Welcome to the Border Region Manufacturing Cluster!! We are the only cross border cluster in Ireland and currently have a registered membership of 14 companies, 4 academic institutions and 4 support agencies from both North and South of the Border. Our membership is growing as the word gets out and companies become of aware of what we are trying to develop.

Why is this Cluster important to this region?

Manufacturing is one of the border region’s largest employment sector (Incl NI). In the NW alone it employs 13.7% of the region’s workers and accounts for 6.1% of regional enterprises, compared with 11.4% and 5.6% nationally.

In NI, Manufacturing is the 3rd largest employer and the 2nd largest sector in terms of economic output. It accounts for a larger proportion of the economy in Northern Ireland than in the UK as a whole.

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. Despite the concentration of manufacturing in the border region, there is a lack of strategic understanding, particularly among SMEs, of the implications of digitalisation and Industry 4.0 on their organisations – Less than one third of companies have a digitalisation strategy.

With Brexit, the difficulties of disrupted supply chains, cross border workforce mobility and increasing customs/tariff complexities have become a reality, solutions to which will require different thinking.

Given this landscape within the border region, we have the opportunity to develop a manufacturing industry cluster that can help member companies to collaborate on strategic approaches to these challenges, both North and South of the border.

WHO ARE OUR MEMBERS?