A new manufacturing cluster to help develop industry in the border region has been officially launched by minister Frank Feighan.

The Border Region Manufacturing Cluster (Bormac) comprises 20 manufacturing companies spanning on both sides of the border. 

Bormac, funded through Enterprise Ireland’s Regional Technology Clustering Fund, is hosted by Atlantic Technological University. It is one of 12 industry-led clusters funded under the same initiative, with the Marine Cluster launched in ATU’s Killybegs campus in April. 

In addition to industry members, the cluster includes agencies and academic institutions north and south of the border, namely InterTrade Ireland, DKIT, Southwest College and Queens University.

Minister Frank Feighan commented: “Digital transformation will affect future developments in the region’s Industry sector and there is a growing demand for automation, science, engineering and digital skills which are vital to sustaining and growing the region’s manufacturing sector and economy. With Brexit, the difficulties of disrupted supply chains, cross border workforce mobility and increasing customs/tariff complexities have become a reality, solutions to which require different thinking.”

In Association with

In June 2022, AIB’s manufacturing PMI indicated that factory output and new orders fell for the first time in 16 months.

Finola Howe, Head of Enterprise and Engagement at ATU Sligo and manager of Bormac, noted that Ireland is behind the rest of the world in our adoption of industry clustering.

“We have learned from global cluster success stories that companies in clusters are more productive, innovative and have higher growth rates than companies that are not in clusters. I’m delighted that we are now recognising this, and supports are being put in place to encourage the development of clustering in Ireland,” said Howe.

“In Bormac, we are in the early stages of our cluster development and are learning from the best practices of successful clusters across Europe, Nordics and Canada. We have focussed on uncovering common ‘pain points’ of our industry members and enabling them to collaborate on solutions together, supported by academic institutions and government agencies.

“This ‘triple helix’ approach is powerful as it helps companies gain access to the applied research strengths of our academic partners, and the funding and supports from our agencies.”

Manufacturing is one of the border region’s largest employment sector, Including NI. In Northern Ireland, manufacturing accounts for a larger proportion of the economy in Northern Ireland than in the UK as a whole.

Photo (l-r):  Xavier Velay of ATU Sligo, Frank Feighan, Dr Chris O’Malley, Una Parsons and Finola Howe of  ATU Sligo; Aidan McKenna of Enterprise Ireland; ATU president Dr Orla Flynn, Kieran Rooney of Masonite Ireland, and Niall O’Donnellan and Dr Brendan McCormack of ATU Sligo.