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21 Oct 2025

Five hundred delegates in Limerick for business conference

Lean and Continuous Improvement event held at Technological University of the Shannon

Five hundred delegates in Limerick for business conference

Robert Hernan, chairperson, Lean Business Ireland with Jennifer Stratton, chairperson, Mid-West Lean Network and Shannon Chamber chief executive Helen Downes

NORTHERN Trust, Element Six, Aer Lingus, Irish Rail, Eli Lilly and Ei Electronics were all among the firms represented at a major conference in Limerick.

Five hundred business people from across Ireland were at the Technological University of the Shannon's Moylish campus as business group Lean Business Ireland (LBI) held its annual gathering.

It was organised in conjunction with Shannon Chamber's Mid-West Lean Business Network.

READ MORE: Hundreds of jobs lost in Limerick as health firm confirms exit from Irish market

Lean refers to a business strategy focused on minimising waste and maximising value creation for customers, often through continuous improvement and efficiency gains.

Notable speakers included Andrew Steele and Adam Davies from Airbus Aircraft, who shared insights on developing people, leadership, and culture within their organisation.

Taking attendees on a journey through Airbus’ manufacturing processes, they cited people engagement as the main challenge in developing a lean culture within an organisation but said that, once a culture of growth is established, lean will add value and eliminate waste.

Pre-conference events on 20 May offered attendees benchmarking tours at Advanced Technical Concepts and Takumi Precision Engineering Limited in Raheen, plus an AI Masterclass at the University of Limerick.

The conference also included an exhibition hall where companies offering solutions for Lean implementation interacted with attendees.

LBI chairperson Robert Hernan, senior lean advisor with Enterprise Ireland said: “What a fabulous event showcasing excellence in the Mid-West and throughout the island of Ireland. Lean is a critical driver in helping get the best from your people and business, to help your business be more productive, competitive and create more jobs in our communities. As was evident in Limerick, when we support each other, as a team, as a Lean community, we can achieve great things."

Shannon Chamber chief executive Helen Downes was overwhelmed with the level of attendance at the conference.

"While we have attended Lean Business Ireland conferences in the past, we were proud, this year, to partner with Lean Business Ireland in delivering the 2025 conference. It was an easy decision to be involved as LBI’s mission aligns so closely with ours: to foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and competitiveness across Irish industry.

“We’ve witnessed the benefits of collaboration through our Mid-West Lean Network which began as a regional initiative in 2016 but has grown into a vibrant, cross-sector community of over 120 companies, all committed to driving improvement and innovation.

Founded 10 years ago, Lean is a voluntary group and comprisaes businesses, government agencies, academic and representative bodies.

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