The team here at IWIN are delighted to tell you about one of our most successful programmes that we have developed for IWIN members. Our 'Learn Together Programme' is a Peer to Peer sharing and learning initiative.
The aim of the programme is to get people in similar roles sharing their business, methods, experiences, processes and stories with each other to gain further ideas and practical advice to take control of their own organisations. It is representative of what IWIN is all about - to help our members grow their businesses through collaboration.
So, how does it work?
- Small group of people from separate companies in similar roles and from similar size/type of organisations grouped together.
- Each member will host the group for a half day visit to their company to go through their own role and how they perform their role, sharing their experience, processes, methods and stories to the group.
- Each visit will include a presentation from host, factory tour focused on the particular role and networking opportunity over a meal.
- The group will go from business to business each month until all members have presented.
The benefits for participants are:
- Networking opportunity with people in similar roles, getting to discuss challenges and obligations of delivering results.
- Practical, proven advice from similarly motivated peers.
- Seeing first hand, at other business venues, how others perform their role and deliver results.
- Sharing of ideas between peers who have been successful in delivery of the role.
- Seeing potential improvements for your own business in place and working in other organisations.
- Widening contacts within your industry.
Please send us an email query to info@iwin.ie for more information about this programme and how it can benefit your business. The programme is free to IWIN members.
We were delighted to host over 20 companies for a factory tour, discussion on exporting with Gareth Sherry of IWIN , and for a presentation + meet and greet with John Kiely Limerick hurling manager. Congratulations to our team for putting this together. Thank you to all of our visitors and contributors. We look forward to further progression on export cluster discussions over the coming weeks and months. Carnehill Joinery Ltd , Carroll Joinery Ltd , Woodfit - Joinery and Acoustics , Truwood Ltd. , Topform Ltd , Timeless Sash Windows , Western Postform Limited , MFM Joinery , GEM Joinery , W.Howard Kildare , Mivan Ltd , Simon O'Keeffe Pembroke Alliance , Vision Creative Studios , Loughnanes Joinery , Canavan Joinery Services Ltd , Tretzo Aidan McKenna
What an amazing week we had in Chicago! Myself, Eoin Ryan from The Galtee Group , and Damian Woods from W.Howard 'The MDF Specialists' attended the North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) distributors’ event, with over 1,000 delegates present. I had the privilege to do a presentation on behalf of the Irish Wood & Interiors Network ( IWIN ), showcasing the expertise and capabilities of our member companies. I also shared our collaboration with Cieblink , who are launching a Product Information Management (PIM) software we are starting to implement in the network. It was a brilliant opportunity to connect with dozens of prospective buyers, build key relationships, and generate leads for future business. We were lucky to be hosted by industry experts Freya Hannah (Cieblink) and David Smith from The David Smith Group, who introduced us to many of the top buyers/distributors in the US and Canadian markets. The event was packed with key figures from the North American and Canadian building materials supply industry, particularly woodworking products and sheet materials—a perfect fit for our network. We also had some great experiences exploring Chicago, including seeing 9-time Grammy winner, Buddy Guy, perform live—an unforgettable night! We toured the city and had a productive meeting with David O'Flaherty of Enterprise Ireland USA , who shared that Chicago is home to 200,000 Irish diaspora, 25,000 of whom are in construction—highlighting the strong cultural ties and opportunities for Irish suppliers in this market. The US is open for business—with trade from China down, buyers are actively looking for alternatives. For Irish companies ready to supply, there’s a real chance to make an impact. It was a smashing week, and we’re excited for what’s ahead! Thank you to Frederic Pare and Freya Hannah for the invitation to the event, and to Michael Wilbur for hosting such an excellent gathering.
