About us
We are the voice of the Sector
The Precision Tooling & Machining Association of Ireland (PTMA) is a member-driven network connecting Ireland’s precision engineering and manufacturing community. For over 25 years, we’ve supported companies, suppliers, and educators across the country—building skills, collaboration, and innovation in the sector.
Learning and Collaboration
Creating opportunities to connect, learn, and share best practices
Education & Training
Supporting skills development through workshops, apprenticeships, and school programmes
Industry Leadership
Advocating for excellence, safety, and continuous improvement across all members
Innovation & Growth
Helping members adopt new technologies and stay competitive in global markets.
Founded in 1996, the Precision Tooling & Machining Association of Ireland (PTMA) is the national network representing companies across precision engineering, machining, tooling, and advanced manufacturing.
PTMA exists to strengthen Ireland’s manufacturing sector by connecting industry, supporting skills development, and promoting innovation. Today, we represent 85+ dedicated members, including manufacturers, service providers, suppliers, and education partners.
We serve as a unifying platform for Ireland’s precision engineering ecosystem — creating visibility, promoting collaboration, and driving the growth of a futurefocused, competitive manufacturing community.
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OUR MISSION
To strengthen Ireland’s precision engineering sector by bringing together manufacturers, technology providers, education and government to support collaboration, innovation, skills development and sustainable industry growth.
Our mission is to:
• Support collaboration across Ireland’s precision engineering sector
• Champion innovation and advanced manufacturing
• Develop skills and future talent through education partnerships
• Create networking and business development opportunities
• Connect members with funding, research and industry support
• Promote the international competitiveness of Irish manufacturing
SUPPORTED BY ENTERPRISE IRELAND
PTMA is proud to be supported through the Enterprise Ireland Regional Enterprise Cluster Programme, helping strengthen collaboration, innovation and competitiveness across Ireland’s precision engineering sector.
That small addition addresses one of Ciarán’s key points and reinforces PTMA’s role as a funded cluster without needing a separate section on the page.
Collaborative Initiatives
Industry Professionals Reached
Expert Contributors
THE PEOPLE BEHIND PTMA
Meet Our Board & Leadership Team
Gerry Reynolds
Chairman
Gerry Reynolds is Chairman of PTMA and Founder of Takumi Precision Engineering. With more than 25 years of experience in precision engineering and advanced manufacturing, he is a recognised leader in Ireland’s engineering sector. Gerry is passionate about collaboration, skills development and innovation, working closely with industry, education and Enterprise Ireland to strengthen Ireland’s precision engineering community and support the continued growth of PTMA.
Charlie Coughlan
Founder
Charlie Coughlan founded PTMA in 1996 with a vision of creating a collaborative network for Ireland’s precision engineering sector. A respected manufacturing entrepreneur and founder of Precision Steel and Panalok Ltd, Charlie has dedicated his career to supporting engineering excellence, skills development and industry collaboration. His vision continues to guide PTMA’s mission of strengthening the sector through knowledge sharing and partnership.
Dick Whelan
Steering Committee Member
Dick Whelan is Managing Director of Almir Business Ltd and has more than 25 years of experience supporting engineering and manufacturing companies in quality management, operational excellence and Lean practices. His expertise spans the aerospace, medical device and precision engineering sectors, with particular knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100 and ISO 13485 quality management systems.
Michael Holton
Steering Committee Member
Michael Holton is Operations Director at Kent Stainless and brings more than 30 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing leadership. Throughout his career, he has worked across the medical device, pharmaceutical, aerospace and precision engineering sectors, specialising in operational excellence, Lean manufacturing, quality management and supply chain optimisation. As a PTMA Steering Committee member, Michael supports initiatives that strengthen collaboration, continuous improvement and the long-term competitiveness of Ireland’s precision engineering industry.
Leticia Bastos
Marketing Coordinator
Leticia Bastos leads PTMA’s marketing and communications, helping to strengthen the association’s visibility and engagement across Ireland’s precision engineering sector. She works closely with members and industry partners to promote PTMA’s activities, coordinate events, build strategic partnerships and support initiatives that create value for members through collaboration, education and networking.
Dr David Downey
Steering Committee Member
Dr David Downey is Industry Cluster, Education & Outreach Manager at IDEAM, where he supports the adoption of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 technologies across Irish manufacturing. Passionate about digital transformation, he works with SMEs to improve competitiveness, innovation and sustainability while strengthening collaboration between industry and education.
Chris Judge
Steering Committee Member
Chris Judge works closely with manufacturers to improve operational performance through process optimisation, automation and advanced precision engineering. With extensive experience supporting SMEs, he combines technical expertise with practical industry knowledge to help businesses increase productivity, improve quality and drive continuous improvement across manufacturing operations.
Ray Kehoe
Steering Committee Member
Ray Kehoe is a Production Engineer with more than 30 years of manufacturing experience. Specialising in CNC turning and milling, he has led the development of products from initial concept through to serial production and represents the Burnside network of companies and CNC subcontractors across the Carlow and Wexford region.
“PTMA was built on the belief that no company should navigate the challenges of manufacturing alone. Our association exists so that engineers, suppliers, and business leaders can support one another — openly, respectfully, and without fear of competition or exposure of sensitive information.
This network is not about knowing each other’s clients or internal operations. It’s about sharing experience, solving problems together, and strengthening the sector as a whole. PTMA is, above all, a community of trust — one where collaboration benefits everyone.”