Irish Manufacturing Research

Irish Manufacturing Research At IMR, we provide independant and embedded research. We focus on addressing cross-sector manufacturing challenges.

Our objective is to deliver productivity and sustainable manufacturing solutions.

And that's a wrap on another fantastic Manufacturing & Supply Chain Event for another year. What an incredible team! 2 d...
28/05/2026

And that's a wrap on another fantastic Manufacturing & Supply Chain Event for another year.
What an incredible team! 2 days of insightful talks and engaging conversations at the RDS Simonscourt!

IMR's Director of Learning & Development, Tamara Wierks was last up from IMR with her talk on "Why Skills are becoming Manufacturings Competitive Advantage” - Transforming Workforce Capabilities for the next generation of manufacturing excellence." Tamara made the case that workforce skills are now a strategic competitive advantage for manufacturers, drawing on World Economic Forum data showing 74% of manufacturers face acute skills shortages and 39% of existing skillsets will be outdated by 2030, before arguing that traditional job-based workforce models are no longer fit for purpose and that organisations must transition to a skills-based approach, combining technical capabilities like AI and automation with human skills such as adaptability and critical thinking, concluding that becoming a skills-based organisation is not an HR initiative but a manufacturing transformation strategy.

Thank you to all who dropped by our stand and please reach out if you'd like to follow up on any conversations or if you'd like more information about what we do.

We've had a blast!


CIRCULÉIRE, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition ESA Phi-Lab Ireland

Another super day so far at Day 2 of the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition and plenty more activity a...
28/05/2026

Another super day so far at Day 2 of the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition and plenty more activity at the IMR stand and from the team at IMR.

Valentina Tarasco took to the Sustainability Stage this morning for her talk “From Compliance to Competitive Edge: Building Resilience, Reducing Risk, and Unlocking Value with Circularity" where she positioned circularity as a strategic business response to regulatory pressure and operational risk rather than simply an environmental obligation. This was demonstrated through the lens of a Circular Economy Action Plan, how organisations can find efficiencies, cut costs, unlock new revenue streams, and build resilience both internally and across the supply chain.

Dr. Rob Conway-Kenny, IMR's ESA Phi Lab Ireland Manager made the case for why Irish manufacturing SMEs cannot afford to ignore the commercial space sector, outlining the scale of the opportunity as the space economy heads toward $1.8 trillion by 2035, before detailing the practical funded pathways available through ESA Phi-Lab Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, including up to €400K in equity-free innovation funding, to help Irish companies move from ambition to active participation in Europe's rapidly growing space supply chain.


More IMR action from Day 1 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition today in the RDS Simonscourt.Barr...
27/05/2026

More IMR action from Day 1 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition today in the RDS Simonscourt.

Barry Fitzpatrick took to the Digital Transformation and AI Technologies Stage to provide an overview of how FactoryXChange 2.0, Ireland's European Digital Innovation Hub for manufacturing, is helping SMEs and public sector organisations accelerate digital transformation through practical supports including AI and digital maturity guidance, test-before-invest services, cybersecurity expertise, and innovation funding pathways, with real-world examples demonstrating how organisations are moving from digital ambition to operational impact through Industry 5.0 and AI-enabled transformation initiatives.

On the same stage, Guillaume Hernoux returned to explore the next chapter of his cooking analogy for digital transformation, examining what truly changes and what remains constant now that AI has entered the picture as a capable but potentially unreliable sous-chef — fast, tireless, and knowledgeable, but liable to confidently produce poor results without proper human oversight and direction.

We're back tomorrow so if you are in the area make sure and drop by our stand at J16 and say hello!

IMR had a strong presence on the Sustainability stage at todays Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition wit...
27/05/2026

IMR had a strong presence on the Sustainability stage at todays Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition with 3 speakers throughout the day.

First up Anaja Ajith talk on "Mapping Material Flows for Life Cycle Assessment in Hard Materials" provided an overview of how life cycle assessment can be applied to hard materials, covering system boundaries, material flows, and recycling pathways to support cradle-to-gate comparative analysis, while highlighting practical challenges such as supplier data gaps, complex value chains, and the need for structured validation to ensure reliable results.

Daniel Whelan presented "From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity" which provided an overview of a practical pathway for embedding circularity into organisations, drawing on tools such as Circularity Maturity Models, GHG Hotspot Assessments, and Circular Economy Action Plans to help businesses move from baseline understanding to prioritised action, while highlighting the role of metrics, technical assessments, and emerging technologies in turning circular opportunities into measurable impact.

Niamh O'Sullivan's talk “Circular Innovation Leadership - insights on moving from ideas to impact" drew on research led by IMR, as part of the CIRCULÉIRE programme. This session highlighted key findings from a recent skills study exploring what is needed to advance circular innovation in practice. It also highlighted practical strategies and insights leaders need to bridge the gap between ideas and implementation.

Great day so far!

Day 1 is here! Come find Irish Manufacturing Research, FactoryXChange and CIRCUÉIRE at J16 at the Manufacturing & Supply...
27/05/2026

Day 1 is here! Come find Irish Manufacturing Research, FactoryXChange and CIRCUÉIRE at J16 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition!

IMR's speakers today include:
- 11:20am Anjana Ajith | Sustainable Data Collection and Mapping: Understanding Your Data Quality and Validation Requirements (Sustainability Stage)
- 12:20 Daniel Whelan | From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity (Sustainability Stage)
- 13:40 Barry Fitzpatrick | FactoryXChange 2.0: Accelerating AI & Digital Transformation for Irish Manufacturing (Digital Transformation & AI Technologies Stage)
- 13:50 — Niamh O'Sullivan | Leading for Circular Innovation — Skills Insights on Moving from Ideas to Impact (Sustainability Stage)
- 14:40 — Guillaume Hernoux | Back in the Kitchen. The AI Sous-Chef Has Arrived. Now What? (Digital Transformation & AI Technologies Stage)


IMR is heading to the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition at the RDS Simonscourt this week and we're br...
26/05/2026

IMR is heading to the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition at the RDS Simonscourt this week and we're bringing some serious expertise and a few toys with us!

Come find us at Stand J16, just to the right of the VIP Lounge entrance, which we're proud to be sponsoring this year.

IMR will have 8 speakers taking to the stage across both days, covering topics at the forefront of Irish manufacturing:
AI & Digital Transformation
- Barry Fitzpatrick - FactoryXChange 2.0: Accelerating AI & Digital Transformation for Irish Manufacturing (Day 1, 13:40)
- Guillaume Hernoux – Back in the Kitchen. The AI Sous-Chef Has Arrived. Now What? (Day 1, 14:40)

Sustainability & Circularity
- Anjana Ajith – Sustainable Data Collection and Mapping (Day 1, 11:20)
- Daniel Whelan – From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity (Day 1, 12:20)
- Niamh O'Sullivan – Leading for Circular Innovation (Day 1, 13:50)
- Valentina Tarasco – From Compliance to Competitive Edge: Building Resilience, Reducing Risk, and Unlocking Value with Circularity (Day 2, 10:00)

Space & Advanced Manufacturing
- Robert Conway-Kenny – Manufacturing for Space: Supports for Irish Companies to Lead Europe's Commercial Space Sector (Day 2, 10:40)

Skills & Workforce
- Tamara Wierks – Why Skills Are Becoming Manufacturing's Competitive Advantage (Day 2, 13:40)

Whether you want to talk AI adoption, sustainability strategy, workforce development, or what IMR can do for your organisation, our team will be there across both days. We'd love to connect.


01/05/2026

Over the past few weeks, we’ve welcomed students and community groups to IMR as part of our Future Maker Tours — an Ideas Made Real programme — opening the doors to innovation, technology, and real-world manufacturing.​

From robotics and automation to sustainability and design thinking, participants experienced first-hand how ideas become real solutions.​

But more importantly, they discovered something bigger…​
✨ That manufacturing today is driven by technology​
✨ That there are exciting and diverse career paths​
✨ And that they can be part of it​

These visits are all about sparking curiosity, building confidence, and helping the next generation see what’s possible.​

👏 A huge thank you to all the schools and groups who visited us — we loved having you! Featuring: @@

👉 Interested in bringing your students to IMR? Get in touch to learn more. linkedin.com/showcase/ideas-made-real-Ireland​

23/04/2026

What happens when companies bring Work Ready Graduate Programme (WRGP) talent into their teams?

For Ventac, the impact was visible in few months. By onboarding a Master’s graduate through the WRGP, the team strengthened their capability in innovation and modelling for noise solutions, supporting real R&D challenges.

As Mark Simms shares, the experience wasn’t just about bringing in talent, it was about doing it with the right support. With IMR managing recruitment, training, and mentoring, the process became smoother, faster, and more effective.

👉 Thinking about building capability in your team? Explore how WRGP supports long-term skills development https://imr.ie/contact-imr/

19/03/2026

One of the greatest strengths of the Work Ready Graduate Programme is the people behind it.

Through WRGP, companies gain access to Master’s-level graduates who bring fresh technical knowledge, new perspectives, and the ability to contribute to real research and innovation projects from day one. In this short video, you’ll meet some of the talented graduates who are currently part of the programme. For companies, this means the opportunity to embed highly capable graduates into your team, supported by structured training and mentoring through IMR.

If you’re looking to strengthen your innovation capacity while building a pipeline of future talent, the Work Ready Graduate Programme provides a practical and low-risk way to do it.

Contact us to know more https://imr.ie/contact-imr/

17/03/2026

🎓 WRGP permits you to add skilled capacity without the risk of a traditional hire

Building internal capability often means hiring and for many SMEs, graduate recruitment comes with uncertainty: time-to-productivity, supervision effort, and cost. IMR’s Work Ready Graduate Programme, funded by Enterprise Ireland, removes those barriers.

Through WRGP, IMR:
- Recruits, employs, trains and mentors a Master’s-level graduate for you
- Embeds them directly into your business to work on real R&D, innovation or improvement projects
- Provides structured training and ongoing support, so the graduate contributes faster
- Offers funding support, reducing financial and onboarding risk

✅The result: productive additional capacity in weeks, not months, without adding HR or training overhead. Contact us https://bit.ly/3OarkgF

🎬 Hear from WRGP graduates on how the programme delivers impact in practice.

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