Helping to create world-changing technologies brings its own rewards but beyond that the Horizon experience offers personal and professional benefits.

“First of all, when you undertake research with other groups the impact of your research is improved. We’re also seeing that the Horizon proposals increasingly ask for information on the social aspects of the project as well as technical content, so it’s a great way to meet people from both your own discipline and from others,” says Dr Farràs.

“No matter what stage you are at in your career there are benefits to being involved in these projects. For example, there are eight PhD students involved in the FlowPhotoChem research. It’s a great opportunity for them as they will see their individual tasks converge at the end into the final system contributing to a specific and significant application.”

For advice or further information about applying for Horizon 2020 support please contact h2020support@enterprise-ireland.com or consult www.horizon2020.ie

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Consumer in Asia

Commitment is vital to maximising business opportunities in Asia

Breaking into a new market can seem daunting. Exploring new territories may present challenges but is worth it to maximise new business opportunities.

Researching market opportunities and how to capitalise on them; identifying potential customers and partners; understanding local regulations, legal and geopolitical issues, as well as the unique business culture of the country or countries you are targeting, are the main challenges businesses face. But with challenge comes opportunity of a scale that Irish businesses can’t afford to ignore.

Irish companies have often looked west when in search of markets beyond the Eurozone. Expanding to the United States can seem relatively easy. They speak the same language and our traditional ties to the Irish diaspora creates a ready-made network for business opportunities. Asian markets have been perceived as more difficult, with greater language and cultural barriers to overcome.

 

Irish companies increasingly secure business opportunities in Asia

That perception has been blown away in recent years, as increasing numbers of Irish companies discover the incredible opportunities that exist in the world’s most populous and diverse continent. Exports to Asia by companies backed by Enterprise Ireland were valued at €1.97 billion last year, a 9% increase on 2016 results. We are dedicated to helping Irish exporters across all sectors overcome challenges to maximise business opportunities in Asia.

Speaking at an event focused on the market last year, Julie Sinnamon, chief executive of Enterprise Ireland said: “Probably the biggest common issue or challenge that people face getting into any of the Asian markets is the time it takes. Typically it takes quite a while for people to go and build the trust, to develop a position, to commit to the market. 

Many companies think that they can go in maybe a couple of visits, get a massive order and come back out again. It doesn’t work like that. Being a big, established company doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to work in China or India or Japan, or elsewhere in Asia. It is vital that there is commitment from the senior team of a company to work things out when they don’t go to plan, which is not unusual in Asian markets that you haven’t been in before.”

 

Asian business partners value innovation

Robert Schoellhammer, chief Europe representative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), says that an innovative approach to applying technology is a key quality Asian companies look for in business partners.

He says: “Applying innovation and technology might be second nature in Ireland, but it doesn’t mean it is elsewhere. Innovation can be country specific, so what might be innovative in Mongolia is very commonplace in Germany. Technology and innovation is really critical, and above all it is what our own clients across Asia Pacific are saying that they want to have.

In South-East Asia, the 10 countries which form ASEAN have started to follow the EU model of multilateralism and breaking down economic barriers. David Daly, the European External Action Service’s head of division for South East Asia, says this will create long-term business opportunities for Irish companies.

“The EU has very close engagement with ASEAN at the very highest level,” he said. “We have experience – we have done things which have worked well and we’ve done things which have worked less well. We offer that experience freely to our ASEAN partners and I think they appreciate it.

“Working with ASEAN is a commitment to the long term – it’s not an issue of jumping in and out for a quick fix, we have established structures that enable us to have an engagement over the very long term.” 

More immediately, many young and innovative companies are already building Ireland’s reputation in these fast-growing markets.

“You don’t necessarily need to be a big, long-established company,” Sinnamon said. “One of the most exciting company meetings I was at recently in China involved a young tech start-up called Coroflo, which has created a monitor that measures the amount of breast milk a baby is getting.

“We visited the largest maternity hospital in Shanghai, where 100 babies are born every day. They were absolutely bowled over with this technology to make sure that a baby is being fed enough – they couldn’t believe the medtech technology available in Ireland.

“Another time, we were in the most iconic new building in Singapore and the owner brought us into what he called the brain of the building, where all the control happens, and he said, ‘Of course, the brain of the building is Irish’. He was talking about Cylon Controls from Dublin.

Taoglas, a telecommunications equipment supplier, recently opened an office in Shenzhen, and the Chinese distributor who has worked with them said they have only one supplier globally with zero defects and it was Taoglas.

“It’s fantastic when you have companies on the other side of the world providing this sort of endorsement.”

There is more support and advice available than ever before to help Irish companies overcome challenges and build partnerships in Asia. Contact Enterprise Ireland for more information.

 

ProDig agri machinery

ProDig invests in the future as it continues to do the heavy lifting

As the use of digital technology to improve farming efficiency increases, it can sometimes be forgotten that advances in more traditional areas of agriculture remain as important as ever.

Machinery is the original agritech. Innovations that reduce the physical workload for farmers are as old as agriculture itself and are vital to the sector’s profitability in every market.

ProDig Attachments prides itself on doing the heavy lifting. From its base in County Carlow, the company introduced its expertise in manufacturing machine attachments for the construction sector into agriculture 10 years ago and quickly built a reputation for the quality and versatility of its machinery.

Donny Nolan, co-founder and director of ProDig, explains: “ProDig has a strong focus on multi-purpose machinery. We produce attachments that will do the job of three traditional attachments, so the farmer only has to buy one. These attachments also make the feeding process easier, faster and more economical.”

ProDig’s product range includes shear grabs, shear buckets, bale handling attachments, folding grass forks, hi-tip buckets, and bag fillers – all of which are designed and manufactured at the company’s purpose-built factory.

ProDig agri attachment

Donny says: “Our products are pitched generally at the top end of the market. We don’t make cheap equipment. We manufacture on a quality basis and on the basis of a long lifespan for an implement, so we look at the mid to top range of the market. There are a lot of manufacturers in Eastern Europe, China and cheaper economies that we don’t really try to compete with. We look to create implements of top-end quality, innovative products.

“We distribute through importerships. We try to have one single point of importership in a region, whether that be a state in the USA or an entire country. For example, in Germany, we have one importer for the whole country and they in turn the distribute to the dealer network.

 

Strong export strategy

“We’ve got nine or 10 export markets and we also have some markets that we export to on a one-off sale. For some of our unique attachments, the likes of bag-filling units, we export to markets where we have one-off sales going direct to end-user customers. This would be to countries including India, Thailand and South Africa.”

It is a model that has served ProDig well. Consistently growing sales of its broad range of products in various export markets is testament to the quality and effectiveness of the machinery ProDig makes. Indeed, the company has big plans for further growth, spearheaded by a major investment to expand its manufacturing facilities at its Bagenalstown base in County Carlow.

Donny says: “We started an expansion plan in mid-2018 and that’s really kicking into place now. We’re expanding our existing production areas. We’re installing new capital items – new fabrication bays, new welding bays, some new machinery, some new robotic systems.

“It is quite a substantial investment. Over a three-year period, we’re looking at an investment of €1.5 million in the business.”

As with the machinery it makes, ProDig has put considerable energy into planning and preparing its expansion plans and the company is confident that the demand for their machinery is there.

Donny explains: “All our existing markets are expanding all the time, as we are. Our German market is expanding, our New Zealand market is expanding. We have several markets that we’re looking to move into over 2019-2020. We’re currently looking at increasing our presence in the USA, and we’re planning to do feasibility studies on the French and Australian markets.

“This investment will give us an increased manufacturing capacity of 40% and this will help us reach these markets.”

 

Focus on R&D drives innovation at ProDig

For ProDig’s customers, the investment and increased capacity also means enhanced innovation to improve and create new machine attachments.

“As part of our three-year investment, starting from the middle of this year, we’re running a new R&D programme to look at several new products,” Donny says.

The focus of the R&D programme will be the same for ProDig as it has been for the past 10 years: to help farmers do the basics better.

Donny explains: To innovate within those basic tools and come up with new ideas and faster solutions for the basics – the attachments, bailers and other tools – is vital. If you make the basics better, you make the overall better.”

Doing the basics better is very much in the company DNA at ProDig, while the company’s continuing growth and expansion plans demonstrate the importance of innovating and constantly-improving machinery for farming.

 

Learn more about Enterprise Ireland’s innovation supports. enabling companies to develop new market opportunities and maximise their business performance. 

Diversity in Blockchain

Diversity key to blockchain success

Some of the most senior figures in Irish blockchain are succeeding, not despite moving from a tech background but because of it, delegates at the Blockchain for Finance Conference heard.

Co-author of the recent Government discussion paper on the subject of blockchain, Mai Santamaria spoke at a ‘lunch and learn’ panel discussion about her background as a native of Barcelona who studied and qualified as an accountant. She worked for a number of banks and insurance companies before joining the Department of Finance over 18 months ago as a senior financial advisor.

Canadian Coral Movasseli is managing director of Girls in Tech Dublin, a global not-for-profit that runs a number of programmes designed to encourage more women to enter the tech sector. She previously worked for the Canadian government’s foreign office, as well as in telecoms and banking before coming to Ireland to work as a professional services consultant.

Laura Clifford, industry partnership manger at the ADAPT Centre based at Trinity College Dublin, told the audience how she had studied biology at university and how this led to work in the medtech and subsequently the tech sectors. She now drives fintech collaboration at ADAPT, acting as the broker bringing industry and academia together to commercialise academic research.

 

Great opportunities in blockchain today

“One of the reasons I’m focused on blockchain is because of the opportunity it represents for bigger things and further collaboration,” said Clifford, who, along with others on the panel, co-created Blockchain Women Ireland, an initiative designed to encourage women to participate in this still nascent but fast-growing sector.

Fellow panellist Emma Walker, who is managing director of Wachsman, a dedicated professional services firm for the blockchain sector, spoke of her background as a Spanish and sociology graduate. The opportunity she was given, at age 25, to set up the European office of what at the time, three years ago, was a two-person operation based in New York, gives some indication of the opportunities that exist in blockchain, she said. Today the company employs 120 people globally.

Speaker Luana Cavalcanti is a UX/UI designer at TradeIX, a blockchain technology company who started out in the hospitality sector working on cruise ships. She changed careers three years ago by retraining first in localisation and has progressed rapidly, thanks in part, she said, to mentoring she received by other women in tech.

 

Careers for professionals of all backgrounds in blockchain

People from all backgrounds are required in the fast-growing blockchain sector, and not just as technologists, but as people who can best communicate the use cases to a wide audience, delegates heard. 

“Blockchain is fragmented and, as it is emerging, questions are arising in relation to regulation, to interoperability with legacy systems, to transitions and how to manage them,” said Clifford.

It requires people with change management experience, who have transitioned initiatives before, as much as it does financial experts and tech experts, she said. “That’s why I got involved in Women in Blockchain,” she told delegates. “As you can see from the panel, not one of us has taken a linear path into the blockchain realm. It’s a very enjoyable space and I wanted to be part of that journey.”

The ‘penny drop’ moment came for her in relation to blockchain while attending an earlier conference, where a speaker called blockchain the ‘TCPIP’ of our day.

Realising that cryptocurrencies are simply to blockchain what email is to internet, “I thought, here’s an opportunity for me to be part of something and not feel like an imposter. It’s emerging. The barriers to entry aren’t there and I don’t have to try and retrofit myself into it,” she said.

Blockchain represents a paradigm change, said Movasseli, and as such it requires a diverse set of skills to drive it forward commercially.

To succeed, it requires diversity around more than gender, said Santamaria. “If you’re the kind of person that is driven by learning something new every day, you can’t go wrong with blockchain because you don’t stop learning,” she said.

It also offers a clear sense of purpose. “It really does feel there is a wider purpose to the blockchain project because it is all about collaborating to actually improve things.”

 

Enjoyed this article? Read more fintech insights here.

Irish fintech sector poised for growth

Fintech brings together two areas in which Ireland has traditional strengths – technology and financial services, Minister Michael D’Arcy told delegates at Towards 2025: Trends in Financial Services and Fintech.

Introducing the panel discussion, part of Enterprise Ireland’s International Markets Week in October, Minister Darcy said fintech is a natural evolution for Ireland, thanks to these strengths, as well as a deep talent pool, and unfettered access to European markets.

The strengths give Ireland a platform to build on, enabling it to be at the forefront of fintech development globally.

 

Driving Ireland’s thriving fintech sector

Several recent developments support the position, he said, including the establishment in April of the Central Bank of Ireland’s Innovation Hub and industry engagement programme, designed to ensure evolving fintech and the regulatory landscape keep apace.

In June, Enterprise Ireland launched a €750,000 Competitive Start Fund for fintech and deep tech. Earlier this year Enterprise Ireland, an active investor in fintech, began a fintech census to accurately map Ireland’s fintech sector.

In May 2019, Ireland will host a meeting of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), at which global standards pertaining to blockchain technology will be determined.

The Department of Finance has a working group dedicated to blockchain and virtual currencies and is commencing work on a successor to IFS 2020 – the national Strategy for Ireland’s International Financial Services sector.

Panel members at the event included Mo Harvey, fintech and financial services lead with Enterprise Ireland for Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong, and Mai Santamaria, member of the Department of Finance working group on blockchain and digital currencies.

Joining them in the discussion, facilitated by Eoin Fitzgerald, Enterprise Ireland Senior Development Advisor for fintech, was Denise Delaney of the Central Bank of Ireland, and Laura Clifford, industry partner manager at the Adapt Centre – the Science Foundation Ireland-funded centre for digital content technology at Trinity College Dublin.

 

Growing interest in blockchain

Growing interest in blockchain was a key theme. When Laura Clifford began talking to businesses just 18 months ago about the potential of their blockchain technology, initially none of the 13 she canvassed were initially interested in doing collaborative research. That rose to three, with two more now wanting to be involved. “Appetite is increasing for blockchain,” she said.

Mo Harvey’s experience in Asia backs this up. “When we’re in the market and we talk to major corporates, banks and insurers, invariably when we are bringing in our companies (blockchain) is one of the first questions asked about – the second is AI. When a company doesn’t answer in the positive, it’s a case of ‘Why not?’”

The Central Bank’s interest is in the application of technology, rather than the technology itself, said Denise Delaney.

“We are talking regularly to all the various kinds of firms that we regulate, so we know how the business models are changing and so we know what they are doing. For us, the difficulty is firms outside of the regulatory perimeter, because we’re not accessing them.”

It’s one of the reasons it has created its Innovation Hub, to provide a direct point of contact with the sector’s leading edge.

As well as being able to answer regulatory questions, the Hub allows the Central Bank to gain intelligence on where the market is going. “That’s really useful for us and for ourselves internally. We have to build up our own expertise. We have to be able to use that data, analyse it, to be able to assess authorisations, particularly when they start coming in different technologies,” she said.

 

Moving from fintech to techfin in Asia

The move from fintech to techfin is gathering pace, delegates heard. The activities of Chinese companies such as Alibaba, WeChat and TenCent is driving this, and in the process forcing regulators to play catch up.

With a recent survey showing two thirds of Amazon Prime customers would bank with Amazon, how do regulators view the fact that businesses that are not typically regulated, and which don’t even present themselves as financial services companies, are encroaching into the area? asked Eoin Fitzgerald.

“Once they come into that space, they will come into the regulatory space and then they will be like any other regulated entity and will go through the same processes,” said Denise Delaney of the Central Bank.

“The same principles of consumer protection and sustainable business models and resilience will apply to any firm that begins to fall into that, whether they are big tech or otherwise.”

While everybody is aware of the scale of companies such as AliPay and WeChat, some of Asia’s predominance is down to the fact that the market is bigger, “it’s easier to do the 1 billion transactions”, said Mai Santamaria.

Neither do such companies have to contend with legacy systems. “Sometimes that’s the elephant in the room,” she said.

Moreover, with China, “we’re not really talking about private sector banks. We’re probably talking about publically owned banks,” she said. That makes direct comparisons difficult.

The other side of that coin is that Irish companies benefit by not having to go out and compete with a giant like WeChat or AliPay, she pointed out.

In Asia, ecommerce giants are applying for virtual banking licences, “so they are bringing themselves under the regulatory area, very much so, in partnerships,” said Mo Harvey.

This presents significant opportunities for Irish companies in areas such as digital onboarding and risk monitoring, she said.

The fact that Ireland is a small country is to our advantage, said Santamaria. “What I have seen in the blockchain work in the last six months is that when we get our heads around it, and sit around a table, we get to do things and we do them fast enough. That is where there is opportunity for us.”

This is particularly so because of the increasingly rapid pace of technological change. However, the challenge for fintech is that it is hard for the decision makers, those with the purse strings, “to understand what you are selling,” she cautioned.

“You can’t ask someone to look at potentially what it could do for them, if they don’t understand it. We take for granted that the tech is moving fast and getting complex, so the challenge is simple: as a seller of fintech or regtech, you need to be better at making sense of that message.”

For the future, the opportunity is clear, said Mo Harvey. “We are known as a tech hub, we are also known as a financial services hub. The opportunity is there to build on that. The foundations have been laid, the blocks have been built. Let’s see where we can go with that. Let’s be ambitious from an Irish perspective, as to where we sit on a global stage. That’s the opportunity.”

 

Read more about the Irish companies growing exports in the fintech space.

Innovating for Recovery: CW Applied Technology

On the first episode in our new series Innovating for Recovery, we are joined by the Managing Director of electronics company CW Applied Technology, John O’Connell. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, CW Applied Technology designed and manufactured a portable Room UV-C Steriliser. 

The portable steriliser is designed for virtually any room that needs air and surface disinfection, including sterile areas, laboratories, unoccupied patient room. On the show, we discuss, the origins of the idea, and its variety of uses, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Talent Management

Global brands recruit Irish suppliers to win the war for talent

David Corcoran, global talent management advisor based in Enterprise Ireland’s London office, explains how innovative Irish companies are helping global brands to win the war for talent.

In the war for talent, having an innovative Irish company on your side is a major advantage. It’s a fact some of the world’s top brands know firsthand.

Global names, such as Nestle, Microsoft, Pepsi, and Qatar Airways, have all turned to Irish talent management solutions for help in attracting, managing, and developing their biggest asset – their people.

The war for talent is about more than recruitment, and Ireland’s talent management sector is recognised globally as being unparalleled in its breadth. It encompasses solutions for talent acquisition, workforce management, professional learning, performance management, and workplace recognition.

 

Irish partners are proving a global ally in the war for talent

As Johnny Campbell, founder and CEO of Social Talent, put it at the World Employment Conference, held in Dublin recently, it’s not really so much a war for talent, as a war for skills.

Technology has an increasing role to play in building those skills, developing talent from within. And the world’s most progressive employers are arming themselves with Irish solutions.

There are several reasons why talent management is an area that Ireland excels in.

As the world of work undergoes seismic shifts in terms of skills shortages, diversity, millennial talent, and the gig economy, innovative Irish solution providers are at the forefront of partnering with progressive human resources and recruitment departments around the world to discover, retain, engage, and reward exceptional talent.

Ireland has succeeded in establishing itself as a strategic hub for leading multinational employers, working across sectors as diverse as technology, biopharma, and financial services with Staffing Industry Analysts, the industry’s highly regarded research group, ranking Ireland as the world’s most attractive staffing market in 2017.

The result is that we have earned our reputation by providing solutions to some of the world’s best employers and, in the process, established Ireland as an internationally recognised centre of excellence for talent management.

 

Competing internationally

While it is true that working with world leading multinational companies based in Ireland has helped the talent sector to hone its skills to the highest level, it would be wrong to think Irish companies have grown their exports and reputation solely as a result of those links.

Rather, Irish companies have gone out and won new international customers, often in highly competitive, supplier-rich markets, in which those organisations are not short of choices.

International organisations are increasingly choosing from a growing number of world-class, homegrown Irish success stories, such as TTM Healthcare, who is quickly becoming a healthcare recruitment leader, providing staffing solutions around the world. One in five nurses recruited to the NHS from overseas now arrives via TTM.

Leading organisations are choosing technology company Social Talent, enabling it to become the world’s largest provider of on-demand training and development for the recruitment industry, a niche it pioneered.

They are choosing Globoforce, helping it to become a world leader in employee recognition. Its innovative solutions successfully drive employee engagement and retention in multinational companies in more than 135 countries.

They are choosing software innovator Sonru, developer of the world’s first asynchronous video interviewing solution for candidate selection. Sonru’s product doesn’t just boost efficiencies for client companies, it enables them to tap into previously inaccessible talent pools, wherever they are in the world.

Enterprise Ireland supports 120 Irish providers in this sector to meet their global ambition by exporting to 100 countries. Although these companies are active in different parts of the talent management landscape, the common thread they share is that they work to develop disruptive technologies that provide the kind of innovative and flexible talent management solutions that organisations need, now more than ever.

Irish companies are taking advantage of the fact that there are no boundaries in technology. Good companies are going to the ends of the earth to find good people, and increasingly it is Irish talent management solutions that are helping them to get there.

And once they find that top talent, Irish companies are also helping international brands to retain, engage, and develop them.

This article was originally published in the Sunday Independent.

Appetite for growth in Asia will serve food and drink exporters well

Asia’s appetite is growing, and its 4.5 billion inhabitants are increasingly turning to imported food for satisfaction.

While far from an untapped market, Asia remains full of potential for Irish food and drink exporters, who can innovate and supply nutritionally healthy and sustainable produce for its growing market of increasingly affluent consumers.

A marked rise in the proportion of Irish food and drink exports going to international markets outside Europe has been a prominent trend in recent years.

 

Impressive export growth to Asia

Asia accounts for one third of Irish food and drink exports, compared to less than 20% just 10 years ago. Exports to China alone have trebled in the last five years, from just over €450 million to €1.4 billion. Population growth and an emerging middle class with increased spending power are driving this growth, especially through dairy and for formula-based products. 

 However, Mary Ledman, Global Dairy Strategist for Rabobank, explains: “The gap between dairy production and imports in Asia will rise to about 20 million tonnes by 2025, and somebody has got to fill that gap.

“Chinese cheese imports topped 100,000 tonnes for the first time in 2017. The Asian Five – the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – also hit the 100,000 tonnes of cheese targets. Japan and Korea together account for 340,000 tonnes.

“Asian Five demand is increasing at about 10% annually, China’s by about 20%, and Japan and Korea being more mature markets are growing by 2%.

“China’s dairy imports from Ireland have grown 31% over the past five years – three times faster than China’s total dairy imports. Infant formula exports from Ireland to China have been key to this growth. Last year, Ireland’s market share in China for infant formula was 13%, compared to 5% in 2012. 

“The role of dairy since the abolition of quotas in 2015 has magnified the potential for Ireland going forward. There are ambitions to grow dairy sector exports to Asian markets by 30% to 2020, and Ireland is well positioned to do so.”

 

Ireland’s vibrant food and drink sector

Ireland’s food and drink industry is indeed vibrant. Eight years of consecutive growth have increased the value of global exports 60% to €12.6 billion. Bord Bia has identified 15 markets globally with the greatest potential for significant growth for Irish food and drink industry. Within dairy, seven of those 15 markets are in Asia. Within meat, eight of them are in Asia. Within seafood, seven are in Asia. No matter what way we look at it, Asia offers significant potential for the Irish food and drink industry.

Owen Brennan, chairman of Devenish Nutrition, which manufactures and exports innovative nutritional products and solutions for the feed industry, believes that the trend towards increased sustainability will continue to grow in importance.

 Brennan said: “Focusing on the future of food and agriculture, it’s pretty obvious to say that it must be sustainable if there is to be a future – and innovation is key to developing that sustainable position.

Looking at the trends as they apply in Asia, there also has to be integrity. Products need to say precisely what they do. They need to do precisely what they say.

“There’s huge interest in the role good quality food plays in promoting good health in these markets, some of which are very sophisticated.”

 A strong focus on health, nutrition, innovation and sustainability are a recipe for success for Irish food and drink exporters looking to capitalise on growing opportunities in Asia.

 

Learn how Enterprise Ireland supports companies to enter the Asian market: China, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia.