Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2004
Annual Report and Accounts 2004
In October 2004, Enterprise Ireland organised a best practice mission to the Heartlands region of the US as part of its continuous drive to assist clients in their strategies to improve competitiveness and productivity. The 38 strong mission brought Enterprise Ireland clients to visit US host organisations to learn how these companies improve their performance by using the best global techniques in management, products and processes. All participating clients were involved in best practice implementation in Ireland and they aimed to transfer the knowledge and practices gained into their own businesses.
The Heartlands includes the states of Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin in the US and the area is renowned as being a key manufacturing region, with many leading US industrial companies located there. The US host companies ranged in size from 100 person operations to global players such as UNISYS and Harley-Davidson.
The mission was structured so that participants completed a SWOT analysis after each company visit and group discussions, which all fed into a comprehensive report on the findings. Participants gained extensive access to manufacturing operations and to key personnel in the host companies.
Six vice presidents from Harley-Davidson gave frank and detailed insights into the company’s strategies including how Harley integrates along the supply chain to its customers. They also facilitated a detailed tour of the Harley-Davidson Franklin Distribution Centre, a world class facility. The company’s productivity feeds directly into its success. It is 101 years old and has $5 billion in turnover, recording increasing record profits for many years.
The mission paved the way for further networking and interaction between the US companies and the Irish companies. Many clients have reported that they have begun to implement elements of best practice gained from the mission. They have offered to host open days in their Irish plants to show others how and what best practices they have implemented in their ongoing efforts to achieve and sustain competitiveness. The Heartlands Mission follows on from other similar missions to Berlin in 2002 and Bologna in 2003.
