Rejuvenating the Furniture and Wood Products Manufacturing Sector

Transcription

1 Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology Rejuvenating the Furniture and Wood Products Manufacturing Sector Reviving the border region economy Working in the border region: Case studies Dr. Patrick Tobin

2 GMIT Letterfrack Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 2

3 Condensed History 1987 Two-year certificate (18 students) Partnership with Connemara West 2009 Nine degree programmes, plus Post-Grad Diploma and Masters options (250+ students) National and international centre of excellence

4 Programmes Furniture Design and Manufacture Furniture and Wood Technology Design and Technology Education Other approved programmes Architectural Woodwork and Interiors Furniture Conservation and Restoration Learning Model Blend of practical skills, technology, design, and management Lots of projects - formal and informal contact Interaction with industry

5 Resources, Links & Partners Lecturers & Technicians Library, Classrooms, Laboratories, Workshops, Machine Hall Traditional & Hi-Tech Machines & Equipment Wide range of CAD, CAM & management software USA institutions & companies e.g. Virginia Tech EU institutions & companies Finland, Denmark, Germany, UK, Czech Republic, etc. Industrial placements International links National Skills Competition Supplier sponsors e.g. - HOMAG Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 5

6 Options for Industry Student Projects and Placements Under Graduate & Post Graduate Academic Programmes Contract Research and Development Consulting Training Courses, Seminars, Workshops Graduates

7 Projects with Industry Group Design Projects Applied Projects Year Industry Placements Research Projects

8 Sample Projects Furniture Design Product Development CAD models, parametrics CAD libraries Product Costing Product redesign Design for manufacture Product / Materials Testing Jig design / construction Prototyping Outsourcing Sustainable design Process design Training Plant layout Work study Inventory control Project management Quality assurance Production scheduling Bills of materials Cutting lists Production Software Equipment design CAD Software CNC programming 8

9 Graduates Machinists Cabinet-makers Fitting/ Installation Designer - Maker CAD, CAM, CNC technician Furniture Design Product Design / Engineering Production Supervisor Production Management Estimating Project Management Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 9

10 Furniture & Wood Products Industry Domestic furniture Store fixtures Contract furniture Garden furniture Fitted furniture Furniture designers Cabinet-making Kitchens, Bedrooms, Bathrooms Timber mills Commissioned furniture Furniture restoration Product designers Bed manufacture Architectural woodwork Soft furniture Component manufacture Joinery Office furniture School furniture Institutional furniture Interior designers Furniture retailers Wood based panels Equipment suppliers Software suppliers Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 10

11 Border Region Sample Companies Hegartys Fitted Furniture Specialist Joinery Group MJM Group Orior Design Crane Furniture Ashley Martin Irish Contract Seating John Scott Design Kelly Doors McNally & Finlay Tru Wood Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 11

12 Declining Sector? What s wrong? Many studies & reports since 1963 Many common weaknesses Less agreement on strengths Relatively well equipped Market growing in size Irish companies losing share So, how bad a shape are we in? 12

13 Weaknesses Small companies, family owned / managed Lack of management expertise Neglect of training at all levels Weak operations management practices Lack of finance Poor working conditions Production led - Ignorance of design, marketing No representative co-ordinating body Fragmented industry Small home market Lack of cooperation 13

14 Potential Company Action Examples Lean Business Sustainability - Training & Development - Product Design & Development Innovation, R&D Outsourcing - Digital Manufacturing - Information Technology e-business Strategic Coherence - Alignment of operations strategy with marketing, finance and overall business strategy Capabilities and competencies 14

15 Some interesting case studies Thomas Moser Furniture (Maine) Mark Richey Woodworking (Mass) Project Based Manufacture = Service Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology 15

16 Potential Group Action Get Organised Strong Representative Group Industry Task Force policy proposals Actively develop cooperation initiatives manufacturing networks joint purchasing agreements joint marketing agreements training initiatives Industry Supply Chain Development Research needed 16

17 Potential Policy Action Create conditions for coherent strategy development and implementation Work with owners Training, advice and funding focused Create incentives to foster co-operation Facilitate /support an industry task force Re-visit a strategic view of the industry Research needed 17