Workshop on World Class Manufacturing in Europe

Address by Michael Ahern T.D. Minister for Trade and Commerce at the Workshop on World Class Manufacturing in Europe 4th March 2004 Stillorgan Park Hotel, Dublin at 8.50am

(Sharing experiences between European managers: Adapting Japanese production principles along European production lines)

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Good Morning to you all.

I am particularly pleased to have been asked here today to open this Workshop on World Class Manufacturing in Europe.

This is an event where managers from around Europe will be given the opportunity to share their experiences in working to achieve competitiveness, in a practical way. I am delighted to see that the event is a joint activity between the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Co-Operation and our own Enterprise Ireland.

The theme is of particular interest at an Irish and European level as the creation and retention of employment, through enhanced competitiveness, is one of the key policy concerns for the European Union now and into the future.

This event is unique, as I understand that it is the first time that European Managers, who have visited Japan on the World Class study missions, have had an opportunity to share their experiences of implementing good practice after their return to Europe.

I want to particularly welcome our guests from Europe to this Presidency event, especially our colleagues from the Accession States. We look forward to working closely with you as you build your places within the expanded European Union.

We are continuing to build relationships closer to home also. I am delighted at the level of attendance of our neighbours and colleagues from Northern Ireland. The focus of the event on sharing and learning together is one that facilitates the on-going development of positive relationships on the island, North and South.

And finally, from a national perspective, it is heartening to see the level of participation of companies large and small, indigenous and multi-national, from all parts of the country.

Europe needs to build its competitiveness if we are to achieve our goal of becoming the largest and most effective economy in the world by 2010, an objective set out in the Lisbon summit and reinforced in Gothenburg. We need to create better and more jobs if we are to build the European model of social cohesion and environmental protection.

For Ireland, as a small island nation with a focus on exporting, we need to both understand best practice in manufacturing - and be capable of adopting best practice in manufacturing - if we are to remain competitive in global and European markets.

Governments and policy makers can create the environment for businesses to be competitive, but, individual companies need to constantly improve their operations to be effective and efficient.

Businesses need to innovate if they are to continue to be competitive and, ultimately, profitable. Products that were market leaders five years ago are now often obsolete.

Manufacturing needs to be both efficient and forward looking to support the sales of high value products and the sustaining of high income jobs. Companies who use best practice are also the most likely to be environmentally efficient and effective.

One proven way to develop more efficient manufacturing is to learn about world class best practice in manufacturing used throughout the world. While Japan is still experiencing some economic difficulties, it remains, without doubt, one of the most effective and productive manufacturing economies in the world.

This event provides an opportunity to share what has been learned by those who have visited Japan in recent years and explore how they adopted and adapted best practice in their own businesses on their return to Europe.

The speakers here today and tomorrow will tell of their individual experience in improving their operations. They come from a range of companies, large and small. Many of them are considered to be world leaders in their fields.

They have demonstrated a commitment to developing their systems and operations to achieve true competitiveness. They are reducing the time and effort required to produce their particular products - in some case by over half.

For Europe to be competitive - and for Ireland to be competitive - managers in business need to rise to the challenges of today's global marketplace. They need to innovate, to learn from and with each other, and to share their experience and understanding. They need to tackle inefficiencies in their own operations and they need to learn and disseminate what is best practice at all levels. This event provides a powerful means of sharing and learning together and I trust you will all benefit from your participation.

ENDS

TC 84