Whither the Furniture Industry?

Whither the
Furniture Industry?
A Local Action Plan for Monaghan
1
Contents
Profiles3
Action 150
Executive Summary4
Action 2 54
Foreword from Mayor of Monaghan County Council
7
Action 359
Background & Policy Context8
Action 4 67
Key Output from the Project Action 571
11
City Profile12
Financial Resources & Implementation
Vision, Aims and Objectives Potential Funding Options75
20
73
Local Support Group22
Communications Strategy & Public Consultation
Project Methodology23
Bibliography and References79
The Strategy for the Wood FootPrint Project
Appendices & Supporting Volumes
29
78
82
Student Project30
Appendix 183
Site1 - McNally and Finlay, Rossmore Furniture
32
Appendix 2. 84
Site 2 - John E Coyle Ltd
35
Appendix 3. 85
Site 3 - Sherry Furniture Factory
38
Appendix 486
Actions Planning43
Appendix 5 89
Appendix 6 - Potential EU Funding Programmes 2
90
Profiles
Key Contacts
Project Manager:
Local Support Group Chairman:
Pádraig Maguire
Mr Dermot Mc Nally
Tel:
Tel:
04730500
04784056
E mail:
E mail:
[email protected]
[email protected]
3
Executive Summary
County Monaghan was traditionally known as one of the greatest
clusters of furniture manufacturers in Ireland per head of
population, and like many furniture businesses in Ireland, they
experienced significant decline in recent decades. This was one of
the main reasons for the participation of local furniture companies,
together with the Northern Western Regional Assembly and
Monaghan County Council in the Wood FootPrint Project. The
project offered a new dimension and added value in terms of the
inputs and experiences of other EU Cities and clusters that have
experienced decline in the furniture sector in recent decades.
The overall goal of the project was therefore ‘to bring together
EU Cities with a strong influence in the wood sector (covering
the entire supply chain) that now face a transformation process
following production and sales decay.’
is:
1 Assist and develop existing furniture
compete and operate within a global market;
businesses to
and
2 Explore diversification options for business owners
that have been left with vacant buildings and those that are
considering leaving the sector
During the development phase, a detailed problem analysis was
undertaken to establish the core and root problems facing the
industry and what effects these were having on the business
owners, the public and the local economy. Some of the key
Within the last 15 years, Monaghan experienced the greatest issues identified include globalisation, lack of a business
impact from the increased internationalisation of the furniture association to work for the industry, lack of relevant education
market. Four of the largest firms within the county ceased and on the job training, lack of product design, development
production and left 500+ employees without jobs and a legacy and innovation and a general disjoint and lack of trust between
that includes large vacant buildings that face a very uncertain stakeholders.
future. Despite this trend however, it was discovered through
primary research on this project that there are a greater number To deal with the issue of vacancy, a database was created to
of smaller furniture business than was known and that these identify the extent and scale of the problem in Monaghan. It
businesses were operational and viable, but were not being was estimated that there is currently up to 600,000 square
registered or recorded by any group or body.
feet of vacant factory floor space in County Monaghan. A
The main focus therefore of the Local Action Plan in Monaghan unique partnership was established and developed with the
4
University of Ulster to engage final year planning and property
development students to study three of the larger vacant sites
in Monaghan and generate ideas and potential re-use options for
these buildings, based on national and international best practice
examples. This project proved to be highly successful with the
relevant business owners, EU Partners and the County Council.
Through the students project, together with further
research and work of the Local Support Group
and experiences and lessons learned from
the transnational exchange program, the
project team quickly established that there
a number of key actions that were required
to fulfil the aims and objectives of the LAP.
These actions are summarised through the
following diagram:
5
Benefit
Uniquely in County Monaghan, many of the existing businesses
are remotely based and lack many of the skills and capacity
identified above to develop their business and make it viable in
the long term. As a result of experiences and learning from case
studies on the transnational exchange programme (Yecla, Spain &
Kortrijk Belgium) , it became obvious that a collective effort was
required to pull together these remotely based furniture makers
and crafts people into a centralised location in Monaghan Town to
provide a shared space for promotion and sales, a shared marketing
plan, shared space to work together, to develop a brand and
have incubation and mentoring facilities. This combined action,
together with the creation of a Design and Innovation Centre that
includes digital fabrication services, 3 D printing and technical
team support will make business development more accessible
and feasible to local and regional businesses.
The real benefit of the transnational exchange was to identify
the lack of infrastructure and supports that were not available to
furniture businesses in Ireland (when compared with other EU
Countries) - the key element of which was the lack of a business
association, to represent and work on behalf of the furniture
businesses in Monaghan and Ireland as a whole. All other
outputs from the action plan hinge upon the creation, successful
development and operation of this national association. During the
development phase of this project, the Association of Furniture
Manufacturers Ireland was created and shall be developed
throughout the remainder of 2015.
All businesses suffered during the most recent recession and
the furniture sector was no different. The impact upon these
businesses was however more severe as they were not prepared
for the internationalisation of the sector and the fact that many
of the smaller businesses that now exist did not, and could not
have had given their scale, invested in the sales and marketing,
R & D and machinery/equipment that was required to develop
their businesses into a fiercely competitive field, both on price
and quality. This was coupled with a lack of appropriate education
and training in that education providers and businesses did not
engage in communicating the type of education and training
that was required. Actions 2 and 4 are specifically identified as
being key national and regional priorities that must be pursued to
overcome these weaknesses within the wider industry.
Ultimately, this Local Action Plan is about supporting and
developing a traditional and indigenous sector that operates in
an area of the country that has relatively high unemployment and
few other opportunities to attract high end manufacturing and
multinationals that provide high end jobs. The human capital,
traditions and culture of County Monaghan remain intact and
provide the key ingredients, that together with the right supports,
could deliver the renaissance of a sector that once again can be
the heartbeat of the local economy.
6
Foreword from Mayor of Monaghan County Council
I commend this action plan which I believe will provide a new
impetus to the wood and furniture sector in County Monaghan,
and indeed, further afield. The furniture sector was once the
heartbeat of the local economy in Monaghan through providing
thousands of direct and indirect jobs. The nature and scale of the
industry has changed significantly through globalisation. With
the actions and outputs emerging from this action plan, I firmly
believe that with the proper implementation and supports being
provided, we will witness the renaissance of the furniture sector
within our county, albeit in a very different form and structure.
As Mayor of Monaghan County
Council, I am delighted to have
been engaged with the Project
Team in the development and
delivery of the EU URBACT Wood
FootPrint Project. This project
deals with the challenges that
are familiar with many cities and
local authorities across Europe
in that the furniture industry has
declined significantly over recent
decades. The legacy of redundant
and vacant buildings that were formerly used within the wood and
furniture sector must be viewed as an opportunity to develop
new and innovative uses and bring them back to life. They are
after all key assets in our landscape.
I also want to thank the dedicated, hardworking staff of the
Northern and Western Regional Assembly and Monaghan County
Council, and in particular, the guidance and leadership provided
by Project Manager Pádraig Maguire and the Local Support Group
Chairman, Mr Dermot Mc Nally in delivering this Local Action
Plan for Monaghan.
The active furniture sector in Monaghan however remains a
key contributor to our local economy and this is demonstrated
through its estimated contribution of circa €50 million p.a. For a
rural based county that does not benefit significantly from high
end manufacturing and investment from multinationals, I firmly
believe that investment in our local traditional indigenous sectors
is of paramount importance.
Le gach dea-mhéin,
Cllr. Padraig Mc Nally
Mayor of the County of Monaghan
Méara an Chontae
7
Background & Policy Context
URBACT Programme
This program was started by the European commission and was created
to promote the development of networks within the European economic
region. Its main task is to improve the efficiency of urban development in a
sustainable and integrated way. It is based upon the sound methodology of
exchanging ideas, experiences and methods learnt by those responsible in
the daily management of our cities so that their ideas can be used to form
new polices that better our urban development
URBACT is defined by the European Regions’ initiative for economic change, with the objective of promoting economic modernisation, growth and job creation, using European models at a local
level.
There are currently more than 29 countries, 300 cities and more
than 5000 active participants with URBACT, which are developing
certain programs promoting innovation, urban mobility, sustainable
growth and, amongst others, promoting entrepreneurship.
8
Wood Footprint, under the banner of UBRACT, aims to respond
to the challenge to reactivate the economies of participant cities,
whose main economic activity is the furniture industry and have
suffered as a consequence of the economic crisis and the impact
of globalisation.
One of the main benefits of the programme “Wood Footprint” is to
offer different tools and policies that will strengthen the furniture
sector but at the same time offer economic diversification by
sharing successful methods in sustainable sectors. The projects
partners include 10 partners from 9 EU countries.
Map 1. Partners on Wood FootPrint Project
9
Project Background
Addressing the challenge of the urban footprint left in
European cities by transforming manufacturing sectors
1
The Wood Footprint Project is an URBACT II funded project
to a local problem that is informed from best practice and learning
which focuses on Wood Manufacturing sectors within urban
from across the Partner Network.
centres. Recent years have seen a considerable decline in the
wood industry and, in many cases, the abandonment of large
units/workshops, formerly used to manufacture, store and display
furniture and wood products.
Overall Project Goal
The overall aim of the Wood Footprint Project is to bring
together key players in the wood industry from across the EU,
and through the sharing of ideas, experiences and practices,
find new and innovative ideas to assist the active industry; and
to promote and foster a renewed diversification for redundant
premises to enhance the economic development of the local
economy. This will be achieved through the development
of a Local Action Plan (LAP) for each partner involved in the
project. A key focus of the LAP is to provide a local solution
1 - URBACT is a European and exchange learning programme promoting sustainable urban development
10
Key Output from the Project
Local Action Plan
The added dimension, and real benefit, of this project is that
there are nine other EU Partners who like ourselves, are looking
for new and innovative ways of tackling the issues facing the
furniture industry in each of their respective countries. The
sharing and learning of experiences between project partners
is providing new innovative ways of tackling urban problems in
this country.
Each Project Partner must develop an LAP which addresses local
problems within the industry and identifies relevant solutions and
actions to address and overcome these problems. The actions
emerging from the LAP will be carefully chosen through a
filtering and refining process using the URBACT method which
is a particular methodology that is developed to investigate the
scale, nature and extent of the problem in each partner city, and to
identify appropriate and relevant solutions to these problems. The
number of actions emerging from the LAP will be small in number,
but reflect the extent of the strategic problems and challenges
facing the industry locally.
Like any good plan or strategy, there is continuous engagement
with stakeholders in order to ensure that they are aware of the
emerging problems and solutions and are ultimately engaged into
the process and the project. The actions that are being developed
are tested against strict criteria to identify relevant bodies such
as agencies, local and regional authorities and Government
Departments whom could make resources available, and that
there will ultimately be a body responsible for the implementation
of each action. Relevant funding bodies and new unconventional
funding models are being explored and identified, to ensure that
there are appropriate resources available to support the plan and
its actions.
11
City Profile
The Border Region is one of 8 NUTS III Regions in Ireland. It
includes the border counties of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth,
Monaghan and Sligo. The region had a population of 514,891
persons in 2011 which is an increase of 9.9% from the previous
census in 2006.
The Wood Footprint focus in the region is in the traditional
County Town of Monaghan. The number of inhabitants in
County Monaghan in 2011 was 60,483 persons (8% increase
from 2006) and Monaghan Town 7,452 persons (11% inc. from
2006). Figures obtained from the 2011 Census show that County
Monaghan has a predominantly younger population, with the
highest proportion of Monaghan’s population in the 0-4 age
bracket, followed by the 30-34 age bracket. It is located in the
province of Ulster and is one of three Ulster Counties bordering
with Northern Ireland. There are five towns in the county
including Monaghan, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones and
Ballybay. County Monaghan, however, remains a predominantly
rural county with less than 30% of its population living in the
urban areas (2011 Census).
During the late 1990s and the last decade, now infamously known
as the ‘Celtic Tiger’ period, many young people left skilled and
semi-skilled jobs to work in the construction sector due to the
attractive salaries being offered. Today, many of these people
have either emigrated or are on social welfare supports as many
12
construction and related jobs ceased with the collapse in the local
economy. As a result of the above, very few young people in recent
years have either been trained or entered the wood manufacturing
sector. It is also fair to state that the wood furniture sector is not
considered lucrative or attractive, particularly to those who go
onto third and fourth level education.
national average. Although there are major international agencies
operating throughout the country, to date, inward investment
levels in County Monaghan have been low relative to other
regions throughout the country.
County Monaghan has a strong agricultural base and also depends
heavily on the sector. Mushroom farming is a particular sector in
which agglomerations and clustering occurs within the county,
although the market for such products fluctuates greatly and the
businesses experience significant fluctuations as a result. The
most important industries in County Monaghan are in the areas
of food processing, wood and metal products. Forecasts from
the Economic and Statistical Research Institute (ESRI) indicate
a significant drop in those employed in the construction and
manufacturing sectors and a continued shift towards the services
sector.
Unfortunately, many of the manufacturing and agri-food
businesses are confined to low skilled manual workers. Much
of the production was traditionally based upon high volume and
low margins and this is reflected by the fact that the county’s
gross output per person is approximately one third of the
13
Original Focus Area
The area that is to be considered within this project is not a
city but includes a town which has a strong tradition in wood
manufacturing, and in particular the furniture sector, together with
a rural hinterland which includes a high density (agglomeration) of
small, medium and large manufacturing plants which are generally
located north of Monaghan Town and within circa 12 km of the
town. The clusters that exist outside Monaghan Town are close
to the main N2 road and also around the village of Emyvale.
As the project progressed however, the scope of the project
was widened to include the entire County of Monaghan as there
were other significant employers from the central spine of the
county that extended to the south and that remain active within
the industry.
14
Background to the Furniture Industry
The wood and furniture industry in Ireland was traditionally
considered low-end and low skilled manufacturing. Throughout
the 1970s, 80s and into the 90s, the sector prospered and
faced little by way of competition within the national market
and competed well on the international markets also. Figure 1
over provides a breakdown by county the scale of the industry
throughout Ireland during the period 1992-2006.
Figure 1 provides a good overview of the national picture of
furniture industry in Ireland. The industry as at its peak in the
early eighties and has since declined substantially throughout the
country. The 2006 figures provide the greatest insight into the
industry in that the overall number of firms across the country
declined substantially with only a number of counties maintaining
a strong presence within the industry.
Figure 1. Number of Firms per County in Ireland
during the period 1992 – 2006.
15
Within the last decade, some businesses managed to increase
their exports of goods to Europe but this was against a backdrop
of an emerging trend which was for an increasing volume of Table 1. CSO Data on Furniture and Other Manufacturing in Ireland
cheaper furniture being imported into Ireland. Many of the 2006 & 2012
businesses operating during this period failed to predict the
All Employee Size Classes
2006 (No.)
2012 (No.)
extensive challenges posed through globalisation and spiralling
domestic costs, and as a result, the industry literally fell off a
Furniture and other Manufacturing (31, 32)
cliff edge. County Monaghan was one of the greatest clusters
of furniture manufacturing areas and was identified as such in a
1,991
1,583
Teagasc publication by Kevin Heanu entitled ‘Measuring Industrial Active Enterprises
Agglomeration in a Rural Industry: The Case of Irish Furniture
93
78
Manufacturing’. Consequently, the effect of the above was a Enterprise Births
dramatic decline in an industry that was once the back bone of a
county and its principal town of Monaghan.
Persons engaged in Active
32,163
29,200
Enterprises
Through primary research on the Wood Footprint Project, it has
however been identified that there remains a strong local core
of manufacturing in the wood sector within the county, albeit
that it falls below the radar of many government bodies and state
agencies and so there remains potential for a renaissance of the
industry; even if, in a very different formation. Table 1 below
outlines the general trends in the industry in Ireland.
Employees in Active
Enterprises
31,106
28,479
Persons engaged in Birthed
Enterprises
119
58
Employees in Birthed
Enterprises
57
15
Source. CSO
16
Primary Research Wood FootPrint Project
There is a general decline in active enterprises, employee
numbers and enterprise births within the furniture sector
throughout Ireland. Between 2006 and 2012, the numbers of
active enterprises in furniture industry in Ireland fell from 1,991 to
1,583 whilst corresponding employee numbers fell from 31,106
to 28,479.
At a more micro level the above trends are replicated in County
Monaghan where there is a general decline in both the number
of firms engaged within the sector and a corresponding fall in the
number of employees.
Table 2. Number of Enterprises and Employees in Furniture Industry
in County Monaghan between 2008-2012.
Year
No. of Enterprises
No. of Employees
2008
28
372
2009
24
317
2010
20
270
2011
23
242
2012
20
207
(Source. CSO)
The information and statistics would appear to demonstrate that
the number of firms and employee numbers are falling in a market
where globalisation and the movement of goods is much more
efficient and in some cases cost effective on a larger scale. Data
and statistics on the industry nationally is not frequently gathered
or made available therefore, some primary research conducted as
part of this project discovered that there remains some degree
of activity within the industry, but is very much operating at the
micro level.
Figure 2. Size of Businesses by Employee Numbers
In total, it was found that there are 70+ businesses in County
Monaghan currently operational within the wider furniture
industry, employing approximately 444 persons in full and part
time employment. It is estimated that these firms contribute circa
€50 milllion annually to the local economy.
17
These are significant figures in terms of local economic activity, as
many of these smaller businesses have until now, been operating
under the radar of Government Departments and national agencies
that gather and collate data on the industry. This will also apply to
other furniture clusters that exist around the country.
The categories of employee numbers within these 70 businesses
are outlined in Figure 2. It clearly demonstrates a trend that there
are a greater number of companies that fall into the SMEs category,
with 61% of Companies having only 1-5 employees. Only 12%
of companies have more than 11 employees which demonstrates
and reinforces previous findings that the larger companies have
already been forced out of the industry in County Monaghan.
What is also interesting is what companies do in terms of
products they make and services they provide. Figure 3 provides
an overview of this. There are 12 categories of products that are
currently being manufactured in County Monaghan, with the two
most common categories being upholstery and fitted furniture,
having a combined local market share of 50%. The second most
popular categories are Contract and Cabinet at 12% each. The
remaining 8 categories are all below 6% market share, but this
clearly demonstrates a broad and wide diversity of businesses,
that importantly are not all competing in the same markets and
to some extent complement each other in terms of the market
supply chain.
Existing levels of Vacant Factory
Floorspace in County Monaghan
Whilst developing an inventory of businesses within the furniture
industry in Monaghan, information was also gathered on the
level of vacancy that currently exists within furniture factories.
Figure 4 outlines the extent of this issue. In 2014, (within the
replies received from businesses through the survey which
was 10 out of 31), there was a total of 318,204 sqft of vacant
floorspace at that time. Although it may appear that it is a relatively
small number of replies, on closer analysis it would appear that all
Figure 3. Types of Products and Services provided by Furniture
Companies in County Monaghan
18
of the larger vacant factories have been included in these figures. The Future
It is however also acknowledged that the overall vacancy figure
within the industry is likely to be much higher among the 70 The focus of businesses within the furniture industry must therefore
businesses now identified within the industry in County Monaghan. be to rethink the concept and model of bulk manufacture of low end
goods and a move towards more high end bespoke products that
are geared towards a different national and international market,
and is more reflective of consumer tastes and preferences.
Consequently, the Wood Footprint Project in Monaghan was
developed as a two pronged approach to assist and develop the
industry as follows:
Investigation of diversification options for business owners
who have left, or are considering leaving the furniture
industry and entering into other emerging sectors within the
local economy
Identifying future areas of focus and opportunities for those
business owners looking to remain within the furniture
industry
Figure 4. Existing Vacant floor space in Furniture Factories in
County Monaghan
19
Vision, Aims and Objectives
Figure 5 over articulates the vision, aims and objectives of this
Local Action Plan.
These are set within the wider context and themes of the Wood
FootPrint Project that include:
1. Abandoned Buildings
2. Business Parks
3. Public Private Partnerships
4. Diversification
5. Skills and Employment
As the abandoned buildings (as opposed to vacant buildings) and
business parks themes are not directly relevant to Monaghan,
this Local Action Plan focuses on the latter three themes that are
considered relevant to the local industry and existing situation.
20
Figure 5
21
Local Support Group
The Local Support Group (LSG) are a diverse range of people from
the public and private sector tasked with guiding and steering
the project during vthe development stages. Throughout the
development of the project, the LSG met ten times to develop the
URBACT methodology and define the challenges, solutions and
appropriate actions required to support and diversify the furniture
industry in Monaghan. The LSG were the project champions and
assisted in mobilising and steering the political and institutional
support required to ensure that the Local Action Plan provides new
and innovative solutions to complex problems and leads to real
change.
Furniture
Manufacturers
/ Business Owners
(4)
Board
Sustainable
Mechanics Ltd
Monaghan
GMIT Letterfrack
Furniture College
Board
The LSG personnel are outlined in Appendix 1, but the key bodies
involved are summarised in Figure 6
The diversity of people from the public and private sector meant
that the views and ideas put forward for the LAP, were truly
representative of the general public and the business community
in Monaghan.
Monaghan Local
Enterprise Office
Cavan-Monaghan
Education &
Training Board
LSG Role in LAP Implementation
Beyond the development of the LAP, the Local Support Group Figure 6. Groups, Bodies and Businesses represented on the Local
will be central in the implementation of the Local Action Plan. The Support Group in Monaghan
group will continue in its existing capacity and have agreed to
meet quarterly, review progress on implementation, and through
continued communication with the Lead Expert, identify other
funding opportunities to continue supporting the furniture industry
and the wider local economy.
22
Project Methodology
2
The project methodology was established from the URBACT Toolkit
. The toolkit provided a range of methodologies and suggestions as
to how particular problems or challenges may be addressed. The
Project Team developed a draft methodology which was discussed
and approved by the Local Support Group and then developed
through a series of ten meetings. A separate methodology paper is
available outlining this project methodology, but the following is a
summary of the key stages:
6
Desktop studies and site work as part of primary
research about the local furniture industry
7
University of Ulster Jordanstown Students Project to address challenges of vacant factory buildings and
their potential adaptive reuse (options appraisal)
8
Organisation of a Stakeholder Event to outline the
Project, provide industry with information regarding
supports and to learn about the needs and challenges
for industry
9
Transnational visits to partner countries with exchange
of best practice and learning
Creation of the Local Support Group with representatives from
public and private sector – See Appendix 1
Stakeholder Analysis - See Appendix 5
1
Creation of the Local Support Group with representatives
from public and private sector – See Appendix 1
10
Refinement of the Actions and completion of Action
Tables
2
IStakeholder Analysis
- See Appendix 5
11
Identification of potential funding mechanisms and
programmes for LAP Actions
3
Definition of Key Problems and Challenges facing the
furniture Industry in Ireland
12
Communication and consultation with key stakeholders
and validation of Local Action Plan
4
Creation of the Problem Tree
(Root Causes and Effects - see figure 7)
13
Further refinement of the Local Action Plan following
consultation with stakeholders
5
Creation of the Solution Tree
(Expected Results and Actions – see figure 8)
14
Completion of development phase and formal launch
of Local Action Plan in Monaghan in May 2015
15
PHASE 2 - Implementation of Local Action Plan
2- URBACT Toolkit is available to download at http://urbact.eu/urbact-local-groups
23
Identification of Problems and Solutions
A key focus of this study was to correctly identify the key
challenges facing the wood and furniture industry and attempt
to explain reasons why business owners have left the industry
and to what extent is the scale of the problem of vacant buildings
within Monaghan. This requires a systematic approach and a
clear methodology to ensure that we understand the problems
and create the right solutions to solve these problems. A key
part of this methodology, which was developed through the LSG,
was the creation of the Problem and Solution Tree’s as outlined
in Figures 7 and 8 respectively. In the Problem Tree the trunk is
known as the core problem whilst the roots are the root causes of
the problem and the branches are the effects of the problems. In
order to attempt to resolve these issues and develop solutions,
the Solution Tree was developed. The core solution is the trunk,
whilst the roots are the types of Actions needed to get the
expected results (branches).
Figure 7. Challenges for the furniture industry in County Monaghan
24
Figure 8. Potential Solutions and Actions to Address Challenges in
County Monaghan
25
Transnational Partner Meetings
on Wood FootPrint
The second key aspect of the URBACT method is the transnational
exchange programme where representatives from each partner
country visit each other during project development to exchange
best practice ideas, share relevant case studies and develop new
ideas within their own cities based on experiences and learning.
The transnational exchange was considered the most valuable part
of the project as the ideas and learning generated among partners
is now being reflected in each Local Action Plan across the Wood
FootPrint partnership. The focus is on providing local solutions to
local problems.
Of note was the return trip made to Yecla in Spain in March 2015
by a number of persons from the Monaghan Local Support Group.
The purpose of this visit was to return and explore further:
How business associations of AREMA and CETEM in Murcia
Region were set up and what type and level of support they
provide to the local furniture industry;
City Country
Dates
Pacos de Ferreira
Portugal
March 2013
High Wycombe
United Kingdom
October 2013
Roeselare
Belgium
February 2014
Monaghan
Ireland
March 2014
Tartu Estonia
May 2014
Viborg
Denmark
June 2014
Yecla
Spain
October 2014
Lecce
Italy
November 2014
Yecla
Spain
March 2015
Table 3. Cities Visited During Transnational Exchange
How is the business incubator operated within the Municipality
o f Yecla;
Common areas and objectives of our respective LAPs which
can be aligned to form a new partnership under URBACT III
Programme
26
Value of the Transnational Exchange
Programme
The purpose of the transnational exchange
programme was to share experiences and
learning between partners and develop new
initiatives in tackling similar problems in each
partner country. This was considered the
real added-value of the WFP Network where
key personnel of LSGs were afforded the
opportunity to visit, see and discuss with
relevant individuals in partner countries as
to how to tackle various problems and what
solutions would be best suited and fitted to
their own situation.
27
Figure 9 identifies some of the key influencing factors that shaped some of the actions
(as identified later in this report) emerging through this LAP. `
28
The Strategy for the Wood FootPrint Project
Through the work of the Local Support Group, it was established local development agencies in County Monaghan to encourage
at an early point that the project would have to have to include a new enterprise development within vacant buildings where
range of short, medium and long term solutions for both the active infrastructural facilities are readily available.
and inactive sector of the industry.
The promotion and encouragement of new start-up enterprises
represents an opportunity for Monaghan to return to the selfThe Inactive Furniture Sector and Vacant
starting progressive and independent economy that it once was.
This is a quality that differentiates Monaghan from other counties
Buildings
in Ireland and should be encouraged.
The declining role of traditional industries such as manufacturing
represents a key challenge for County Monaghan. As identified in
the primary research conducted as part of this project, a number In order to address this issue, the Local Support Group agreed that
of sites, including some of the larger ones that made the biggest some external students should be engaged to look at the adaptive
contribution to the furniture industry in Monaghan, have now re-use options for a number of larger factory sites in Monaghan.
ceased trading and many of the buildings are now vacant and face
an uncertain future. Where they do not have a use, they may not A separate report on the outcomes of this work is available, but is
have a future and the longer that they remain vacant, they face a summarised in Section 6. One of the key criteria for the students
likelihood of falling into dereliction.
was that the options recommended by them for each site should
be informed from best practice examples from across Europe and
The Wood FootPrint Project is primarily aimed at tackling this issue. the U.S. and that many of the potential uses and adaptive key
These material assets (vacant buildings) provide an important link principles, could be transferable to any site in County Monaghan,
with our industrial heritage, albeit that many of the buildings are of or throughout Ireland.
no significant architectural value given that they are mainly portal
frame structures built during the mid to late 1900s.
There is a strong case to be made that given the relatively good
condition of most buildings, they could easily and readily be brought
back into productive use when compared with so-called newbuilds. The re-use of these vacant spaces and the diversification
to other land use present an opportunity for businesses and
29
Student Project
University of Ulster Students Project on
Vacant Properties in Monaghan
sites, together with outlining a number of relevant case studies
from national and international experiences.
One of the main aims of the Wood FootPrint Project was to address
the urban challenge of reusing buildings that were formerly used
in the wood and furniture sector and are now vacant due to a
significant decline in the wood sector. The LSG choose to seek
external assistance to specifically address the issue of dealing
with vacant buildings and looking at reuse options. Rather than
going down a conventional route of commissioning consultants,
the LSG choose to commission a group of final year Planning and
Property Development Students from the University of Ulster
Jordanstown to look at a number of case studies within the
Monaghan area and carry out a site appraisal and analysis of three
The three sites chosen in Monaghan to be the focus of the
students work included:
1
2
3
Mc Nally and Finley site in Monaghan Town
John E Coyle site in Monaghan Town
Sherry Brothers site in Scotstown Village
A supporting document to this LAP provides a detailed breakdown
of this project and the key recommendations and options appraisal
from the students. The students individual reports for each site
are also available for viewing on request.
30
Innovative Approach to Problem Solving
In order to make this a competitive and worthwhile process, an
innovative approach was taken to incentivise students to double
their efforts on this project.
The owners of the above three named businesses of John E Coyle,
Sherry’s and Mc Nally and Finley each contributed €750 each to
provide a total cash fund prize of €2,250 for the students. All of
this money was dedicated to cash prizes for students. This prize
winning fund was divided among the students in the following way:
Winner & first place – €1000
2nd place – €750
3rd place – €500
The above awards for the students work was adjudicated by an
independent panel of three persons from outside the area, and
who together with the Local Support Group, listened to students
presentations in Mid May 2014
Key Outcomes
The key outcomes from the students project was the development
of an innovative range of reuse options, many of which don’t just
apply to the specific three sites studied, but can be transferred
and applied to other vacant buildings within County Monaghan
and indeed on the island of Ireland. A number of best practice
international examples were also provided on each site to inform
the decision making of the students.
31
Site1 -
McNally and Finlay, Rossmore Furniture
International Best Practice examples
Comoco Architects - Coimbra, Portugal
Oxtorget – Värnamo, Sweden
The Play Factory -Thornaby
Conway Mill – Belfast, Northern Ireland
The architects converted an industrial manufacturing warehouse The Oxtorgret housing project consists of multifamily passive
into the N10 Indoor Sports Facility
homes built with passive housing standards in mind.
Located on the junction of Dukesway and Jay Avenue. The site
includes a multi-level play frame, ball cannon zone, Laser Tag arena,
electric go-kart track, super slides, obstacle courses, football and
basketball pitches, and one of the largest dedicated baby/toddler
play frames
This mill is now one Belfast’s best preserved and most important
historical buildings. It provides a unique multi-functional space, at
the same time preserving the local industrial heritage and history
of the area. Facilities within the Mill Complex include: Education Centre and Theatre Space Holistic Healing Centre Constructed for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It was the most Conway Mill Artists and Gallery Space
energy- efficient building ever built for the Olympic Games and Irish Republican History Museum
epitomised how the issues of energy conservation can be actively
solved. The building was also named as Canada’s first certified Tobacco Factory – Bristol
Passivhaus.
A former Tobacco Factory which only allows local independent
businesses to trade. These industries are from the ‘creative
Passiv Housing Project - Co. Louth.
industries’ sector, and include graphic design, music advertising,
One of the first certified passiv housing projects in Ireland. The art conservation and theatre production.
project sets a benchmark for the construction industry and suggests
that with due care Passiv Design standards can be transferred to The Factory at Franklin – Franklin, USA
other construction sectors such as larger scale developments and It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It offers a
social housing projects.
variety of eateries and activities for people of all ages, along with
offices, meeting rooms and special event facilities.
The Austria House - Whistler, British Columbia Canada
32
Options Appraisal for Site 1 Mc Nally and Finley Site
Option
Title
Changes to Site / Buildings Details
Within this centre, there would be:
• Ski slopes
Indoor Sports Centre. This proposal would focus on a
range of sport activities that will be available for all of
1
the family, for an eventful visit. It included demolishing
sections for further car-parking on site and adding extra
• Low/high rope climbing
partial demolition of the factory • Wall climbing
buildings
• Trampoline area
• Soft play area
access to facilities.
• Café
Passiv housing is the most energy efficient type
Passiv Housing - There will be a mix of semi-detached
and town houses to provide the optimum use of available
2
space with a suitable green space area developed in
the centre of the project to add to the quality of life of
potential residents.
of building, reducing its ecological footprint. The
This
involves
complete term passiv house (Passivhaus in German) refers
demolition of existing building to a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy
and new construction of passive efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological
housing
footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings
that requires little energy for space heating or
cooling.
Facilities include:
Demolition of part of the building •
3
Multi-functional space used for cultural and creative for
businesses and activities
grassland
refurbishment
building
(Green Text – Chosen Site Option)
33
and
(minor) behind
of
existing •
Artist and Gallery Space with workshops
Farmer’s Market
•
Organic Shops
•
Craft Market
Green Text – Chosen Site Option
34
Site 2 International Best Practice Examples
John E Coyle Ltd
Trinity Housing Association - Northern Ireland
A social housing and housing support provider in Northern Ireland.
The National Energy Efficiency Centre - Milton-Keynes
Since it is registered with DSD the association is able to apply for
The centre consists of office space and an exhibition and seminar governmental grants towards the purchase of land to develop new
area. The building was skilfully designed with low-energy features schemes.
such as high insulation, natural light and natural ventilation.
Sheltered Housing Schemes Eltheto, Rijssen - the Netherlands
Consists of a number of unfurnished dwellings that has been
The development was designed as a housing complex with designed to cater for needs of older people. This ensures that
healthcare facilities to meet the rapidly changing needs of the the accommodation is convenient, comfortable and in a setting
new generation of elderly people. The design of Eltheto separates which enables the tenants to live independently, whilst providing
the housing and healthcare program and needs. There are public underlying security.
spaces situated between the housing blocks, the centrally located
healthcare centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Stevenson Park - Lurgan
This sheltered housing scheme is owned by Trinity Housing
Better Retrofit Partnership - Buckinghamshire;
Association and is situated near the town centre in Lurgan. A
A UK company situated in Buckinghamshire is partnership between non-resident scheme coordinator manages Stevenson’s Park. The
four market leaders in the retrofit industry, which aims to promote schemes comprises of a mixture of properties.
a new approach to the refurbishment of traditional buildings,
by creating a fully joined-up retrofit process. An adjoining of Honig Factory Site – Nijmegen, Netherlands
companies has linked the innovative products and services on Previously a busy industrial food production site the building was
offer by companies.
purchased by the municipality as part of its ‘Waalfront’ regeneration
scheme for the area, but due to the financial climate it was not
Durkan Ecofix - Dublin; Durkan Ecofix is a market leader in the feasible to redevelop the factory site at that time. The solution was
retrofit industry. The company currently specialises in external that the factory site would be subdivided into commercial units for
insulation retrofitting whilst also carrying out work in ventilation, let, with the aim of generating an income from the site to cover
boilers and heating controls, internal wall insulation, air tightness, management and operational costs. The complex offers leases
windows and finally attic insulation.
for up to 8 years, with rents varying by activity and size of unit
between 25 and 75 euros per m2.
35
Options Appraisal for Site 2 John E Coyle
Option
Title
Green Text – Chosen Site Option
Changes to Site / Buildings Details
Refurbish the existing building to create an exemplar centre
Partial demolition and
1
Renewable Energy and Retrofit Centre
reorganisation of site and
buildings
of renewable energies with research and development,
manufacturing of products and sales. The development will also
encompass a retrofit show home featuring low-carbon passive
design incorporating the technologies for sale on site which will
be open to the public.
Partial demolition and
2
Smaller Business Start up Units
reorganisation of site and
buildings
Break the factory building up internally into smaller units that
could be let to a variety of businesses that operate on the local/
regional scale. The units could vary in size given the large
amount of available floor space
This option will look at demolishing the current structure to
completely redevelop the site into a residential area with an
emphasis for sheltered accommodation provided for the elderly.
3
Independent Residential Living Units
Complete Demolition and
Retirement communities such as sheltered accommodation are
Clearance of the entire site
an attractive business prospect due to an aging population.
Independent living allows elderly individuals the freedom of
owning their own home without worries such as gardening,
safety or maintenance.
(Green Text – Chosen Site Option)
36
37
Site 3 - Sherry Furniture Factory
International Best Practice Case Studies
Southern Pacific Brewery - San Francisco
This Brewing facility consists of a brewery, bar and restaurant
and was created in an old disused industrial space. It includes a
glass facade that looks out onto Portrero Hill taking advantage of
the surroundings.
Gunderldinger Feld - Switzerland
Gunderldinger Feld is an example of a large scale industrial
regeneration project. Gunderldinger Feld is located in the Swiss
city of Basel and was a silk ribbon manufacturing factory and was
built in 1844.
The building now offers a variety of uses ranging from office
spaces to a bar/restaurant. The 12,000m2 redeveloped factories
has 65 tenants, which in turn employ over 200 people.
One of the main goals of the owner and architect (Irene Wigger)
was to create an environmentally sound building.
The Toffee factory - Newcastle, England
In terms of facilities the development consists of a variety of
meeting rooms. These rooms are distributed around the building
alongside other informal breakout areas, a reception area and
of outdoor spaces including a rooftop terrace overlooking the
outdoor spaces. The meeting rooms have Wi-Fi access and are
Ouseburn Valley, a pop-up event space and a carefully landscaped
furnished with a range of design classics and pieces from local
courtyard
designer makers. The regeneration development also consists
38
Options Appraisal for Site 3 - Sherry Brothers
Option
Title
Changes to Site
Details
/ Buildings
Partial demolition
Bee and
1
Flower
farming
will take place
with much of the
factory retrofitted
and converted to
suite new use
The proposed creation of selected existing buildings being turned into green houses to grow flowers.
Proposed that hydroponics would be used in the early stages of plant growth in the basement area
of the factory site. Furthermore a florist element where flowers could be sold to the public has been
recommended, alongside a landscape garden area.
Bees are essential because they are important pollinators of plants. The students noted that in recent
years there has been a great emphasis in the media about the protection of bees and in particular bee
keeping and production of honey. There is a high demand for locally produced and sourced products
Guests pay a fee per night and extra to be connected to the electricity supply. Washing and bathing
2
Partial demolition
facilities are provided in the rental cost and are located outside the sleeping area.
Convert
will take place
Some sections will be converted into indoor parking for customers or demolished to create an
into indoor
with much of the
outdoor parking facility for customers, others will be opened up into a court yard area for gatherings,
camping
factory retrofitted
performances, camp fires etc.
facilities.
and converted to
Other sections will be converted into the children’s indoor play area. Could also incorporate a Cinema/
suite new use
theatre screen
Partial demolition
3
will take place
Craft Breweries are growing in number worldwide. Craft breweries can range from small operations
Craft
with much of the
starting off in basements to large industrial buildings with bars and restaurants included. There is a
Brewery
factory retrofitted
growing market for Craft Beers. Irish Brewers Association offers support and advice for new start up
and converted to
breweries and could offer good networking opportunities.
suite new use
(Green Text – Chosen Site Option)
39
40
Results on UUJ Students Project and
Conclusion
Progress on there-development of one of
the largest vacant factories
The preferred and chosen re-use options for vacant buildings in Since the completion of the students project, the owner of the
each of the three respective sites were highlighted in the green John E Coyle site has redesigned and gained planning permission
text in each table. The overall results of the students project were
in the following chronological order:
Site 2 – John E Coyle
Site 3 – Sherry Brothers
Site 1 – Mc Nally and Finley
This study carried out by the students of the University of Ulster
has significantly added value to the Local Action Plan in Monaghan.
Not only have the three site owners gained valuable insights into
a range of viable re-use options, they have also been exposed to,
and learned from some international best practice case studies
where the re-use of former industrial buildings can be at the heart
of a new business adventure, or indeed, be a focal point of a local
community. More significantly however, is that other business
owners in similar circumstances can review the students reports
and consider how some of the re-use options could be applied to
for the break up of his factory into smaller units. This was also the
their buildings and be used as an ideas generator.
preferred option of the students project. The illustrations below
(and on next page) outline some of the detail of the revised scheme
for the site.
41
42
Actions Planning
The core focus of the students project was to look at new and Some of the more common and recurring challenges included:
innovative ways of dealing with large vacant buildings in Monaghan
using international examples of best practice and utilising Planning
and Property Students knowledge and experience by providing a
there is no business association to represent the wood and
fresh perspective on best reuse options for a number of sites in
furniture industry in Ireland
Monaghan.
The focus of the project then shifted to the active sector of the
furniture industry in County Monaghan and to identify how those
businesses could be supported through this project. This part of
the project also provided an opportunity to again relook at ways
in which existing active businesses within the county could utilise
and expand to some of the identified vacant buildings OR how
some of the actions to support existing active businesses could
use former vacant buildings.
Previous studies such as the 1999 report on the Furniture
Industry in Monaghan; the work of the LSG and learning from
project partners across the EU, identified that there were many
fundamental challenges and problems which had developed over
recent decades and undermined the furniture industry in County
Monaghan and throughout Ireland. It was concluded that these
problems had eventually led to the industries current decline.
43
links between education and training providers with industry
is very poor
training that is provided is not suited to industry needs
Design and innovation together with R&D is absent within
the industry
There is poor collaboration and communication between
companies within the sector
Proposed Actions
As identified earlier in this report, a range of actions were considered
to tackle the problems and challenges facing the furniture industry
in Monaghan. These actions were tested and evaluated through
the methodology created for the project. The proposed actions
that were considered of most importance are outlined in Table 4.
Each proposed action was given a priority rating, together with
identification of the time period over which they may be implemented
in the short, medium and long term period. It was agreed through
the LSG that an optimum mix of actions in the short, medium and
long term should eventually be chosen to ensure that:
1
there are some quick wins to maintain momentum on the
project.
2
there are more long term goals and objectives that will deliver
better outcomes for the project and ultimately the businesses
and general economic activity in County Monaghan.
The actions have also been developed based on learning, experiences
and best practice models from across the Wood FootPrint Project
Partners and the rest of Europe. The key influencing projects have
been identified in Figure 9 over.
44
Table 4. Proposed Actions in Monaghan LAP
Action No.
1
2
3
Description
Develop an inventory of businesses & their buildings within Monaghan that were
formerly used within the wood furniture sector Bee and Flower farming
Draft and publish a guidance leaflet on redevelopment considerations for business
owners entitled– ‘Get your business ready for lease or sale’.
Draft and publish a local economic strategy identifying the strengths and
opportunities available in County Monaghan
Time Period
PRIORITY RATING
LONG
HIGH
MEDUIM
MEDIUM
SHORT
LOW
S
H
STATUS
COMPLETE
IN PROGRESS
YET TO
COMMENCE
C
M
S
YTC
M
H
P
S
H
C
S
H
C
M
H
YTC
Engage with a Third Level Institution and create a project where students study
4
a number of vacant factory sites and develop regeneration and re-use option
appraisals for each site which are presented to an independent adjudication panel
Draft a summary report on the students work under action 5 to identify most
5
relevant and appropriate temporary and permanent land use solutions/options for
vacant factories in Monaghan.
Amend local planning policy to allow for a more flexible approach for the re-use
6
of vacant factories formerly used within the furniture industry. The vehicle for
delivery of this action will be a proposed variation to the County Development Plan
2013-2019.
45
Identify and establish a formal business mentor to furniture businesses from within
7
the Local Enterprise Office that will be readily available to businesses to guide and
M
M
YTC
M
H
P
M
H
P
S
H
P
M/L
H
YTC
S
H
P
develop business plans, provide advice etc
Develop a new apprenticeship scheme/course for individuals with identified
8
training needs within the wood furniture sector as well sectors with similar training
needs such as engineering and agri-food
Develop a database containing details of all EU Partners LSGs and businesses
9
associated with the Wood FootPrint Project and share with businesses throughout
each partner country
10
Explore future funding supports and resources available from Department Jobs,
enterprise & Innovation to continue the work of this project
11
Create a centralised hub in Monaghan where rural satellite businesses in furniture
and craft industries can come together and manufacture, display, exhibit and sell
their goods at one location, whilst enjoying the economies of scale and capacity that
a centralised organisation can provide for them
12
Create a Business Association for the Furniture Industry in Ireland
46
13
14
Develop new international clusters such as the Diaspora in the U.S. as new potential
markets for local furniture products.
Create an annual design and innovation project/challenge for GMIT students
where local business(s) identifies a product/innovation challenge for students
M/L
H
YTC
M
M
YTC
M
M
YTC
M
H
YTC
M
H
YTC
Create a design competition for Monaghan Furniture Businesses, together with
15
1-2 Wood Footprint EU Project Partners, for submission to the Design & Craft
Council of Ireland (DCCoI) as part of the ‘Year of Irish Design 2015’ awards
16
Develop triple helix model to support the furniture industry in Monaghan in the
area of ‘Design and Innovation’
Develop and harness a new culture within furniture and related businesses to
embed design and innovation within their organisations, management structures
17
and manufacturing processes. This will involve creating a new design and
innovation centre for the furniture industry that links with other design centre in
Ireland and Europe
47
Refinement of Proposed Actions
When the proposed actions were analysed, and evaluated
by the LSG, a number of common themes and ideas
became apparent. Consequently, there were a number
of key actions that must be prioritised in order to deliver
meaningful change and more long term security and a
future for the business owners within this sector. These
actions are identified in colour in table 4 and are laid out in
terms of their priority in figure 10
Figure 10. Key Actions for Monaghan LAP
48
Each action has a particular focus and is designed to address specific
challenges that have been identified through the development of
the project methodology. The cornerstone of this Local Action
Plan is the creation of a business association for the furniture
industry. The development of the remaining actions within this
plan are heavily dependent upon this association becoming an
active presence and voice for the industry in Ireland.
The lack of an association in Ireland was identified as one of
the most fundamental reasons why the industry declined so
dramatically and explains why the industry is so disjointed and
lacks any common vision and goals today. The experience of the
Yecla Partners in Spain have been fundamental in identifying why a
business association is so important to a traditional manufacturing
sector such as the furniture sector.
Of note also, is the central theme of education and training for the
furniture sector. The lack of education and training was identified,
through stakeholder engagement and primary research, as another
fundamental and undermining issue for the industry in recent
decades. It would appear to be a two dimensional issue in that
education providers did not fully and adequately engage with the
industry, and similarly, when approaches were made from some
education providers to industry, the businesses did not respond
or wish to be involved in formal training. Training is identified as a
central theme throughout the strategy but is specifically discussed
in more detail through Action 4.
49
Action 1
Creation of a Business Association called
Furniture Manufacturers Ireland
The development of a business association to act for, and on behalf
of the furniture industry primarily emerged from the absence of
such a body in Ireland and the fact that almost all other EU
countries have long established associations, working and acting
for industry. Due to this serious gap in support for the furniture
industry, a Business Association has been formed in Ireland
through the work of this project and is entitled the Association of
Furniture Manufacturers Ireland (FMI). The main aim of FMI is ‘to
carry on the business to promote, represent, defend the interests
of the furniture manufactures, and to act for and on behalf of, its
constituent members’. The association will be an all island body in
that businesses from Ireland and Northern Ireland will be permitted
to join under the following types of membership:
Full Member
Associate Member
Graduate / Student Member
50
Promotion and Marketing of Furniture
Manufacturers Ireland
The Association of Furniture Manufacturers Ireland has been formed
and the formal legal structures are now in place. The first inaugural
meeting of the association will take place in Q3 2015, where a
board will be formed and an Operational Plan, Terms or Reference
and its key service provision will be agreed. A preliminary website
design and draft logo has been created to give the association an
identity and presence online. These however will be discussed,
agreed and finalised by the board and launched thereafter.
51
The development and future of Furniture
Manufacturers Ireland association will
ultimately be dependent upon the businesses
that support it.
Through this project, a database of all businesses on the island of
Ireland has been created which includes circa 1,300 companies that
are directly and indirectly engaged in the furniture industry. These
companies will all be targeted and invited to join as members of the
association through an organised recruitment campaign that will
occur later in 2015.
52
Further detail regarding who will initially lead and develop the FMI Association is outlined in Action Table 1 below
Expected Results
A new organisation that will successfully represent the interests of all furniture manufacturers on the island of Ireland and put the
furniture industry in Ireland on a level platform with the rest of Europe Monaghan
Action Name
1. Create & Develop a Business Association entitled ‘Furniture Manufacturers Ireland’
Lead Actor
Monaghan Local Enterprise Office
Key Partners
GMIT Letterfrack Furniture Training College - Industry Members - Wood FootPrint LSG
Outputs
New Business Association
Resources
- Secretary to Association
- Administration Support
Timescale
Set up completed in Q2 2015
Inaugural Meeting in Q3 2015
Potential funding
Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation
URBACT III
Business Membership
Context
Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have a furniture Business Association. The absence of an association
undermines the actors within industry and further isolates them from Europe and the rest of the globe
•
The aim of the Association is ‘To carry on the business to promote, represent, defend the interests of the furniture
manufactures, and to act for and on behalf of, its constituent members’
•
Key activities
Once the organisation is established, organise an inaugural meeting and appoint a Board and Chair person, and develop
agreed Terms of Reference for Board
•
Develop draft flyer and website to assist in informing potential new members and the types of benefits and services that
could be provided through the Association
•
Main priority is to target furniture manufacturing businesses on island of Ireland to join association to gather support and
initial funds to organise and commence standard service provision envisaged within promotional leaflet
Thematic Group
PPPs
53
Action 2
Create a new Design & Innovation Centre
Why Design and Innovation?
Manufacturing is essential to a diverse, resilient, world-class
economy that provides more jobs, higher wages and more choices.
Ireland is a relatively high cost location to do business when
compared with some other EU Countries, and particularly when
compared to eastern economies where the greatest competition
in furniture is now emerging from. Domestic and international
economic forces are driving ongoing changes that require many
Irish firms to transform themselves, reduce their input costs and
efficiently supply what markets demand.
Ireland’s manufacturing industry is predominantly small and
medium sized enterprises that, for the most part, are not integrated
into global value chain markets. High value manufacturing
focuses on the firm managing its intangible assets of brand and
image, research and development, intellectual property, market
intelligence, product/service packages, marketing and logistics,
customer relations management, and its human and organisational
capital.
To remain competitive, many businesses in Monaghan and the
rest of Ireland need to transition from their traditional business
models to those centred on high value-added product and service
‘solutions’ that compete on value, durability and quality rather
than cost alone. A design led innovation framework offers one
way of achieving this.
This framework builds upon the notion that design is an activity
that focuses on conceiving and developing a plan for a new or
significantly improved product, service or system to best meet
users’ needs. Design goes further than just creating value. To
capture value from the new product, service or production
system, the firm has to give greater attention to its overall design
to ensure more purposeful alignment of its internal organisation,
processes, business model and culture with customers’ demands.
54
Ireland needs to recognise that design should no
Design Driven Innovation
longer be simply understood in isolation as a process of
developing a product or relate the term narrowly to items
Why it Matters for SMEs Competitiveness
of a certain quality. Rather, the term design should also
be understood and associated with strategic management
techniques and processes which have become a
A recent report published by the Northern and Western Regional
Assembly entitled ‘Design Driven Innovation - Why it Matters
for SMEs Competitiveness’ illustrates the potential added value
to the irish economy by adding another dimension to its ecosystem of innovation supports and why it is important to bring
this into mainstream, thinking of SME owners. The document
provides a perfect background and platform within which a
Design and Innovation Centre in Monaghan could emerge from
by using established methods and practices from irish and other
EU Countries and piloting this
work with active wood, furniture
and engineering businesses in
Monaghan.
significant tool of innovation around the world. While
the application of design in this strategic way remains
less developed in Ireland, there is a real opportunity for
Ireland’s SMEs and policy makers to now learn from and
build upon the success of others and by making design
central to business and innovation strategies.
The level of integration of design and innovation within a company
can also be measured and the case of Denmark’s Design Ladder
is outlined in the above publication. The Design Ladder is based
on the principle that the extent to which design may enhance
innovation and competitiveness depends on a company’s use of
design. The higher a company is ranked on the Design Ladder, the
greater strategic importance it attributes to design.
55
The diagram below provides an illustration of this.
For all companies, any investment must yield a return. The above
publication outlines a number of case studies from around the
world that demonstrate why design is important and the returns
that companies can expect to make.
In the United Kingdom (UK) for example;
It also found that:
56
Design and Innovation within the Furniture
Industry in Monaghan
The need for design and innovation within the furniture sector in
Monaghan was identified by the business owners that participated
within the Local Support Group and wider consultation with the
industry. There is currently little design capacity in companies
within County Monaghan, as they do not have the scale and
competencies to justify the investment.
Design and innovation is now at the heart of all existing growing
and new emerging sectors in our economy. Without the
necessary design capacity and innovation becoming central to
the development of businesses, there is little future for furniture
businesses due to global competition where multinationals
and other economies will produce better made products that
consumers want, within a time period which is acceptable to the
consumer, and at a price they are prepared to pay.
There are numerous Design and Innovation Centres within Ireland,
but currently none of them cater specifically for the furniture
industry. There are elements of existing design centres that
could be utilised through networking with a new Design Centre
in Monaghan, but there remains a gap in the market to provide the
training and competencies locally to businesses. There are also
basic skills that relate to the wider wood industry and timber frame
companies, together with engineering, all of which are all major
sectors and employers in the Monaghan area, and could benefit
from the services of a design and innovation centre. Monaghan
is also centrally located on a north-south and east - west axis to
facilitate and provide this service to a wide catchment population
in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Priority
A key priority in terms of the implementation of this action, will
be getting a competent person to start a design and innovation
limited company within an existing and established entity (such as
Monaghan Institute or Monaghan Local Enterprise Office) within
Monaghan. This person could start to work with companies in
developing, leading and mentoring local companies on design
whilst identifying potential additional funding supports for the
development of a centre in Monaghan over a 2-3 year period.
Further detail is provided in Action Table 2 over.
57
Action Table 2
E x p e c t e d As design, Innovation and R & D become embedded within the local industry and through enhanced training and education, businesses realise
Results
through improved products, designs, market opportunities that it enhances their bottom line, which in increased sales and profits.
Action Name
2. New Design and Innovation Centre
Lead Actor
Monaghan County Council
Key Partners
Wood FootPrint LSG/Local Champion,Monaghan Local enterprise Office, DKIT Incubation Centre-Centre for Design Innovation Sligo,GMIT
Letterfrack Furniture Training college
Outputs
A new Design and Innovation Centre for the Furniture Industry
Resources
A technical person funded for two years in Monaghan within an existing institution (Monaghan Institute)
Timescale
Company to be formed Q3/Q4 2015
P o t e n t i a l ERASMAS +
Funding
Monaghan LEO
Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation
URBACT III
Context
To remain competitive, many businesses in Monaghan and the rest of Ireland need to transition from their traditional business models to those
centred on high value-added product and service ‘solutions’ that compete on value, durability and quality rather than cost alone. A design led
innovation framework offers one way of achieving this.
Key Activities Major focus on new product design for furniture businesses
R & D section
Business incubation space with mentoring available to new business owners .
Presence of a Fab lab and mentoring on use of technology
Creative space for students trialling and testing new ideas/designs etc. and developing clustering of like minded people to work on new
product’s and processes within the industry
Presence of STEM Lab (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) that caters for all age groups
Focus on engineering to incorporate wider companies involved in timber frame and other manufacture of wood products
T h e m a t i c Skills and Employment / PPPs / Diversification
Group
58
Action 3
MonMake – Monaghan’s Commercial Hub
The development of a Commercial Hub in Monaghan is an initiative
to develop and drive the local economy in County Monaghan based
on its assets and comparative advantages. It is acknowledged
and widely known about Monaghan’s long history of traditional
furniture manufacturing, but it is less know about its creative
crafts sector and key tourist assets in the county. In the modern
age, consumers like to visit places and experience the local area
rather than simply going to a location to buy a product, particularly
when that product relates to an art like furniture making and the
product is viewed as an investment for the longer term. This
initiative is therefore a two pronged approach in that the consumer
gets quality made Irish manufactured products that they need, but
they also have a quality experience within the local area in that they
have seen products being made and they get to learn something
about the local area and its traditions.
Within this concept is also the idea that the collective is greater
than the individual. This concept is inspired by the work of the
3
Martha Stewart movement in the U.S. where like-minded people
are inspired by coming together and generating new ideas and
products and develop new markets for them. As well as creating a
centralised hub in Monaghan, it is also recognised that the bringing
together of the industry and its stakeholders is important.
3- http://www.marthastewart.com/1004449/about-american-made
‘Monaghan Has It’ is now a well-established local brand. Companies
from various sectors utilise this brand to market themselves locally
and it is becoming cent ral to any promotional or marketing events
associated with the Town and County. The challenge going forward
is to develop this brand further so that it becomes a regional theme
that is synonymous with the quality of products and services that
Monaghan has to offer. The furniture sector must be a key aspect
of this brand.
59
Action 3 is also closely aligned with the creation of a new Design
and Innovation Centre in Monaghan. Long term, it is envisaged
that both intiatives could be at one location and under the one
roof due to the synergies and benefits that would accrue from
co-location.
Developing the Creative Sector within
MonMake
Creative industries represent highly innovative companies with a
great economic potential and are one of Europe’s most dynamic
sectors, contributing around 3% to the EU GDP, with a high growth
potential, and providing quality jobs to around 6.7 million people
4
across EU-27 . Furthermore, cultural and creative contents play a
crucial role in the deployment of the information society, putting
value to investments in broadband infrastructures and services,
in digital technologies as well as in new consumer electronics
and telecommunication. Beyond their direct contribution to GDP,
the creative industries are also important drivers of economic and
social innovation in many other sectors. Through these economic
spill-over effects creative industries may have a similar transversal
role for innovation in the economy to that of ICT. Europe’s creative
industries therefore offer a path towards a more imaginative, more
cohesive, greener and more prosperous future.
The creative industry in Ireland until now has not been fully
accommodated, utilised or recognised for its real value, probably
because its value is not always tangible in cents and euros. This
is not the case across Europe. Many countries are now using the
creative sector as a key focus for renewal and growth following
the collapse of EU economies over the last decade. It is however
important to determine what we mean by creative industries.
4 - SEC (2010) 1276 final of 29.10.2010
60
Definition of “creative industries”
Refers to a range of economic activities, which deal with the
generation or exploitation of knowledge and information.
They comprise those businesses that deal with the
creation, production and/or distribution of creative goods
and services as well as with the integration of creative
elements into wider processes and other sectors. They
build upon a rich and diverse core of cultural heritage
and skilful arts and other creative crafts and practitioners,
supported by entrepreneurial and innovative services
bringing creativity to the market. Creative industries
thus provide products and services in sectors such as
publishing, media, software, consultancy, advertising,
arts, entertainment, design and architecture. Many of
these sub-sectors are commercially oriented and part of
other sectors. The common element is that they deal with
the creation, production and/or distribution of goods and
services that are strongly based on creativity.
To fully unlock the potential of the creative industries requires new
policy approaches. So as part of the “Innovation Union” flagship and
the “Industrial Policy” flagship initiatives, the European Creative
Industries Alliance (ECIA) has
been established to strengthen
the role of the creative industries
as a catalyst for innovation and
structural change by promoting
the more effective use of all
different forms of knowledge and
creativity for innovation throughout the economy, and to support
the emergence of new industries that combine knowledge and
creativity with modern technologies, in particular ICT for innovation.
Furniture making is a creative industry and together with all other
craft sectors, can provide for the rejuvenation of traditional industrial
regions and sectors. The focus of Central and Local Government
In recent years, the potential of the creative industries has been is on jobs and boosting economic growth locally, regionally and
increasingly acknowledged and many local, regional and national nationally. Figure 11 provides a summary of how all this may be
policy initiatives are currently being launched and implemented linked together.
that are aimed at better exploiting this ‘transformative power’ of the
creative industries to better support the restructuring of existing
industries and the creation of internationally competitive industrial
structures thereby, creating wealth and strengthening the position
of our regions and their enterprises in global value chains.
61
Figure 11.
source ; URBACT II Programme
62
Key Justification for this Action
Lack of Scale.
Other SMEs lack the scale, expertise or finance to establish their
The analysis carried out on the local furniture industry identified own showrooms, or even their own effective online selling presence.
that the remaining firms left within the sector were very much Anecdotal evidence would point to low computer literacy, formal
small scale and would require significant supports to be sustainable. marketing training etc. Their expertise often lies in the traditional
Consequently, the following is an outline of why a collective effort manufacture of a limited range of products.
within Monaghan is needed when comparing with a maintenance
Need for a Physical and Online Presence.
of the status quo within the industry:
The nature of the products made locally (custom, craft, made to
measure, high value), may not suit an online only sales method
Small Local firms cannot compete effectively in isolation. – only by combining online sales and promotion with a central
It is challenging for small companies selling-direct to the end showroom facility can SME’s in the sector succeed.
consumers, but through collective packaging, the consumer is
offered a complete selection of products that may not have been Unique opportunity.
available otherwise. Many small businesses have little professional The existing cluster of “makers” in Monaghan is unique nationally
marketing and sale’s capacity and may only have limited experience and at present there is no branding or cooperative marketing
of dealing with trade customers where margins are typically quite procedures in place to assist companies. Similarly, the area has
poor. Many also have no online presence.
no focused “craft village” and with a vast number of small rural
crafters, there is an opportunity to merge furniture and craft
Experience has shown that while some of the SME’s have industry into a central location.
established their own “public showrooms”, these locations are
often rurally based, and some quite isolated, which presents further Export Potential.
Many small firms do not have the capacity or scale to export and
promotional challenges in creating footfall.
therefore have access to larger markets. Through the collective,
collaborative work and the power of synergies through Monmake,
there is the potential to market smaller companies and their products
to wider markets across the EU and U.S.
63
Four key Components of MonMake
2. Establish a common brand for Furniture Manufacturers
Commercial Hub in Monaghan Town as an Exhibition Space, in Monaghan
1. Establish and Develop a centrally located
showroom and workspace to enable a pooling of resources so
that Monaghan Town becomes known as a destination for the
manufacture and purchase of quality locally made products. Key
feature would include:
Incorporation of small museum to recognise the tradition,
value and history of the sector to the local economy
In conjunction with the Local Enterprise Office, provide
business incubation space and mentoring to new business
start ups
Concession space for larger firms who want to dedicate staff
to their own rented spaces.
Cooperative space for smaller firms who want to avail of
commission based sales facilities without obligation to dedicate
full time staff.
Workshop Space/ Craft Village concept as part of the venue
enabling local craft or small service providers to work within
booths or units to breathe life in to the centre.
Demonstration area for workshops, craft demonstrations,
seminars, lectures, exhibitions etc.
Include all the normal retail conveniences: bathrooms,
professional display space, children’s play area, tea/coffee
facilities etc.
potential future HQ to the Furniture Manufacturers Ireland
(FMI) Business Association and the design and innovation
centre
Research on other similar successful ventures and branding
collaborations in the food industry include West Cork Food http://
www.westcorkfood.ie/, “Destination Yecla”, where the City of
Yecla is promoting itself as the best location for furniture in Spain,
and similarly a new branding scheme in Lead Partner City of Pacos
de Ferreira in Portugal where it is promoting itself as the ‘Furniture
Capital of Portugal’. Such a grouping would include (but not limited
to), Bedroom and dining manufacturers, kitchen/wardrobes and
fitted furniture manufacturers, upholstery manufacturers, fireplace
producers, custom curtains etc, craft producers (carved mirrors,
wood turnings, pottery, paintings, lighting producers, dress and
clothing makers etc), miscellaneous producers children’s novelty
furniture etc, door and staircase producers etc.
64
3. Establish a Common Website and Promotional/
Marketing Plan (under the final Monaghan Furniture brand) to
enable a focused promotion of all members products.
In the first instance this requires an analysis of each firms existing
status regarding promotional material, target market, website,
showroom facilities, target market, price category etc. Such a
plan should be integrated with all other local initiatives such as
“Monaghan Has It”, local tourism activities, local festivals (Taste of
Monaghan etc). This “brand” can assist all local firms whether they
intend to avail of centralised showroom space or not by offering
signposting to other showroom locations.
4. Create an Export Ready Package:
for those firms that increase their scale through new products,
sales, employment numbers and ultimately turnover, these firms
can collectively be developed further, and in conjunction with
Enterprise Ireland, develop an export plan to access new markets
abroad.
Potential Reuse for Vacant Buildings
Like Action 2, there is potential within this proposal to utilise
some of the existing vacant factory floor space that currently
exists within Monaghan town. This proposal is not just about the
furniture industry but provides a much broader and better offering
for the town and county to further utilise its assets and provide
consumers with a good experience whilst meeting their needs in
terms of buying quality furniture and home interior products.
65
Further details are provided in Action Table 3
E x p e c t e d Monaghan Town is promoted and marketed in a coordinated way and becomes a destination for furniture, crafts and related products which
Results
people come to buy and experience products being made whilst also gaining a broader experience into local culture, traditions and history
Action Name
3. MonMake – Monaghan’s Commercial Hub
Lead Actor
Monaghan County Council
Key Partners
Outputs
Local Businesses
Monaghan LEO
Monaghan LSG
Resources
Project Team to develop concept through feasibility and buy-in from businesses
Ouputs
Reuse of one or more of the vacant factory sites in Monaghan Town into the new commercial hub
Timescale
Commence Q3 2015
Creative Europe
P o t e n t i a l ERASMAS +
Funding
Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation (Year if Irish Design 2015)
URBACT III
Monaghan is not viewed as a ‘destination for furniture’ due to the dispersed nature of businesses that are scattered around the rural hinterland.
The town and county is not sufficiently promoted as an area with high entrepreneurial spirit, with a young educated population, excellent
context
creative and crafts sector and a superb hospitality industry, all set within an outstanding scenic landscape. There is a package on offer where
consumers from all sectors and parts of the country should be invited to come visit and purchase quality branded furniture products whilst
enjoying a unique leisure and hospitality experience on offer; all under the common theme of ‘Monaghan has It’.
Key Activities
•
Thematic Group
Skills and Employment / PPPs / Diversification
66
Action 4
Training and education
Training and education was identified as one of the most problematic
and undermining issues currently being experienced within the
furniture industry. Some key issues identified include:
Training is not provided locally
Existing training is not flexible to allow students to work
whilst gaining qualifications
Existing training does not reflect the needs of industry
Smaller companies cannot afford to release staff to undertake
training during long spells but could accommodate their
release 1-2 days per week.
confirmation with the local provider. Furthermore, CMETB have
expressed great support for the delivery of training for which a need
has been identified. The ambitious plans now evolving between
GMIT Letterfrack and CMETB for delivery of an apprenticeship
scheme which will also assist in delivering the quality of candidates
the industry needs.
During meetings of the Local Support Group, industry members
expressed a number of specific points about what training needs
currently exist and suggested how this training might best be
delivered. Given the existence of excellent industry focused
full time courses at GMIT Letterfrack and the FETAC Accredited
Training schemes (delivered by ETB’s nationwide), the main
The furniture Industry recognises the importance of ongoing and weakness currently exist in the area of short, practically focused
specialist training. An initial stumbling block has always been the courses. The need for Apprenticeship Schemes was also identified
absence of a strong representative body that can both assess and this is being addressed.
training needs and work with providers to organise delivery. The
launch of the Association Furniture Manufacturers Ireland should Therefore, the creation of short, vocational courses delivering
rectify this. The existence of a national contact point for information “hands on” training is an area that could be improved upon. In
and the sending of a regular newsletters will enhance the uptake this regard, the primary aim is the quick and effective training of
on all courses provided. It is clear that avoiding a duplication of operative level staff to enable them to return to the workplace
existing training and education provision is vital for sustainable use and start to implement the learning. A major criticism of previous
of limited resources.
training programmes was that training was more often concerned
An outcome of the work of the Monaghan Local Support Group
has been that local industry has developed a much closer working
relationship with the Cavan/ Monaghan Education and Training
Board (CMETB). It is refreshing to learn that individual FETAC
modules can be undertaken by industry employees subject to
with the final certification than with providing essential skills and
“hands on know how”. That said, it is clear from industry opinion
that where possible, all short vocational style courses should
provide certification for crediblity and employees professional
development. Clearly this will allow ambitious firms and employees
67
to use this route to build up credits and progress their education to
certificate and degree level if they so choose.
Block release courses seem to work well for businesses who need
to maintain their day to day operation. Traditionally the domestic
furniture business has been cyclical so training outside of the
busiest period pre and post Christmas would work well in general.
For manufacturers in the timber frame business, summer periods
are often the busiest and so it makes sense to be aware of these
dynamics.
It must also be remembered that trainees will have a variety of
skills backgrounds - unskilled, semi-skilled and advanced and
therefore, grading courses to reflect prerequisite knowledge is
critical. Trainees will include new members of staff who need an
introduction to some of the tasks they will face, long term staff
who need upskilling (to enable the firm to take advantage of
new opportunities), staff in small and large companies who need
“cross training” enabling in-house flexibility, senior management
and supervisory staff who need an intense knowledge of certain
skillsets so they can properly monitor and improve quality.
Examples of short courses needed could include, spraying, spray
kit maintenance, leather upholstery, sofa frame manufacture, CNC
machine programming, advanced upholstery techniques. A training
needs analysis (which the Furniture Manufacturers Ireland should
be in a good position to identify, administer and provide) should
reveal the needs in more depth.
68
Proposal
5
Under the new Apprenticeship Council in Ireland , there is an
opportunity to develop a new apprenticeship training programme
in Monaghan to service identified training needs of local furniture
businesses and related sectors. Consequently, a proposal has been
submitted to the Minister for the Department of Jobs, Enterprise
and Innovation (DEJI) to develop this course in Monaghan Institute
in a joint partnership between Cavan and Monaghan Education and
Training Board and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT)
Letterfrack Furniture Training College. This exciting partnership
will develop and deliver a new training course in Monaghan which
will be accredited by GMIT and go towards a potential level 7
degree qualification.
The importance of the Furniture Manufacturers Ireland Association
was also centrally important in devising the proposal for submission
to the Apprenticeship Council. Further detail on this action is
outlined in Action Table 4.
Given that quality courses already exist in the UK (and being
delivered through industry associations, professional bodies
and quality certifcation firms as well as training bodies), there is
an opportunity to learn from their module content and delivery
methods.
5 - http://www.apprenticeshipcouncil.ie/ The Apprenticeship Council was launched by the Minister for Education
and Skills on 18th November 2014. The establishment of the Apprenticeship Council is a key action in the
implementation of recommendations from the recent Irish Apprenticeship review. In particular, the Council is
tasked with the expansion of Apprenticeship into new sectors of the economy and mapping out the sectors
where new apprenticeships can make a real difference to both employers and employees.
69
Action Table 4
Expected Results
Investment in human capital for a better educated and skilled workforce that will drive an invigorated and innovative
new design focused and market orientated furniture sector in Monaghan
Action Name
4. Develop a new ‘Worked based learning Initiative’ in Monaghan Institute
Lead Actor
GMIT Furniture Training College letterfrack
Key Partners
Cavan & Monaghan Education Training Board (Monaghan Institute)
Industry members
Outputs
New training course similar to apprenticeship training but linked with third level standards and accreditation
Resources
Training facility in Monaghan institute
Lecturer(s)
Timescale
Commence Sept 2016
Potential funding
Context
Worked based training and education were identified as critical elements in transforming a traditional industry into an
innovate and forward thinking furniture sector for the 21st Century.
Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation /
Apprenticeship Council
ERASMAS +
Develop and deliver locally in Monaghan a Work Based Training Course that meets identified training needs of
Key activities
industry workers, whilst gaining national accreditation, which can go towards a formal Level 7 degree awarded by
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Letterfrack Furniture Training College.
Thematic Group
Skills and Employment
70
Action 5
Proposed Relaxation of Planning Policy
relating to vacant Buildings formerly used
within the Furniture Sector
These included:
This action is more locally based and very much reflects the needs of
existing business and site owners in County Monaghan. A recurring
theme within the barriers identified to the reuse of vacant buildings
was the local planning policy which was considered too restrictive.
It was acknowledged by business owners that there needed to
be rules and guidelines in place to ensure appropriate land uses
take place in appropriate locations however; the consensus among
business owners was that the existing policy was considered as
being overly restrictive. A number of key issues were identified
that would ensure that this proposal did not open the ‘flood gates’
for a relaxation of planning policy across the full range of land use
objectives that exist within the Monaghan County Development
Plan 2013-2019.
Proposal should be confined to buildings that were formerly
used within the furniture sector (a definition would have to
be provided)
A new section would have to be added to the Development
Plan zoning matrix to reflect this unique land use (alternatively
a map could identify all vacant furniture factory sites within
the county and apply the new planning policy to it);
The new planning policy relating to vacant furniture factory
buildings would apply to the end of the current plan period
(2019) only, and therefore could be reviewed in line with the
normal development plan review procedures. This would
allow a time for reflection and see how many owners had
redeveloped / or made a planning application to redevelop
their sites, during the period when the policy had been relaxed
and changed
The main purpose of this proposal is to facilitate the redevelopment
of existing vacant buildings which should be seen as assets and
that these assets could be used to provide new jobs within local
communities, both during development and operational phases.
71
Expected Results
Increased redevelopment of vacant buildings formerly used in the wood and furniture sector.
Action Name
5. Proposed Variation to Monaghan County Development Plan 2013-2019
Lead Actor
Monaghan County Council & LSG
Key Partners
Industry members
Outputs
A variation will be made to the Monaghan County Development Plan 2013-2019 to facilitate a greater number of re-use
options for vacant buildings
Resources
Proposal to be developed by LSG Member
Timescale
Q2/3 2015
Potential Funding
Not required
Context
Business owners identified that existing planning policy (both urban and rural) currently inhibited the development of their
existing sites and buildings. This proposal is however confined to the furniture sector.
Key Activities
A draft proposal is to be developed by the LSG which will form the basis of the proposed variation. This will be negotiated
with relevant sections of the Local Authority
Final proposal to be submitted to Monaghan County Council to initiate a formal variation under Section 13 of the planning
and Development Act 2000 (as amended)
Thematic Group
Action Table 5
Diversification
72
Financial Resources & Implementation
The key to delivery and implementation of the Monaghan Local
Action Plan is finance. Without the necessary financial support
and resources, the actions are unlikely to be implemented and
therefore the plan will not have the impact envisaged in its vision,
aims and objectives. There is however no one source that will
deliver sufficient finance to fund all individual aspects of the
LAP. Within the Action Tables, a number of financial programmes
and instruments have been identified that are considered key
potential funding sources and these will be pursued throughout
the implementation phase of the project. In addition to these,
other sources of funds have been identified and may best be
summarised through Figure 12 which outlines further potential
funding opportunities for this action plan. Appendix 6 provides
further information and detail regarding individual EU programmes
of relevance.
There are various reasons why some countries are more
successful in accessing EU funds and this is very much related to
the structures and supports that are in place at National, Regional
and Local Government levels. A number of common barriers have
been identified and include:
Political reluctance, in part due to social resistance
Low motivation due to previous failures
Lack of information on funding opportunities
Lack of active involvement of the local level in the planning
process of funds
Limited technical capacity in local administrations,
sometimes due to their small size
Requirements of co-financing
In some cases complex administrative rules
Difficulties in establishing adequate partnerships
sometimes due to their small size
The main purpose of this proposal is to facilitate the redevelopment
of existing vacant buildings which should be seen as assets and
that these assets could be used to provide new jobs within local
communities, both during development and operational phases.
73
Step
1
Action
Comentary
Make the participation in EU funds Addressing lack of political motivation and reluctance and explains why it
a policy priority
is important for local politicians to address funds at city level
Addressing the lack of information on EU and structural funding
2
Get informed
opportunities (and to a certain extent complex administrative rules
managing funds) and explain where to find such information
3
4
5
Explore co-financing possibilities
Get connected and learn from
others
Addressing the barrier of co-funding requirements and lack of resources
and give tips on where to look for possible co-funding
Addressing the lack of information on funding and limited technical
capacity. It gives examples of different sources of funding and link to other
cities in a similar process
Establish partnerships and foster Addressing difficulties in establishing adequate partnerships and proposes
cooperation
ways to foster cooperation with the different stakeholders
Table 5. Five Step Approach to overcome perceived barriers to accessing finance
74
Potential Funding Options
Financial Options (long Term)
It is recognised that EU Programmes will be instrumental in new partnership with an application to be made under Strand II of
delivering and implementing the actions identified in this plan. The URBACT III Programme when a call is made in later 2015.
reasons are twofold:
The range of EU Funding Programmes can fund various
aspects of each action; and
The partners involved in EU projects provide significant
added value in terms of learning and best practice ideas to
assist in implementation of the LAP.
There can however be a long lead time in putting together a
partnership, drafting and submitting an application for an EU
Programme. There is also a risk involved in that there is no guarantee
in getting the funding and so a number of applications to various
funding programmes may be required to identify suitable funds.
Creation of Wood FootPrint Urbact III
Project under a new Partnership
Financial options (Short to Medium Term)
The Wood FootPrint Project finishes at the end of April 2015 and
the project fund and resources will be exhausted at this point.
There is a strong commitment through Monaghan County Council
and Monaghan Local Enterprise Office, together with the existing
Local Support Group to continue the work of the Project team
on Wood FootPrint and deliver on the actions identified in this
LAP. It has already been outlined that there can be a long lead-in
time to gain access to other EU funds and provide resources for
implementation of this plan.
Consequently, it has been identified as critical that short to
medium term funding is identified and secured to maintain existing
momentum on the project and to ensure that all five key actions
are delivered, all of which have local , regional, cross border and all
island impacts. The importance of regional and national government
departments and agencies therefore move centrefold.
The existing partnership on the Wood FootPrint Project has been
hugely successful in delivering Local Action Plans in each Partner
It is envisaged that the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and
country. Through transnational exchange, and as identified in
Innovation should be one of the short to medium term funders to
Figure 9, there has been significant learning and exchange of ideas
continue the work of this project.
between partners. It is now envisaged that the existing Monaghan
Partnership will develop a follow on implementation project under
the URBACT III Programme to facilitate the implementation of the
this LAP. This Wood FootPrint project will be developed through a
75
As already identified, the actions are not just locally based but their
impacts will extend throughout the island of Ireland and will be
instrumental in developing a new era for traditional manufacturing
in the wood and furniture sector.
The LAP will also contribute to the growth of the border region
which has poor IDA investment, and yet, will deliver on the
Governments Strategy Action Plan for Jobs 2015.
Appendix 3 outlines the ways in which this LAP will deliver some
key objectives identified in the Governments Action plan for Jobs
2015.
76
Figure 12. Potential Funding Sources for Monaghan LAP
77
Communications Strategy & Public Consultation
The objective of any communication plan is to pass on the relevant
infor mation to those relevant stakeholders who have an interest
in the idea or plan. The challenge is then to communicate what
you are trying to do through a variety of means that involves
the use of the internet, social media, local newspaper and radio,
public information days and workshops, and ultimately one to one
communication with those stakeholders whom you consider to be
of greatest value and influence regarding the topic in which you
are dealing with.
Local Events for Communication Strategy
for Monaghan Local Action Plan
1. Stakeholder Consultation Event held on 17th February
2014
2. Throughout the development phase of the LAP, there
were 10 LSG Meetings held with participation from invited
guest speakers from industry and supporting sectors
3. 4 Week Public Consultation held on the Draft Local Action
Plan in March 2015
4. Final Project Launch Event on 29 May 2015
At any early point in the project, a stakeholder analysis (see
appendix 5) was carried out to:
Identify relevant stakeholders with an interest in the project
To identify their importance relative to their influence on the
plan through the development of a matrix.
This outcomes of this exercise was highly influential in the
determination of a communications strategy as it became obvious
who were the people and groups that should be involved in the
Local Support Group to steer the project and who would be
important to be kept informed of updates and events regarding
progress. The furniture business owners were the critical group
regarding buy-in for the project, because without them, it would
become another top shelf exercise. Consequently, a number of
key industry members were identified and invited to join the Local
Support Group and continuous communication was maintained
with the remaining industry members throughout the development
of the project.
The Future
The formal launch of the Monaghan Local Action Plan will mark
the ending of the development phase and mark the beginning
of full implementatio n phase. Figure 12 identified the financial
instruments that will be targeted to further the work of the project
which it is anticipated will take a number of years to reach fruition
due to the magnitude and scale of the actions. Through a very
successful communication strategy to date, the Local Action Plan
has the full and complete buy-on from both public and private
sector. The input of central Government Departments and agencies
must now happen and it is anticipated that their support will be
needed, together with new EU funding Programmes to fully realise
the potential of this project.
78
Bibliography and References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Beyond Market and State: The “Civic” Economy, Progressio
Foundation, Progressio Civic Economy Series, Publication 1 (1990)
Best, M. And J. Bradley (2012) Cross Border Economic Renewal,
“Rethinking Regional Policy in Ireland”
Bucolo, S. And P. King (2014) “Design for Manufacturing
Competitiveness” , Department of Industry. Australian Design
Integration Network.
Centre for Design Innovation (2008) “ Innovation by Design, Irish
companies creating competitive advantage”
Central EastSide Council , “No Vacancy A Guide to Creating
Temporary Projects in the Central Eastside Industrial District”, htp://
ceic.cc
City of Belfast, OPENCities Local Action Plan
Dariaus, S. And S. Gireno aerodrome, Repair, Local Action Plan,
Kaunas, Lithuania
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2012-2013),
Coford Report, National Council for Forest Research and
Development
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (2012) “Shaping the
Future – Case Studies in Adaptation and Reuse in Historic Urban
Environment”
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (2014), ForFás,
“Costs of Doing Business In Ireland”, National Competitiveness
Council of Ireland
Designort From a design to a creativity driven Norte region strategy
Doran, P. And Wallace. J and Woods. J , Carnegie UK Trust (1913
– 2013) 100 Years, Changing Minds Changing Lives, “Measuring
Wellbeing in Northern Ireland A new conversation for new times”, in
partnership with Queens University Belfast
EcCo Well Cork (2013), Conference Report, “Cities For The Future
Learning from Global to Local”, Cork City Council
Edwards, M. “The Rise and Rise of Civil Society”
Heanue, Kevin P. (2008) The Rural Economy Research
Centre, Working Paper Series WPRE30, “Measuring Industrial
Agglomeration in a Rural Industry, The Case of Irish Furniture
Manufacturing “
16. Heanue, Kevin P. (2007), The Rural Economy Research Centre,
Working Paper Series, Work Paper 07 – WP- RE – 17 , “Innovation
Education and Partnership in Peripheral Rural Ireland”
17. Heanue , Kevin. (2009), “Networking, Innovation and Agglomeration
in the Irish Furniture Manufacturing Industry”
18. Hesseling, Marcello and Pjotr Hesseling and Paul Kloppenburg
and Ronald Young (1990), “Beyond market and state : the civic
economy”
19. Horizon 2020 Guide (2014), Guidance on Selected Calls for
Proposals and Topics 2014 – 2015 for Ireland’s Local and Regional
Government Sectors
20. InterTradeIreland Trade and Business Development Body (2000)
Domestic Furniture An Ireland Retail Perspective
21. Keeling, D. (2012) “Can the UK Furniture Industry Reverse Its
Decline By Investing In Technology” , Bucks New University,
Faculty of Design, Media and Management
22. LocusLab (2009) “No Vacancy Exploring Temporary Use of Empty
Spaces in the Central Eastside Industrial District, Final Report”,
(2009) LocusLab.
23.
Monaghan County Council Draft Revision (2014), General
Development Contribution Scheme 2013 – 2019
24. Monaghan County Enterprise Fund and Co Monaghan Partnership
in association with Armagh City and District Council and Dungannon
District Council (1999) , A Feasibility Study to scope the opportunity
for setting up a technical support and training centre in Monaghan
Town to support furniture companies in the Monaghan Mid Ulster
Region
25. Mottiar, Z. And D. Jackson (2002) Dublin Institute of Technology,
Arrow @DIT, The importance of Place, Space and Culture in
79
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
the Development of an Industrial Agglomeration in Ireland : The
Furniture Industry in County Monaghan
OPEN Cities, Integration and Inclusion Case Study Summaries,
Belfast City Council
Porter, Michael E. (2009), “ The Competitive Advantage of Nations,
States and Regions” Harvard Business Review.
Porter, Michael E. ( 1990) “The Competitive Advantage of Nations”,
Harvard Business Review
PROUD Europe (2014) “When Co-Design Works: Real Change
Through Creative Collaboration” @ Brussels Design Days
Rivas, M. (2011) From Creative Industries to the creative place,
Refreshing the local development agenda in small and medium sized
towns, Final Report
Salford City Council, RE- Block Reviving High Rise Blocks for
Cohesive and Green Neighbourhoods Launch Brochure.
Rural Restructuring “Local Sustainable Solutions to the Rural
Challenge” (2009) – International Centre for Local and Regional
Development (ICLRD)
Sousa, M. (2012) Baseline Study, Wood FootPrint, The Urban
Footprint of Wood Industry
Sousa, M. (2012) Baseline Study State of The Art, Draft Version,
Wood FootPrint, The Urban Footprint of Wood Industry
TSO, (2008) “Communities in Control, Real People Real Power”
UEA Report on The European Furniture Industry (2008).
UNIC Urban Network for Innovation in Ceramics, Local Action Plan –
City of Limoges
URBACT II Local Support Group Toolkit (2013)
www.furniture-professions.eu (2014) Bolster Up, Handbook for
European Furniture Professions
www.environmental-agency.gov.uk/EPOW , European Pathway
to Zero Waste , Demonstrating The Route To Zero Landfill,
Procurement Guidance – Furniture.
Relevant Websites
EU, DG Justice: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/
Europe 2020 website: http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/index_en.htm
Europe Direct: http://europa.eu/europedirect/index_en.htm
European Social Fund: http://ec.europa.eu/esf
EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/what/future/index_en.cfm
ESI Funds Regulations (17 December 2013): http://new.eurlex.
europa.eu/legalcontent/
80
URBACT Glossary
A European exchange and learning programme promoting Local Support Group (LSG) - All URBACT project partners
sustainable urban development. URBACT enables CITIES to work commit to establishing and leading an URBACT Local Support Group
together to develop solutions to major urban challenges.
to make sure that exchanges have an impact on local practices and
policies.
Thematic Network - A type of URBACT III project focused
on exchange and learning activities. Characteristics include a Baseline study - Compiling information about the starting point
partnership of 8-12 cities, a duration of 36 months, and a city as of any project or initiative against which improvement can be
Lead Partner.
measured later. Each URBACT project baseline study includes a
‘state of the art’ on the issue at European level, a set of partner
profiles and a profile of each partner city.
Lead Partner (LP) - It refers to the public authority (local
authorities, association of local authorities, universities,
Managing authority of Operational Programmes development agency…) that lead an URBACT project. All
Organisation responsible for managing European funds at national
URBACT projects are led by a Lead Partner that is responsible for
level.
coordination, implementation and financial management.
Lead Expert - A city professional (practitioner, researcher,
academic, etc.) who uses his/ her expertise to help an URBACT
project. Every project has a ‘Lead Expert’ who helps the project for
its entire duration by providing support in terms of both content
and working methods. The Lead expert of the Wood FootPrint
Project for URBACT was Mr Miguel Sousa
Local Action Plan (LAP) - All URBACT partners develop a
LAP in response to local issues. It aims at increasing the impact
of URBACT exchanges on local policies and practices. It should
provide pragmatic, precise solutions based on the results of the
transnational exchanges. It should be jointly produced with the
Local Support Group.
81
Appendices & Supporting Volumes
Supporting Volumes
Local Support Group (LSG) Details
1. Summary of Original Focus area of Monaghan Town and
North Monaghan Area
2. Government Action Plan for Jobs 2015 - Delivery by
Monaghan Local Action Plan
3. Guidance on re-use of vacant and redundant buildings
4. Stakeholder Analysis
5. Summary of Relevant EU Funding Programme Details
Summary Report of UUJ Students Project
(separate document)
UUJ Students Project Reports (Sherry site)
(separate document)
UUJ Students Project Reports (Mc Nally & Finley site)
(separate document)
UUJ Students Project Reports (John e/f Coyle site)
(separate document)
Submission to Minister for Department of Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation & Subsequent Presentation (separate document)
Monaghan Transnational Report March 2014
(Separate document)
82
Appendix 1
Local Support Group Members
Title
Name
Organisation/Company
Mr.
Dermot McNally
Owner of Rossmore Furniture Ltd (Chair of LSG)
Mr.
Padraig Maguire
Northern and Western Regional Authority (Project Co Coordinator)
Mr.
Gareth Sherry
Owner of Sherry Brothers Ltd
Mr.
Paul Treanor
Owner of Drumbriston Furniture
Mr.
Killian Coyle
Owner of John E. Coyle Ltd
Mr.
Richard Gillanders
Owner Woodlands Furniture
Mr.
John McEntaggert
CEO Monaghan Local Enterprise Office
Councillor
Brian McKenna
Monaghan County Council
Councillor
Sean Conlon
Monaghan County Council
Mr.
Paul Clifford
Director of Services, Monaghan County Council
Mr
John Kearney
Cavan Monaghan Education Training Board (ETB)
Ms
Márie Cullinan
Monaghan County Council
Mr
Patrick Tobin
Lecturer GMIT & Letterfrack Furniture Training College
Mr.
Alvin Mc Glone
Sustainable Mechanics
83
Appendix 2.
Summary of Original Focus area of Monaghan Town and North Monaghan Area
Advantages
strategically located at a central point on the island of Ireland;
Good quality of life;
Tradition on the furniture sector;
The local governance is open to cooperate with privates to find solutions
for vacant buildings
County Monaghan has a particularly entrepreneurial population with
34% of the workforce self- employed
Good aesthetic aspect of the buildings in urban areas
To improve and update
Weaknesses
The declining role of traditional industries such as manufacturing represents
Lost important infrastructures to neighbourhood cities;
The manufacturing tissue is composed of small size industry;
Not dedicated conferences or trade shows in the region for the furniture
unemployment rate higher than the national average
migration of the youth;
non existing experience of co-competition and public/private partnerships
What is missing
Linkage to neighbourhood cities, mainly to Cavan – extension of bypass onto N54 Cavan Road;
Promotion of the region abroad as collective strategy, not individually;
More engagement of the Business association in the manufacturing Strong industry that can create jobs but also act as a flagship for the region
problems;
International fairs hall to promote local business;
Legislation bureaucracy – main barrier for finding new uses of the Strategy for a regional branding;
buildings;
Education on furniture design, as R&D structures and incubators for young
Create conditions to engage the youth in the county strategy
entrepreneurs;
Business costs very high when compared with other countries
Cooperation between stakeholders Individual view, not common approach
Rethink the size and scope of the furniture in the region
Scepticism about European solutions
Bank loans does not exist
84
Appendix 3.
Governments Action Plan for Jobs 2015.
No in APJ
Table
Appendix 3.
Detail
National Talent Drive
8
11
14
15
16
Step up collaboration between government, industry and education through Smart Futures to raise awareness of STEM career opportunities
for post-primary students, in line with the agreed 2014-16 strategy.
Continue to implement the pilot phase of the Post Graduate Programme of Professional Practice to provide graduates with opportunities to
develop cross disciplinary skills in STEM based sectors with enhanced engagement by employers to progress graduates to employment.
Publish an integrated 2015 Further Education and Training (FET) Services Plan that includes provision to meet the FET skills needs identified
in various published EGFSN reports and sectoral studies.
Target provision to meet regional employer needs, identified through regional labour market profiles and through local and regional employer
engagement.
Develop new Apprenticeships in response to proposals from key sectors of the economy.
Delivering Regional Potential
Develop and publish a suite of Regional Enterprise Strategies, based on consultation with key stakeholders at regional level and on the
34
analysis of the strengths of each region, commencing with the publication of strategies for the Midlands and South East regions. The strategies
will include a series of specific actions and targets for delivery by a range of public bodies to support enterprise growth and job creation in
the regions and will complement the statutory Plans to be developed as part of Local Government reform.
47
ETBs and higher education institutions to target provision to meet local and regional employer needs, identified through regional labour
market profiles and through local and regional employer engagement
Manufacturing Step Change
80
81
In relation to strengthening the ecosystem for manufacturing firms in Ireland, review the pilot mid-tier initiative based on cohort of Engineering
companies and select a second cohort of enterprises for an initiative in 2015.
As part of the National Talent Drive Disruptive reform (see above), develop new Apprenticeships in response to proposals from key sectors
of the economy
85
Appendix 4
– Reuse of Redundant Buildings Definition and Guidance
and VAT returns have proven to be significantly important as to
whether a building is reused or demolished and replaced by a new
build. This is all set against the backdrop of changing planning and
The declining role of traditional industries such as manufacturing buildings regulations, not to mention much higher demands in
represents a key challenge for County Monaghan. More terms of a buildings energy performance, all of which not require
importantly however, is the opportunity that
these material more specialist and technical input from trained people as well as
assets (buildings) provide in that they are existing buildings that the overall cost in designing, planning and delivering a building
provide a link with our past and would cost less to bring back to a set specification. It is worth considering what adaptive reuse
into use than new-builds. The manufacturing industry has seen a actually means.
huge decrease in employment and in some cases the businesses
have ceased trading which often leaves behind vacant industrial Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or
buildings and showrooms. The reuse of these vacant spaces building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed
and the diversification of its uses present an opportunity for for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by
County Monaghan to encourage new enterprise development many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of
within vacant buildings where infrastructural facilities are readily urban sprawl. However adaptive reuse can become controversial
available. The promotion and encouragement of new start-up as there is sometimes a blurred line between renovation, facadism
enterprises represents an opportunity for Monaghan to return and adaptive reuse. It can be regarded as a compromise between
to the self-starting progressive and independent economy that historic preservation and demolition.
it once was. This is a quality that differentiates Monaghan from
other counties and should be encouraged.
Definition
Reuse of Vacant Buildings
Adaptive reuse deals with the issues of conservation and heritage
policies. Whilst old buildings become unsuitable for their
Why Reuse Buildings
Reuse of buildings is not a straight forward or simple process. programmatic requirements, as progress in technology, politics
It can depend on location, setting, scale of the building, tenure, and economics moves faster than the built environment, adaptive
condition etc. All these factors relate directly to the building reuse comes in as a sustainable option for the reclamation of
and site itself, whilst factors such as access to finance, taxation sites. In many situations, the types of buildings most likely to
become subjects of adaptive reuse include; industrial buildings, as
86
cities become gentrified and the process of manufacture moves
away from city; political buildings, such as palaces and buildings
Economic considerations
which cannot support current and future visitors of the site; and
community buildings such as churches or schools where the use
There has been much debate on the economic possibilities and
has changed over time.
viability of adaptive reuse as different corporations and companies
seek to find sustainable ways to approach their corporate or retail
sites. There are many outcomes that affect the economic return
Criteria for adaptive reuse
While the process of adaptive reuse is a decision often made of adaptive reuse as an avenue to a company’s use of a given site.
purely by companies establishing a particular brand or presence, Factors such as the reuse of materials and resources as well as a
there are often criteria for deciding whether a building should be lesser need to involve energy, both in terms of labour and machine
conserved and reused or just demolished for the area of land it powered, can effectively decrease the monetary funds needed for
companies to establish sites. However, there can be hidden costs
occupies. Some of these determining criteria include;
in reusing old buildings such as; the unknown contamination of
The societal value of a given site; that is, the importance to the older sites, decay and disuse affecting the usability of a building
community of the use of a site by community members or visitors. as well as the possible need for modification of an older building
to fit current and future building codes.
The potential for the reuse of a particular site; the physical
damage sustained to the site and its support of future use, With each project, the economic costs differ from project, to
the character of the existing site in terms of the proposed project and some professionals go as far as to assert that new build
is always more economical, and renovation is universally more
reuse.
The historical importance of the site; in terms of both the expensive,[4] due to their own involvement with adaptive reuse
physicality of the street-scape and the area, as well as of the projects. Others claim that the return on investment is enhanced
role of the site in the community’s understanding of the past. when using an older building, because of the savings involved.
The natural ecological conditions of the site; whether the One Canadian developer claims that reusing buildings generally
site is suitable climatically or can support the proposed represents a saving of between 10-12%[3] over building new. In
terms of profitability, there are also the assertions that adaptive
environmental work needed in the site.
87
Barriers to adaptive reuse
reuse projects often have an uncertainty to their profitably, that As mentioned above, adaptive reuse sometimes isn’t the most
newer developments lack. When looking for funding to build, viable option for all historic sites. For some sites that have been
left alone to decay by neglect, the physical damage of the site
these considerations must be addressed.
can render the site unusable both in terms of the cost to repair
the damage as well as unsafe by government standards. Sites
contaminated by old materials such as asbestos also become
Advantages of adaptive reuse
unviable for the process of adaptive reuse.
With the debate of adaptive reuse as a sustainable avenue in the
development of key sites, there are many advantages to using
certain sites for redevelopment. Some of these advantages include
the site’s location; in many cases, historical sites are often located
in the centres of large cities due to the spatial development of
a given area, these buildings can often be heritage-listed and
therefore sold as an entity, rather than just for the land that they
occupy, which the new tenants then have to retrofit the building
for their particular purpose. Older buildings also often have a
specific period character through the detailing and joinery of their
constructed eras that newer or reconstructed developments
lack, in certain cases, such as the hospitality industry; the grand
character of a site can influence the feel of their building and
are used for maximum potential to enhance the site’s physical
attractiveness to a client.
88
Stakeholder Analysis -
Influence on LAPImportance to LAP
89
Appendix 5
Appendix 6 Programme
Weblink
URBACT III
http://urbact.eu/
Potential EU Funding Programmes
Short description
URBACT helps cities to develop pragmatic solutions that are new and sustainable and that integrate
economic, social and environmental urban topics.
frontierCities is one of the sixteen European accelerators under FI-WARE initiative which aim is to pave
the ground for European developers and entrepreneurs longing to create their own digital business by
frontierCities
www.fi-ware.org
providing mentoring, support and a total amount of EUR 3,920,000 in grant funding for innovative ICT
solutions in the smart mobility field. We provide from €50,000 up to €150,000 to SMEs, Start-Ups
and Web-Developers through an open call in order to develop and deploy smart mobility applications.
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of
Horizon 2020
h t t p : / / e c . e u r o p a . e u / funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money
programmes/horizon2020/
will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the
lab to the market.
Erasmus +
(Education
learning)
and
http://ec.europa.eu/
programmes/erasmus-plus/
index_en.htm
- mobility of individuals in EU
- cooperation for innovation (incl. HEIs with businesses)
- EU policy coordination
90
Programme
Weblink
Short description
As integrated territorial strategies are vital for the achievement of the smart, sustainable and inclusive
ITI – integrated http://ec.europa.eu/regional_ Europe envisaged by the Europe 2020 Strategy, the Common Provisions Regulation introduces ITI as
t e r r i t o r i a l p o l i c y / s o u r c e s / d o c g e n e r / a key instrument for implementing such strategies. ITI provides a flexible mechanism for formulating
Investments
informat/2014/iti_en.pdf
integrated responses to diverse territorial needs, without losing the thematic focus through which
cohesion policy is linked to the Europe 2020 Strategy.
ENI
(European
Neighbourhood
instrument
cross
Cross-border cooperation (CBC) is an integral component of the EU’s European
CBC
border
h t t p : / / w w w. e n p i - i n f o . e u /
maineast.php?id=322&id_
type=10
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), and of EU-Russia co-operation. It likewise features in associated regional
policies such as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Eastern Partnership. It aims to promote
co-operation across the borders between EU Member States and the countries in the European
Neighbourhood and the Russian Federation.
cooperation)
Under new procedures, Member States are being given the option of using some of their EU grant
Jessica
h t t p : / / w w w. j e s s i c a f u n d .
gr/?lang=en
funding, their so-called Structural Funds, to make repayable investments in projects forming part of
an integrated plan for sustainable urban development. These investments, which may take the form
of equity, loans and/or guarantees, are delivered to projects via Urban Development Funds and, if
required, Holding Funds.
The ESPON 2020 Programme aims at promoting and fostering a European territorial dimension in
development and cooperation by providing evidence, knowledge transfer and policy learning to public
authorities and other policy actors at all levels.
Main objectives
Espon
http://www.espon.eu/main/
The objective of the ESPON 2020 Cooperation Programme is to support the reinforcement of the
effectiveness of EU Cohesion Policy and other sectoral policies and programmes under European
Structural Investment (ESI) funds as well as national and regional territorial development policies, through
the production, dissemination and promotion of territorial evidence covering the entire territory of the
28 EU Members States, as well as 4 Partner States of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
91
Programme
Joint
Programming
Initiative
Urban
Weblink
Short description
JPI Urban Europe is a joint programming initiative. The aim is to create attractive, sustainable and
http://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/
economically viable urban areas, in which European citizens, communities and their surroundings can
thrive.
- access to finance for SMEs
COSME
LIFE
(Environment
and climate
change)
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/
initiatives/cosme/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/
environment/life/funding/
- SMEs’ competitiveness
- promote entrepreneurship
- access to markets
protection of the environment and biodiversity
- climate change mitigation and adaptation
lifeplus.htm
support to cultural/heritage operators and artists
Creative Europe
(Culture
http://ec.europa.eu/
and creative
programmes/creative-europe/
- support audio-visual sector
- access to finance for small operators
industries)
EaSI
(Employment
and social
innovation)
- supporting social innovation
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main. - EU mobility of job seekers
jsp?catId=1081
- support to micro-credit
92
Programme
Weblink
Short description
The EEA Grants and Norway Grants are set up for five-year periods. For the period 2009-2014,
€1.798 billion has been set aside under the Grants.
The EEA Grants are jointly financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, who contribute according to
Eeagrants
http://eeagrants.org/Who-we- their size and economic wealth. Of the €993 million set aside for the 2009-14 period, Norway provides
are
95.8%, Iceland 3.0% and Liechtenstein 1.2%.
The Norway Grants are financed by Norway alone and amount to approximately €804 million in this
period.
93
Book Designed By Red River Media
Printed By SoonerThanLater