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InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme has been shortlisted for Best Graduate Training and Development Programme at this year’s GradIreland Awards. Two of their FUSION graduates have also been shortlisted for the Graduate Employee of the Year award. The FUSION programme hopes to regain the title of Best Graduate Training and Development Programme having won the same award last year. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony which will take place on 13th April 2011 at the Mansion House, Dublin.

Eamonn McKnight, Moorings Mediquip

Eamonn McKnight joined Ballymena based Moorings Mediquip in 2009 to lead an innovation project through InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme after gaining a MEng in product design at Strathclyde University in Scotland. The aim of the project was to design, develop and bring to market a new walking aid device that will allow Moorings Mediquip to grow their market in the UK and Ireland and potentially address the wider European market.

Before Eamonn joined the company, Moorings was a reseller / distributor of products and had no previous experience with engineering, manufacture or in-house product design. Working alongside the academic partner on the FUSION project, Trinity College Dublin, Eamonn played a key role in developing and implementing these capabilities within the firm. In only 18 months Moorings Mediquip has moved from being purely a distributor of disability equipment to being a designer, manufacturer, distributor and exporter of their own equipment with Eamonn playing an instrumental role in making this vision a reality.

The FUSION project resulted in a very innovative walking aid device for children, known as the Buddy Roamer™, which helps children with cerebral palsy take their first and perhaps only steps. With Eamonn’s product in place, entirely new markets will be opened in Europe for Moorings Mediquip and possibly the rest of the world. Expected increases in sales in 2013 is forecast to reach £110,000

Moorings Mediquip were also nominated for this year’s Irish times InterTradeIreland Innovation Awards 2011. It has been a fantastic accomplishment to see Eamonn’s design work recognised at this level as he is only 24 years old.

Dwain Tarmey, VistaMed Ltd (Carrick-on-Shannon)

Dwain joined Carrick-on-Shannon based medical devices company VistaMed Ltd in February 2009 as a project engineer through InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme.  Dwain was employed by the company to design, develop, manufacture and bring to the world market - an orthopaedic device, using the company’s extensive knowledge and expertise in the manufacture of complex medical tubing and catheter shafts. 

Not only has Dwain contributed materially and measurably to business success, he has developed a product which benefits patients with osteoporosis and helps to improve their quality of life. The product which Dwain has developed is an inflatable balloon catheter which is applied through a relatively simple hospital procedure and once in place, the patient can leave hospital after 24 hours with significantly improved mobility and reduced pain which will ultimately improve their quality of life.

•The product has just been launched in the U.S and 52 other countries worldwide.
•The company has secured a new contract and recruited for 20 new positions to cope with demand.

VistaMed’s sales forecast for 2011 is an increase of 33% sales growth and this project is a major contribution to this, significantly exceeding the initial expectations within the company.

Find out more information about the FUSION programme.

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