KIGNET – a chamber system for supporting the competitiveness of Polish companies
KIGNET is a project within which new high – quality services are established for small and medium-size Polish companies. System operations are based on institutions of entrepreneurship support – mainly chambers of commerce.
Services which are offered to enterprises are elaborated by institutions belonging to the KIGNET network, associated in essential and functional divisions in the following fields:
1. Essential divisions
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The Single European Market
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Foreign Market
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Brand
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Human Resources
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E-Business
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Entrepreneurship
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Marketing
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Lex
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Finances
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Innovations
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Quality
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Municipal Services
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Career Development for Women
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Environment Protection
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Business Partner
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Lobbying
2. Functional divisions
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Info
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Consulting
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Training
ECONWELD – Economically welding in a healthy way
The metalworking sector (turnover 970 billion Euro per year) represents 8% of the total EU business. Welding is the most important joining technique in this sector; there are about 730,000 full time and 5.5 million welding related jobs in Europe.
Welding has also a great impact on health for it is physically high demanding leading to a high percentage of sick leave (yearly about 160 working hours per welder). These high sick leave costs are extremely threatening the financial position of SMEs, endangering their competitiveness. Aiming at addressing these topics of global interest to the welding communities an EU project ECONWELD was developed. This project intends to stop the downward spiral in which welding is at the moment, by:
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Reducing welding costs and improving welding production for European SMEs by coming up with solutions and guidelines for (flexible) mechanization of welding, including modular fixture and clamping design.
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Making welding a healthier and more attractive profession by reducing the amount of welding fumes and by lighten the welding activities; by developing new solutions to improve the work conditions (ergonomics and work flow).
The results obtained in ECONWELD are expected to increase competitiveness of SMEs in Europe and to contribute for improvement of the image of the welding related professions.
In the past the RIPH in Gliwice was involved in:
FoodMAC – Multi-Actor Cooperation Network in the Agrofood Sector
FoodMAC was a pan European network of resources, expertise and problem solving targeted to SMEs in the agro-food sector (including up- and down-stream actors).
The food-MAC Network was originally supported by the European Commission. The Leonardo da Vinci Programme had selected a core team of the MAC-Team group to set up a thematic network of European Enterprises, Universities, Professional bodies, National Organizations & Consumers on the agro-food sector.
MAC stood for Multi Actors Cooperation and included as well: SMEs, bigger companies, individuals, universities, training centres, research centres, professional bodies, public and social development representatives, trade-unions, relay centres.
FoodMAC's mission was:
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Fostering a pro-active cooperative trans-national network "from the stable to the table",
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Creating a sustainable Multi-Actor Cooperation (MAC) of different interest groups
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Giving equal access to information and cross dissemination to all sized companies,
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Providing preferences and requirements of consumers
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And identifying training needs as well as anticipation of future trends of the post-modern economy.
ECCE@KEO European Chambers Campaigning Europe (An Initiative of Kammerunion Elbe Oder (KEO)
The overall task of the project was a comprehensive and powerful information and communication campaign targeted to citizens in business life in order to promote former and future enlargement of the European Union. Specifically adapted to the needs of the target group (Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)) and building up on existing and well functioning network of Chambers ECCE@KEO helped citizens to understand the impact of enlargement on their specific business sectors.
These was:
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Employment
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Mobility and Transport
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Public Procurement
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Environment
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SMEs and their access to finance
Partners:
The realisation of the project was guaranteed by the network of 13 partners with the leading Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who had taken the initiative. The applicant was hosted the General Secretariat of KEO – Kammerunion Elbe Oder, a particularly active network of 30 Chambers in three Member States (Czech Republic, Poland, Germany) along the borders of the rivers Elbe and Oder which was founded in 2000.
The project was focussed on an information and communication campaign with 5 elements:
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Working groups on the above mentioned target sectors elaborate training information documentation and design realise a series of tree conferences per issue equal 15 conferences in total.
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An internet-based information tool (portal) was set up and gradually adjusted (with up-to-date information.
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A project flyer (30.000 copies) was generally informing about the European Community project ECCE@KEO and its activities.
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Print and digital media was addressed directly and regularly in order to inform about the achievements and benefits of the enlargement of the European Union.
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The Final Conference summarised the results of the project and concentrate on the sustainability of the measures.
