Council backed event gives businesses a boost

The business support programme ‘Generate’ hosted a SME opportunities event at Belfast Met’s e3 building as part of their initiative to support companies that want to work in the renewable energies market.
Innovation Manager at Belfast Met, Paul McCormack with Jamie Boyd (Glen Dimplex); Chairman of Lisburn City Councils Economic Development Committee, Alderman Allan Ewart; Darren Mawhinney (Glen Dimplex) and Rowena McCappin (Glen Dimplex).Innovation Manager at Belfast Met, Paul McCormack with Jamie Boyd (Glen Dimplex); Chairman of Lisburn City Councils Economic Development Committee, Alderman Allan Ewart; Darren Mawhinney (Glen Dimplex) and Rowena McCappin (Glen Dimplex).
Innovation Manager at Belfast Met, Paul McCormack with Jamie Boyd (Glen Dimplex); Chairman of Lisburn City Councils Economic Development Committee, Alderman Allan Ewart; Darren Mawhinney (Glen Dimplex) and Rowena McCappin (Glen Dimplex).

The morning event was led by speakers from the global electrical and heating goods company Glen Dimplex who provided an in-depth overview of their successful history .

The Generate Programme is funded by Lisburn City Council, Belfast City Council and Castlereagh Borough Council, and is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland. Generate provides support and training for employees in small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the council areas of Lisburn, Castlereagh and Belfast who are keen to discover progressive opportunities for their company and their employees in emerging markets for wind, marine, bio-energy, smart-grid and energy storage.

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In attendance was Alderman Allan Ewart, Chairman of Lisburn City Council Economic Development Committee. He commented on seeing the benefits of Generate –

‘Lisburn City Council is delighted to see local businesses benefiting from the Generate programme and we are pleased to see the resources that Belfast Met delivers being applied.

“The renewable energy industry is recognised as a key sector for future growth and job creation and we want to make sure our local businesses benefit from the opportunities on offer’.

Local businesses attending have stated that they have greatly benefitted from the programme delivered by Belfast Met and how it has affected the growth of their business as Stauff Lisburn Manager, Martin Murray, stated –

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“Following our entry onto the programme we worked closely with the Generate team and developed a plan for our expansion into the renewables sector. What was very clear was that our own knowledge of the renewables sector was very limited but this is very quickly being addressed through the support provided by the programme.

“During the past two months we have been awarded a contract from a wind turbine maintenance company to replace parts in 400 Turbines across Ireland.

“We are also working with Belfast Met sector specialists on developing an innovative preventative maintenance programme for turbines utilising wireless technologies .”

If you feel your company has the potential to supplement the Renewable Industry Supply Chain and is based in the borough council areas of Lisburn, Belfast or Castlereagh, Generate wants to hear from you. To register your company apply online at: www.generateni.com/registration/