Summary of ideas submitted in the Manufacturing category…

• Free up funding to allow SMEs to interact in a real way with Universities.
• Give Irish investors the same grants and support as foreign investors
• Government to subsidise company to close for a 3 day week rather than the company staying open and stockpiling goods that he can’t sell
• Impose a 10% levy on all personal income. Introduce a compensatory 10% Value Added Rebate on the supply of all goods and services. This would operate like a reverse VAT.
• Increase awareness of the energy wasted by companies and launch a campaign to stop wasting this energy
• Invent and manufacture wireless headphones with related MP3s.
• Launch a media campaign, funded by two of our largest banks, to promote Irish products and manufacturing.
• Let redundant people still collect the dole and invoice for repair work up to a certain threshold.
• Look after companies that are doing well and ask their top men for advice on how other companies can survive the recession.
• Make Ireland a centre for high end manufacturing for products such as solar panels etc.
• Manufacture electric cars for the domestic and export markets.
• Manufacture picture frames at the same price as cheaper imports.
• Manufacture wind generators for wind farms. Why import them from Sweden - why not learn from them and reinvent this country as a leader in this, and all reusable energy resources? We have the technology and the skills.
• Provide netbook computers to every child attending primary and secondary school utilising existing Dell factory/staff expertise in Limerick.
• Recycle hot water from heating systems by storing in hot water cylinders overnight and using same water for heat in the morning.
• Set up a bike manufacturing company to replace imported bikes and hopefully over time we will be able to export bikes.
• Set up a car engine manufacturing industry in this country.
• Set up scheme to channel the expertise of middle managers made redundant by MNCs into Irish SMEs.
• Small businesses need to work together as opposed to competing against each other.
• Soletraders to have limited liability.
• Start a website to assist a campaign to collect excess building materials.
• Strap that would keep wheelie bin closed if it blew over but opens when being emptied
• Turn waste and recycled glass into insulation in the form of foamed glass.
• Wind and wave energy and give it to big companies with large number of employees for free