An expanded Manufacturing Solutions Ireland returns to Limerick to meet the needs of the Irish and UK precision industry, in a post Brexit & Covid economy.
New Manufacturing Technology Zone will showcase multi-million euro machines never before seen in Ireland and flown in for the event.
Manufacturing Solutions Ireland 2022 is returning to the Technological University of the Shannon, Moylish Campus, Limerick [(TUS) with campuses in Thurles, Limerick, Clonmel, Ennis and Athlone), on June 15th and 16th, with an expanded two-day offering to meet the post Brexit and post Covid demands of the Irish and UK precision engineering industry.
In it’s fourth year, and first post Brexit, the popular event hosted by GTMA and TUS has been extended to include the multi million euro Manufacturing Technology Zone and the inaugural Digitalisation of Manufacturing Conference, alongside the traditional manufacturing supply chain roadshow and popular “Meet the Manufacturer.”
Note: The Gauge and Tool Makers Association (GTMA) is a UK-based trade association representing leading companies in precision engineering, rapid product development, toolmaking, tooling technologies, metrology and other critical manufacturing related products and services. It embraces technology, procurement and supply chain initiatives to offer solutions across a full range of business needs. It also has a committed strategy to focus on major market sector opportunities, from aerospace and automotive to medical and marine.
The Manufacturing Technology Zone has attracted Irish based distributors and international companies such as Mills CNC, Hurco, Wenzel, Werth, Fanuc, Lister Machine Tools, ETG Ireland, Premier Machine Tools and Starrag who will be demonstrating their latest technology and machines. It is also anticipated that Starrag will bring a new machine to Manufacturing Solutions 2022, that has yet to be seen in the UK or Ireland.
Meanwhile, 150 of the most advanced providers of metrology, inspection, machine tools, work holding, cutting tools, and Cad/Cam/PLM manufacturing software and ancillary products and services will be exhibiting at the roadshow.
IDEAM (Irish Digital Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing) Cluster will deliver a two-day conference that will explore new innovative, smarter and sustainable ways of doing business, alongside key regional, national and international stakeholders.
Note: IDEAM (www.ideam.ie) is an innovative national industry cluster launched in April 2021 located in the heart of the Mid-West region supporting businesses to collaborate, innovate and grow. IDEAM assists manufacturing SMEs in digital transformation and our core aim is to unlock new opportunities for industry by working collectively.
The Meet the Manufacture event will once again provide the means by which leading manufacturers from aerospace, medical and materials processing companies will be available to meet directly with suppliers, manufacturers and service providers as part of this direct business-to-business matchmaking event.
GTMA Chief Executive Officer, MsJulia Moore explained that the demand for the return of Manufacturing Solutions Ireland following a Covid-19 enforced hiatus was huge. “Bringing all the leading technology suppliers together the GTMA and TUS are providing an ideal conduit for the transfer of technology from the specialist suppliers to the practical industrial landscape, where its take-up and practical application can be used to gain a competitive business advantage. The huge success of previous years has also led to the demand for an extended event this year, with an eagerness among those attending to encourage UK Irish trade relations.”
President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane said he was delighted to welcome the GTMA and Manufacturing Solutions Ireland back to the Moylish Campus, now home to Ireland’s third technological university – TUS. “TUS is driving development and investment across the Midwest and Midlands, building on our commitment to ensure that manufacturing in the regions continues to adapt, change and remain at the cutting edge internationally. Our partners in GTMA bring all the leading technology suppliers together at Manufacturing Solutions, so that industry can benefit from collective knowledge, products and technology. We are delighted to host an event that not only allows us to build strong partnerships but facilitates an exchange of ideas.”
Co-organiser and programme leader in Precision Engineering at TUS, Department of Mechanical and Automobile Engineering, Mr Ciaran O’Loughlin explained, “This event is about an exchange of ideas, learning about developments within precision engineering, introductions to the newest machines and technology, while providing an opportunity to do business. All of this takes place in a hospitable atmosphere with free parking and refreshments adding to the community feel of the event.”
Mr David Beattie, General Manager GTMA pointed to the continuous development of productive businesses relationships between Irish and UK since the first Manufacturing Solutions in 2017. “Manufacturing Solutions Ireland is in its fourth year, growing year on year, with even a global pandemic failing to stop its return. We believe the success of the event is due to the quality of the companies it attracts from the UK and Ireland each year, the flexibility of the event to adapt to the needs of the industry and the reputation it is quickly developing as an event to build professional relationships and do business. We are preparing for an even bigger and better event this year, and know those attending will not be disappointed.”
Manufacturing Solutions is sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Irish Manufacturing Research, Regional Skills and FRS Recruitment and supported by PTMA and IDEAM.
For further information or to register to attend this free two-day event see manufacturingsolutions.ie.
Note: Given the popularity of the event – booking is advised.
19th Irish Games Fleadh Returns to TUS with a Clear Message on Supporting Positive Climate Action.
Student developers design games with a retro feel of the past, but with a clear message for the future.
TUS Team Win 5 Categories at Games Fleadh 2022.
Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) won five categories at the hotly contested Irish Games Fleadh 2022, hosted by TUS, Thurles Campus.
The popular all island gaming competition returned after a one year hiatus, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with organisers opting to run a virtual competition this year, while once again focusing on a social issue.
This year competitors were asked to concentrate on the UN Sustainable Development Goals by designing games around the theme Positive Action to Support Climate Change.
Teams from third level colleges competed for one of the 12 coveted titles, while Year 1 students also participated in Robocode as part of Games Fleadh 2022, the final of which was held on Wednesday March 23, 2022. This was won by Carlow IT.
The TUS Games Fleadh 2022 wins included:
Highly Commended Programming Implementation for the game Disaster Squad.
Best in User Interface Design for the game Fed Up.
Best in Game Mechanics for the game Pixie Quest.
Best in Use of Physics Algorithms also for the game Pixie Quest.
Best in Use of Artificial Intelligence also for Disaster squad.
Following the announcement of the winners on Friday, April 1st, the President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane said the 2022 Games Fleadh had once again recognised the skills and talents of the country’s best student game developers.
“A huge congratulations must go to all competitors who continued to develop their skills amid the challenges of the pandemic, and their teachers, who supported them so that they are ready to take their place in this ever growing €148.8 billion industry. I would also like to acknowledge the support industry leaders have lent to this annual competition, which is indicative of TUS’s ethos of working with employers to ensure our students are at the cutting edge of this ever developing industry and therefore have the skill set to be work ready on graduation.”
Head of Department of Information Technology TUS, Dr Janice O’Connell reflected on how information technology and game development can support positive action on environmental and social issues.
“The Games Fleadh is a fantastic event which brings together the various dimensions of IT and how the application of IT can help solve and support positive action, with this year’s focus on Climate Action. The Games Fleadh highlights the wonderful and diverse career opportunities and is an excellent demonstration of the integration of industry, academia, students, future students, and the creativity and imagination of Games. We are very proud that all our IT programmes employ current state of the art technology, are industry led and provide a foundation for students for launching their career in future technology,” she stated.
Games Fleadh Organiser and Game Design & Development Degree Lecturer at TUS Dr Liam Noonan paid tribute to the international companies and national organisations that continue to support the event year on year.
“Without sponsors such as EA games and the support of games companies across Ireland, Games Fleadh would not be the success that it is every year. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Youth Council of Ireland this year, who’s focus on games for youth development mirrors Games Fleadh’s philosophy that gaming can be used for social, environmental and indeed positive culture change,” he stated.
A spokesperson for the National Youth Council of Ireland added,
“The National Youth Council of Ireland are delighted to be involved with the TUS Games Fleadh and support the games development competition. The NYCI STEAM in Youth Work engagement programme and the Global Youth Work programme run training courses, such as SDGames training courses, to support youth workers to use games in youth work. We focus on the use of games for development education in youth work and therefore particularly welcome that the Fleadh’s theme this year has been taken from the SDGs with a focus on positive action to support climate action.”
TUS Engineering Open Day opens up a variety of careers and courses in engineering to Leaving Cert Students.
The Engineering Special Topic for this year’s Leaving Cert exams will take centre stage at the 2022 TUS Engineering Open Day on Saturday March 12th, 2022.
The established open day on the Moylish Campus of the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) introduces leaving cert student to a variety of engineering courses, lecturers and students, and leading engineering employers from across the Mid West.
As the open day returns to an in-person event, so too does the renowned seminar on the Leaving Cert Engineering Special Topic. Students can attend the 30-minute seminar on “Principles of Operation and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in smart Manufacturing Techniques” during the Engineering Open Day.
TUS Engineering Open Day Co-ordinator Mr Peadar Heneghan said, “The TUS Engineering Open Day is unique as it allows leaving certificate students with an interest in engineering, and their parents, see first-hand the variety of careers available in engineering by meeting students, lecturers and employers across all disciplines. The visiting student can go on a journey from choosing a course to choosing a career in just a few short steps, as they learn from those who have travelled the road before them.
We encourage leaving cert students to question our lecturers and students about specific courses, and then meet potential employers and indeed employees who undertook the course to discuss career options.
The opportunities for a career in engineering are varied, with something to suit almost everyone interested. TUS on March 12, 2022, from 10am to 1pm is the place to be to discover the college and career path that best suits each individual,” he added.
TUS Engineering Open Day is free and those interested in attending are asked to register: HERE
The rollout of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) has come in for serious criticism, as it has emerged that just 27,000 homes, to date, are only in a position to be connected to the network.
Representatives from the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications, which in 2019, awarded the contract to sole bidder Granahan McCourt Capital (GMC), (latter a private investment firm focused on connecting people to innovation in technologically underserved areas), will appear before an Oireachtas Public Accounts committee (PAC) this morning.
The chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr Brian Stanley has criticized their progress to date, deeming it to be totally unsatisfactory.
The initial target for delivery by the National Broadband Plan (NBP), (latter the company formed by the selected contractor to deliver on the plan), by the end of 2021 had been 115,000 homes. The 27,000 connections delivered to date sadly equates to only 23% of that same envisaged target, despite telecommunications activity being deemed ‘essential work’ throughout the Coronavirus pandemic lock-down.
NBP had been expected to deliver high-speed broadband, with speeds of up to 150mb, to some 544,000 homes and businesses by the year ending 2027. Back last January, the Government cut that envisaged target rollout period for the NBP, down from 7 years to less than 5 in order to accelerate a move to remote working.
Broadband Service Providers In General
However, there remains major problems with all broadband service providers here in the Irish Republic, with Vodafone and Eircom Limited, in particular, charging between €50.00 and €71.00 per month for services offering downloads of a mere 12.00 Mbps and uploads of 2.80 Mbps, here in central areas of Thurles.
Same service providers are almost impossible to contact and cannot be trusted when it comes to Bank Direct Debit charges. Users are being forced into the inconvenience of having to switch service providers on an annual basis, in order to get value for money. Some households are being forced to setup phone hotspots for the sending and receiving of email.
Time now for government to take a closer look at the activities of all broadband service providers, here within the Irish State.
Vodafone are warning Irish customers of a dangerous new sophisticated scam text, which has begun circulating called ‘Flubot’.
Currently this scam only affects Android users, however it is believed that same could also soon affect Apple users.
This Flubot SMS (short message service), is now circulating in Ireland and customers are being asked to take the following actions should they receive same SMS from a company they do not recognise, regarding the tracking of a package.
(1) IGNORE: Do not click on any link included in the message.
(2) DELETE: Remove the full SMS from your phone immediately.
While the scam will primarily affect Android users, Vodafone encourage users of all handsets to be cautious when receiving such any SMS, particularly when you are not expecting a delivery or a contact from a courier.
The National Cyber Security Centre have expanded on these new tactics being employed by fraudsters. Quote, “Such messages typically contain a link for the victim to click on to get details of a missed package delivery. This link will direct the victim to a fake website replicating the legitimate delivery company’s site. The victim will then be asked to download two .apk files which are banking trojans. Users will then be prompted to manually override and allow an untrusted app download.”
[Trojan: A trojan, is a type of malicious code or software that looks legitimate is designed to damage, disrupt, steal, or in general inflict harmful action on your data or network.]
[APK file: An APK file is an app created for Android, Google’s mobile operating system. Some apps come pre-installed on Android devices, while other apps can be downloaded from Google Play.]
We are aware here in Thurles of individuals receiving similar type SMS messages as shown hereunder.
Type of SMS received within Thurles area.
This warning comes as Gardaí continuously warn the public to be alert for any suspicious texts, scam calls or information forms received online.
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