Enterprise Ireland is the Irish governmental agency responsible for the development and promotion of the indigenous business sector. Enterprise Ireland aim to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve strong positions in global markets resulting in increased national and regional prosperity. Through their extensive network of Irish and international offices, Enterprise Ireland work closely with their clients to assist them to compete and to grow. Enterprise Ireland target five areas of activity of Irish companies, namely: achieving export sales, investing in research and innovation, competition through productivity, starting up & scaling up and driving regional enterprise.  Enterprise Ireland also provide assistance for international companies who are searching for world-class Irish suppliers and assist international companies who want to set up food and drink manufacturing operations in Ireland. Through their industrial technologies commercialisation fund for applied research, Enterprise Ireland encourages and facilitates high quality applied research aimed at the commercial exploitation of knowledge. In doing so, it is recognised that this process is an uncertain activity and that the conversion of scientific principles into the commercial environment requires sustained support. As part of its commitment to facilitating the commercialisation of research, Enterprise Ireland is bringing a range of supports together under a Commercialisation Fund. Support is provided in three phases, namely, the proof of concept phase, the technology development phase and the business development phase (CORD). Under this final phase Enterprise Ireland also offer support through the enterprise platform programme (EPP).

Element Six is the world's leading supplier of high quality superabrasives and industrial diamond materials, including synthetic and natural diamond and the complementary superabrasive cubic boron nitride (cBN). These materials are available both in their single crystal and polycrystalline forms, for abrasive and non-abrasive industrial uses. Diamond and cBN products are mainly used in the manufacture of tools for applications including drilling, sawing, cutting, grinding and polishing of different materials such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, natural stone and concrete, wood based materials, plastics, glass and ceramics. Recent additions to the product range are a group of Chemical Vapour Deposition diamond products. These engineered materials are suitable for use in medical, optical, radio frequency, thermal management and precision applications. Element 6 were established in 1946 as Industrial Distributors Ltd. with a specific focus on the industrial use of natural diamond. Diamond was first successfully synthesised in Sweden in 1953 but first announced by De Beers Industrial Diamonds in 1960 who subsequently commenced operation of ultrahigh pressure units (UHPU) in South Africa (also in 1960) and in Shannon, Ireland in 1963, 45 years ago. In 2002, De Beers Industrial Diamonds was rebranded to Element Six. Element Six continues to strive to be the driving force in the industrial diamond market and to achieve clear commercial and technical leadership positions in their industrial diamond businesses.

Alicona Imaging specialise in optical 3D surface metrology. Customer oriented and innovative measurement solutions in the micro and nano range provide efficient and easy to achieve quality assurance. The product range of Alicona includes high end optical measurement solutions for the laboratory as well as during production. Key competences are outstanding solutions for the accurate and easy 3D measurement of complex topographies such as geometries with steep flanks and diffuse reflections. The leading know-how of Alicona is realized throughout excellent performance in form, geometry and contour measurement. In the field of 2D measurement solutions large areas are measured accurately in seconds. International leading companies successfully use Alicona products in research and development activities as well as in quality assurance. Regardless of their use in automatic inspection of welding spots or soldering joints, precision engineering applications, measurement tasks in tool and mould making, quality assurance in paper and print industry, electronic or medical device development – Alicona systems are in use whenever surfaces need to be measured fast, precisely and reliably. Alicona systems are designed to serve the particular needs of their client. Through customer intimacy, service and fair project execution Alicona ensure products and measurement solutions that satisfy the requirements of the client. Continuous research and development in cooperation with the Alicona application centre guarantee state of the art solutions for optical measurement and inspection systems based on customers’ needs. Alicona’s promise is that your today’s measurement task could be our product from tomorrow. Alicona are a major supporter of many international committees including the international organisation for standardisation (ISO), the national physical laboratory (NPL), the national institute of standards and technology (NIST), the Austrian Standards Institute (Ö Norm), The Fraunhofer Alliance and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB).

ABS is a global solution provider in wastewater treatment and technology, an essential component in ensuring the cleanliness of fresh water at the source. The ABS group offers a complete product portfolio of pumps, mixers, agitators, aerators, compressors, control & monitoring equipment, and services. ABS also offers pumps and rental services for the dewatering market, as well as solutions for pulp & paper applications under the brand name Scanpump. ABS has a long tradition in the industry with more than 140 years of application experience and manufacturing of customer-oriented solutions, being in the forefront of new technology. The ABS Group has 2.100 employees and a turnover 2004 of 2.9 billion SEK. Sales occur through subsidiaries in 20 European countries and in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Other countries are covered via distributors and agents. Service activities are integrated into the sales companies, besides this ABS also has a large number of authorized service workshops offering expert services. Production is mainly carried out in Sweden, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and Finland. The head office is located in Malmö, Sweden.

The Centre for Advanced Manufacturing & Management Systems (CAMMS) is based in the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department in Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland. CAMMS provides individuals and companies opportunities to study for and obtain professional qualifications in specific areas as well as research and consultancy services to a range of industries. 2 to 5 day intensive short courses are offered that cover topics of particular relevance to industry are offered throughout the year by tutors, who are recognised leaders in their fields and who possess both industrial and academic knowledge of their subjects. Short course topics include six sigma black belt, process control and automation, project planning, spreadsheets for engineers, computer applications in manufacturing, MS Visual Basic and Design for Manufacturing. These courses can be tailored to meet the requirements of local manufacturing and service industries and can be delivered on-site or in Cork Institute of Technology. CAMMS are involved in research and consultancy projects in the area of Plant Layout, Simulation, Project Management and Process Optimisation. CAMMS also offer programmes certified by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) for certified manufacturing technologists (CMfgT) and certified manufacturing engineers (CMfgE). The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) is the world's leading professional society advancing manufacturing knowledge and influencing more than half a million manufacturing practitioners annually. SME promotes an increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and keeps manufacturing professionals up to date on leading trands and technologies through various communities, publications, expositions and professional development resources.

Kern micro- und feinwerktechnik GmbH & Co. KG is a medium sized enterprise specialising in machine tools and subcontract machining with over 90 employees and over 40 years' history since their founding near Munich in Germany. The company operates two separate plants in Murnau-Westried and Eschenlohe in the south of Bavaria, Germany. The machine tools division in Eschenlohe develop, produce and sell KERN CNC high precision micro milling and drilling machines from co-ordinate table bench type machines to multiple axes fully integrated CNC micro-milling lines for unmanned, high precision machining. The subcontract machining division in Murnau-Westried offer specialised solutions EDM die sinking, wire-EDM, micro-milling, drilling, micro-drilling, surface grinding, profile grinding, circular grinding, jig grinding, laser fine cutting, measurement and sub assembly manufacturing. KERN are committed to competencies in highest possible precision guaranteeing the high satisfaction of their clients. Deckel Grinders Ltd are the distributors for Kern products in the UK and Ireland, also offering a wide range of Mario Mason and Deckel products. Deckel Grinders were set up in 1995 to ensure technical support for customers of the Michael Deckel precision engineering firm. Deckel Grinders Ltd are based in Rainford, St. Helens in the United Kingdom.

Established in Sligo in the north-west of Ireland in 1988, Avenue is a full-service outsourcing partner for global medical device and pharmaceutical OEMs. Everything you need – from product design, optimisation and validation, to launch stock production and contract manufacturing – is available to you here on an in-house basis. Drawing on the skills of our talented workforce and making extensive use of predictive software and highly efficient machine tools and moulding equipment, our aim is to ensure a quality finished product at all times. As such, Avenue moulds deliver an unsurpassed level of accuracy, provide fast cycle times and are easily maintained. A class 100,000 clean room complements our range of capabilities and has contributed to our status as a recognised expert in validation, with Avenue boasting an ISO 13485 accreditation in tandem with ISO 9001.

SimX is a Consultancy and World class Research company specialising in factory and robotics simulation. The experience, knowledge and expertise of its staff is one of the greatest assets of SimX, with over 40 years cumulative experience in the automation, simulation and software industries as well as in academic research. Using these skills SimX has expertise to complete a wide range of consultancy projects from factory layout and robotics cell design to ergonomic analysis and lean manufacturing. Through extensive technical consultancy services SimX can review your current manufacturing processes, identify strengths and weaknesses and offer recommendations for improvements. These services include identification of new processes, optimisation of existing processes, identification of bottlenecks, improved handling methods, improved tooling strategies and process flow optimisation. SimX consultants apply their experience and simulation knowledge to assist companies from those considering setting up a complete new process line from scratch to those trying to solve a difficult technical problem. Simulation can be used to evaluate alternative production methods, layouts or sequences, and to demonstrate quantitatively the benefits of the final solution recommended.

Wilde FEA Ltd are an internationally recognised provider of finite element analysis (FEA) technology, offering specialist solutions in FEA software, consulting, training and technical support. Wilde FEA Ltd formed as part of the Wilde engineering group, now offering over 25 years' FEA knowledge and proven service to in excess of 500 clients. FEA solutions are offered for a wide range of engineering applications including transport, defence, process & nuclear, electronic equipment and electronics, design optimisation, reliability engineering, civil & structural engineering, biomedical engineering, rotating machinery, program development and in manufacturing where Wilde are providers of DEFORM (Design Environment for FORMing) software, software developed and supported by the Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation. The DEFORM software enables designers to analyze metal forming, heat treatment, machining and mechanical joining processes on the computer rather than the shop floor using trial and error. Process simulation using DEFORM has been instrumental in cost, quality and delivery improvements at leading companies for nearly two decades. Today's competitive pressures require companies to take advantage of every tool at their disposal. DEFORM has proven itself to be extremely effective in a wide range of research and industrial applications. Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation (SFTC) develops and supports the DEFORM System. SFTC is available for consulting, training, contract simulation, project management and software development on a project basis.

Honeycomb Solutions aim to assist Irish companies develop great products, as great products make great companies and drive future revenues. Global competitive pressures have resulted in the need for Irish companies to develop new, more innovative, higher quality products more efficiently than ever before. These growing pressures and needs mean that there is a requirement for a new approach to the Product Development Process, this approach is termed Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). Honeycomb Solutions has partnered with PTC, (Parametric Technology Corporation, NASDAQ: PMTC) a global leader in PLM technology to deliver these solutions to Irish companies. Bringing together the global benefits and financial resources of PTC with the dynamics and experience of a local provider, Honeycomb Solutions, results in the best of both worlds for our clients. PTC's vision is driving excellence in product development. PTC aim to provide clients with the best Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions. For more than two decades, PTC has delivered industry-leading software solutions to enterprise and small business customers spanning multiple industries.

CIC marGUNE, the Cooperative Research Centre in High Performance Manufacturing, was founded, as a non profit Association, in 2002 to perform research of excellence, by means of cooperation, to raise the Industry competitiveness.
The CIC marGUNE Association consists of ten Companies (CIE Automotive, Goratu, Alfa Group, Danobat Group, Invema, Industria de Turbo Propulsores ITP, Loire Safe, Mondragon Industrial Automation, ONA Electroerosión and Sapa Placencia), eight Research Centers (Aotek, Azterlan, Fatronik, Ideko, Koniker, Labein, Lortek and Tekniker) and three Universities (Mondragon Unibertsitatea, University of Navarra and the University of the Basque Country).
The research activity is defined by the whole members of CIC marGUNE and advised by a Scientific Committee consisting of a 5 European experts in different Manufacturing Technologies.
The Research Achievements of CIC marGUNE's members during the period 2002-2007 are shown by the following indicators: 165 Publications, 20 Thesis, 378 participations in Congresses and 185 Knowledge Transfer Projects to 117 different Enterprises.
CIC marGUNE represents nowadays a Knowledge Community, integrated by more than 450 researchers, in the field of High Performance Manufacturing.

The international centre for graduate education in engineering (ICGEE) is inter-university, inter-disciplinary and international. It brings together eight Irish third level higher education institutions: UCC, UCD, UL, NUI Galway, DIT, AIT, CIT and TCD, along with, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG), France, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, Edinburgh University, UK and Fudan University, Shanghai, China. It also includes participation from the most relevant engineering professional accrediation body in our field, Engineers Ireland. Our vision is an international engineering graduate education centre capable of producing a new cadre of world-class engineering doctoral graduates able to not only participate but play a future leadership role in a diverse, globally-engaged engineering workforce and 21st century innovation society. The ICGEE will provide a student-centric doctoral research and education experience with a unique international flavour and perspective. This will include a global curriculum, world-class research opportunities, and the opportunity to build an international peer network amongst the next generation of internationally focused global engineering young leaders. It also includes participation from the most relevant engineering professional accrediation body in our field, Engineers Ireland. Our vision is an international engineering graduate education centre capable of producing a new cadre of world-class engineering doctoral graduates able to not only participate but play a future leadership role in a diverse, globally-engaged engineering workforce and 21st century innovation society. The ICGEE will provide a student-centric doctoral research and education experience with a unique international flavour and perspective. This will include a global curriculum, world-class research opportunities, and the opportunity to build an international peer network amongst the next generation of internationally focused global engineering young leaders.

Established in 1847, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is the leading body for professional mechanical engineers with a world-wide membership now in excess of 75,000 engineers. The institution headquarters are located at 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster in London. Members work in research, design, development, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, contracting, consulting and teaching, in fields as diverse as lubrication, satellite launching, surgical implants and in power stations. All find out about the latest developments in their own and related fields in the Institution's hundreds of Conferences and Events. IMechE publishes a number of magazines, journals and dozens of volumes of technical papers - its Proceedings. There is a range of information booklets and video programmes available from the Marketing department in London. The IMechE vision is improving the world through engineering and its efforts fall under the four key themes of energy, environment, education and transport.