NEWS Fanning the winds of change


RS, a trading brand of RS Group plc, is working with the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) to achieve its environmental, social and governance (ESG) ambitions in this crucial renewable energy sector.


The OWGP’s WEST programme is a business


transformation established and funded by the UK Government. It is part of ORE Catapult, the UK’s leading innovation centre for offshore renewable energy, and promotes closer collaboration across the supply chain. It has introduced various programmes that drive shared growth opportunities in this sector.


Offshore wind will play a substantial and


critical role in the generation of clean energy. It takes energy from the force of winds at sea and transforms it into electricity to supply to onshore


networks. Debbie Lentz, president, ESG Solutions at RS


Group, said: “Through our 2030 ESG Action Plan, we are committed to addressing environmental and social issues, which are critical to our future. We have big ambitions to significantly grow our presence in the offshore wind sector. “We are extending our actions to develop solutions for our customers. Our plan is to establish ourselves as the first-choice partner to operators and maintainers through a curated, high-quality product range, high-service distribution and new innovations to make it easier for our customers. “We recognise, in order to do that, we need to


gain further insight into the sector and by working with Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, we are confident this will progress us further.”


Irish manufacturing ekes out growth in Jan as confidence builds


Irish manufacturing activity eked out growth in January after two months of contraction, boosting confidence in the sector as cost pressures also eased markedly, a new survey claims. The AIB S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 50.1 from 48.7 in December. The November- December contraction was the first time the index slipped below the 50-line denoting expansion since May 2020. While new orders contracted for the eighth successive month in January, they did so at a much slower rate than at the end of last year as firms cleared outstanding workloads and stocks of finished goods recorded their second biggest increase in the survey’s history. “There were a number of quite positive


features in the January survey,” AIB’s chief economist Oliver Mangan said. “Employment expanded at a solid pace, while there was a shortening of suppliers deliver times, the first seen since October 2019 in a clear sign that pressures on supply chains have eased considerably.”


Ireland’s economy grew during the pandemic years due to multinational activity


Ireland’s economy powered ahead during the pandemic years as multinational activity grew, according to data from Eurostat. The statistics office found that Ireland recorded the highest increase in GDP, in the European Union compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. During this period, growth was particularly high in the south of Ireland where many tech, pharma and manufacturing multinationals including Apple and Pfizer are located. In 2021, compared with the 2019 pre-covid


figures, GDP volume levels climbed 28.4% in Southern Ireland, 15.4% in the East and Midland areas and just over 14% in the North and West.


6 February/March 2023 Irish Manufacturing GDP measures economic activity by


multinational companies including Microsoft, Google, and Intel, which operate substantial European facilities across the island of Ireland. In separate figures provided by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) last year, multinationals continued to boost the economy last year too, as GDP grew by around 3.5% in Q4 when compared with Q3. Last year, IDA Ireland said the country’s


multinational sector continued to grow jobs as well amid new economic headwinds, but momentum is expected to slow in the second half of 2023. Many of the new investments that are


expected in 2023 will come from multinationals and Irish-owned corporations in sectors including life sciences, food and beverages, manufacturing and pharma, and aviation.


www.irish-manufacturing.com


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