NorthWestNow News

SITA announce 80 new jobs for Letterkenny

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan TD today (Monday 28 September 2009) welcomed the announcement by ;SITA, ;a software company in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, of its recruitment of a further ;80 jobs; over the next 12 months. It will bring employment to 150 people and follows the expansion of operations and a move into new premises in order to meet the growth in demand for its products and services. The Tanaiste was in Letterkenny to perform the official opening of the new premises at the Windy Hall Office Park. This recruitment is the fulfilment of SITAs project as announced in 2005, which is supported by Government through IDA Ireland.

SITA is actively recruiting and will attend the GradIreland Graduate Careers Fair, in Dublin on October 21^st. More information on its operations and the employment opportunities on offer are available at www.sita.aero/careers.

SITA is the worlds leading specialist in air transport communications and IT solutions. SITAs operation in Letterkenny was established following its acquisition in 2003 of Eland Technologies, an Irish software company.

An Tanaiste said the expansion into the new facility, the growth of operations and the commencement of further recruitment is excellent news as it further embeds the facility in Letterkenny and offers additional high value employment to the people of the area. It is also a further significant endorsement of Letterkenny and the whole North-West as a location where international investments can develop and thrive and it demonstrates SITAs confidence in the areas ability to support its knowledge-intensive and highly-skilled activities.

SITA is owned by the air transport industry and its partners, which include airlines, airports and air transport organisations throughout the world. Its services and solutions are provided for every stage of a journey, from reservation web bookings and ticketing through check-in, border management and baggage tracking, to departure, flight operations and in-flight communications.

Francesco Violante, CEO, SITA,; ;said: SITAs development team in Letterkeny has consistently delivered work of a very high standard. When deciding on software development locations we are spoiled for choice but the high performance of our Irish staff and the support and cooperation of the IDA have convinced us to expand our Letterkenny facility and to bring other IT development work to the site that might have been done elsewhere.

SITA is unique as the only global IT provider still owned by the industry it serves. Our solutions and services are vital to the well-being of the air transport system worldwide from flight operations to baggage management. The benefits of the work carried out in Letterkenny are felt far and wide in our industry. The quality of the work done here in Letterkenny is outstanding and we are delighted at the opportunity to fill these new positions and cement our ties with the local community.

;Note for Editor;

About SITA

SITA is the worlds leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions. SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the worlds most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry. SITAs portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. With a customer service team of over 1,600 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services. SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the worlds only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management. SITA is one of the worlds most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In 2009, the company celebrates 60 years in business. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.47 billion (Euro1.13 billion) in 2008. For further information go to www.sita.aero

;About SITA in Ireland;

;;SITAs Letterkenny operation was established following SITAs purchase of Eland Technologies, an Irish software company, in August 2003. It has been integrated into SITAs Application Services business unit and the Letterkenny team is responsible for software development of products and services in the areas of border management, e-commerce, airport management systems and integration. At Dublin Airport, SITA is the Systems Integrator for the specialist IT and communications systems for the airports new Euro395 million Terminal Two. Other SITA operations in Ireland include, Aviareto, which is based in Dublin and is a joint venture between SITA and the Irish Government. It is contracted by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) to establish and operate the International Registry of mobile assets as required by the Cape Town Treaty 2001. OnAir, a subsidiary of SITA, is the company that provides inflight mobile usage to Ryanairs passengers since March of this year. Further information can be found at www.sita.aero; ;;For further information please contact ;;SITA ;

;;

;SITA ;Denis McClean, Director, Public RelationsTel: +41-22-747-6824Mobile: +41-79-2173357Email: Denis.McClean@sita.aero; ;

; ;;SITA;

Brenda Flinter, PR Manager

Mobile: +353 87 750 6229Email: Brenda.Flinter@sita.aero; ;

; ;;Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment ;Press Office, Tel: 01- 6312200

Roisin McCann, Mob: 0872594144

; ;;IDA Ireland ;Antoinette Tyrrell, Press & PR, Mob: 087 7572053

ENDS.

Letterkenny Institute of Technology CoLab Centre opens

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

An Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, TD, declared the CoLab centre at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) officially open today (21 September 2009). CoLab (formerly BDC) provides modern office space, business mentoring, access to specialist equipment and research teams for tenant companies. There are currently 12 start-up businesses that are already located at the centre which employ a total of 28 people. Unveiling the commemorative plaque in CoLab the Tanaiste said: CoLab is a superb asset to the local economy in Donegal and the North West region. I am delighted to see that the CoLab tenants are already developing innovative products and services including computer games, flight navigation, currency trading, medical devices, digital publishing, web applications and direct marketing solutions. She continued: Just like the other 20 incubation centres in Ireland which between them house 230 companies and employ over 1,000 people, we look forward to seeing these technology-intensive firms grow and graduate out of the incubation centre and into the local economy, to provide well paid employment for the people of the North West region. The Tanaiste finished by stating that, Ireland has to be an innovation island, we must find ways to be faster, better, quicker to deliver to customers and markets. Paul Hannigan, President of LYIT thanked the Tanaiste for opening CoLab and emphasised that the centre will provide a home, and support, to knowledge-based companies so they can grow in a supportive innovative learning environment and provide a hub where local businesses can come together to draw on each others resources and the educational resources of LYIT. He said, That innovation isnt an alien concept to LYIT, weve been working behind the scenes to create links between industry, research and staff, for some time. CoLab is the culmination of this. Of the 12 companies in CoLab, 11 have developed high-tech software and web technology services. Entrepreneur Gerry Burke from Letterkenny is CEO of the twelfth company - Synergy Flow - and is in the process of establishing this medical devices company in Letterkenny with support through the Enterprise Ireland business partners programme.

Mr Burke said, CoLab has been a great help at this very early stage in my company formation by providing a first class modern facility with access to entrepreneurially-orientated professionals in CoLab itself, LYIT and the wider community. Aernav, another of the CoLab companies, is developing an electronic flight bag for pilots, a lightweight hand held device that will replace the cumbersome suitcase of flight manuals, maps and navigational material that pilots currently have to carry from flight to flight. The company plans to launch its product to the US and European markets in 2010. Frank Ryan, Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland, said: Supporting regional enterprise is one of Enterprise Irelands key priorities, now more than ever before. CoLab, as one of Enterprise Irelands campus incubators is one of our main instruments for supporting entrepreneurs to start up new companies and create high-value jobs. According to a recent independent evaluation of Enterprise Irelands Campus Incubation Programme, 91% of tenants in incubators intend to remain in their region after moving on from the centre which is good news for Donegal. After all, incubation is more than a building, its a dynamic process. CoLab brings to 21 the number of campus incubation centres funded by the Tanaistes Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. This integrated research and incubation facility received Euro2.5 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland and a further Euro1 million from the Department of Education and Science. It expands on the existing footprint of the Institutes existing Business Development Centre (BDC) enterprise facility. The CoLab incubation facility was co-funded by the Irish Government and the EU under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, and the European Union Regional Development Fund respectively.

ENDS

Hibernia Atlantic completes Phase One of its Project Kelvin Transatlantic Fibre Optic Cable Build as submarine cable comes ashore

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

SUMMIT, NJ & DUBLIN, IRELAND- JUNE 22, 2009- Hibernia Atlantic, the only diverse transAtlantic submarine transport cable provider, is proud to announce the completion of phase one of the Project Kelvin cable deployment, directly connecting Northern Ireland to North America.

As part of the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Investment (DETI) for Northern Ireland and the Irish Department of Communications and Natural Resources (DCENR) the Project Kelvin initiative and Hibernia Atlantic have brought its industry leading, fibre optic submarine cable ashore at Portrush, Northern Ireland this week. This cable will connect with Hibernia Atlantics terrestrial fibre optic ring currently being deployed to 13 towns and cities, including Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Coleraine, Londonderry, Omagh, Portadown,
Strabane, Letterkenny, Castleblayney, Dundalk, Drogheda and Monaghan.

By autumn, and well in advance of the projected timetable, the cable system will connect to Hibernia Atlantics existing secure and diverse transAtlantic cable, thereby directly connecting Northern Ireland and the Island of Ireland to North America and Europe.

This Project Kelvin cable build will add additional and much needed capacity to this region to further support both local and global commerce. Local companies are attracted to the high capacity, extremely secure and reliable network. Businesses can now increase their communications and next-generation Internet service offerings (such as streaming video and video conferencing), as well as increase their access to a larger marketplace of available service providers.

The new network is also attractive to global companies, such as leading financial houses, exchange markets, service providers and media companies, who require fast, low latency bandwidth that avoids traditionally congested routes, such as around the New York and London waterways.

Welcoming this weekends operation to bring the new transAtlantic submarine telecommunications cable ashore, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said "this is a historic milestone for both Northern Ireland and for Project Kelvin. The new cable will connect Northern Ireland, for the first time, directly to North America and greatly improve connectivity with Europe. When combined with the new terrestrial telecommunications
infrastructure, currently under construction across Northern Ireland, it will put us at the heart of the global economy."

The Minister encouraged local companies to take advantage of the new, international cables benefits and opportunities.

She continued, "Northern Ireland companies will have access to the same international telecommunications services as found in major cities including London, Amsterdam and New York. We are now firmly on the world telecoms map and I urge Northern Ireland companies to exploit the opportunities this will bring.

"This flagship project is one of a number of actions being taken under the Programme for Government to capitalise on Northern Irelands world-class telecommunications infrastructure.

"In these difficult economic times, telecommunications has an important role to play both in helping our companies continue to compete, and in providing access to new and emerging markets, in preparation for the upturn in the world economy."

Eamon Ryan, Irelands Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources also welcomed the arrival of the cable.

He said "the nature of communications is developing at apace and we must be part of this. Today Ireland links international communications networks. This will facilitate fast, lowcost and state-of-the-art communications which will allow us to connect and compete internationally. It will help to secure our future economic successes, attract inward investment and create new jobs.

"Ireland is now well established on the world telecoms map and is quickly advancing in terms of ICT, digital and data-intensive industries.

"Project Kelvin will allow us to take advantage of our westerly European location, to connect quickly and more easily with our North American and European counterparts. It is good news for local, as well as the wider economy."

Derek Bullock, Vice President of Network Operations for Hibernia Atlantic stated "the direct, submarine connection between North America and Northern Ireland also guarantees secondary and back-up support, making it a very attractive offering to companies both locally and overseas, who require reliable back-up systems to ensure their critical communications systems are up and running 100% of the time.

"The Project Kelvin initiative will provide further local and global commerce opportunities to Northern Ireland and the Island of Ireland," continues Fergus Innes, Vice President of Sales in Europe of Hibernia Atlantic. "The cable running ashore at Portrush is an exciting benchmark and a further indicator that the Hibernia team and the government are working diligently to deliver real benefits for local and international companies seeking bandwidth and security."

For a map of the Project Kelvin cable build, please visit http://www.hiberniaatlantic.com/images/NIrelandMaps5-09_000.jpg.

To view the newly-installed billboard announcing the Project Kelvin cable build, please visit
http://www.hiberniaatlantic.com/images/ProjectKelvinBilboard.jpg.

For more information on Hibernia Atlantic, please visit www.hiberniaatlantic.com.

;About Hibernia Atlantic:
;Hibernia Atlantic is the largest, privately held, diverse transAtlantic submarine cable transport provider. Hibernia is a US, wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Ventures Corporation (CVC). It is a transAtlantic submarine cable and terrestrial cable network that offers over (70) redundant network Points of Presence (PoPs) throughout Canada, US, UK and mainland Europe on over 24,000 kilometers of network. Hibernia provides secure and diverse dedicated Ethernet and optical-level service up to GigE, 10G and LanPhy
wavelengths and traditional Sonet/SDH services. In addition, Hibernia offers wholesale capacity prices, unparalleled support, flexibility and service. For more information on Hibernia Atlantics cutting-edge network please visit www.hiberniaatlantic.com.

For Hibernia Atlantic business inquiries, please contact Melissa Butler at 908-988-1990 or
melissa.butler@hiberniaatlantic.com.

To view Hibernias corporate overview video, please click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0xVMLEfFrk&eurl=

For Hibernia Atlantic media inquiries, please contact Jaymie Scotto & Associates at
pr@jaymiescotto.com or Jackie Logan at jackie@carltonbaxter.com.

;About Project Kelvin:;
This project is part financed by the European Unions European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVA Cross-border Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

IDA Ireland and Invest NI launch NorthWestNow promotional programme

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

IDA Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland today, (Tuesday February 10th 2009) launched the NorthWestNow promotional programme aimed at enhancing the promotion of the North West Business Technology Zone (NWBTZ) and the wider North West Region.

The NorthWestNow promotional programme was launched by Denis Molumby, Executive Director, Corporate and Business Development, IDA Ireland and Ian Murphy, Invest NI Managing Director of Clients and Entrepreneurship, at an event hosted in Derry.

The promotional programme includes a new website http://www.northwestnow.eu and brochure which will be distributed worldwide through the IDA Ireland and Invest NI networks.

The NWBTZ project has created a focused partnership between central and local government, business and academia known as the Wider Stakeholders Committee. This Committee includes senior personnel from the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the CEOs of Derry City and Donegal County Council, the University of Ulster & North West Regional College in Derry and Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Pramerica Ireland, local Chambers of Commerce, a director of InterTrade Ireland and the former Chairman of Invest NI.

Commenting on the project Denis Molumby said, IDA Ireland and Invest NI have collaborated on the NWBTZ project for a number of years with the aim of building a solid platform from which to increase investment to the North West Business Technology Zone and the greater North West Region.

The joint initiative between the two enterprise agencies, IDA and Invest NI, is characteristic of what can achieved by working together and today we are seeing the result of this work with the launch of the NorthWestNow promotional programme, as a result of which the North West Region will be promoted as a location for investment on a global scale.

Mr Murphy said: "The NWBTZ, substantially funded by the EU Interreg programme, is an extremely significant cross border initiative on which Invest NI and IDA Ireland have been working in active and real partnership since 2003. It has resulted in an ideal infrastructure especially for technology-led business investment.

"Against the current economic background of job losses and closures in the North West, it is important that we are all working to a common goal. This means striving to sustain the businesses we have and doubling our efforts to secure new investment that will deliver a diverse and balanced economy for the future.

"The promotion of the NWBTZ to potential investors is an integral part of the overall project and will be an important tool for both agencies in helping attract future investment to the North West," he added.

Referring to the Inter - Governmental North West Gateway Initiative (NWGI) Mr Denis Molumby Executive Director IDA Ireland said, The range of infrastructural developments currently underway or planned under this initiative would further strengthen the North West Business and Technology Zone and compliment the work successfully completed to date.

He specifically highlighted the highly imaginative ILEX regeneration project currently underway in Derry City and the trans Atlantic Kelvin Communications project - only the second project of its kind on the Island of Ireland, offering a direct link to North America.

Mr. Molumby said, The Kelvin project will provide high speed bandwidth at substantially reduced prices and will remove a significant impediment for inward investment particularly those with an intensive Telco requirements.

Combining the Kelvin project with the planned motorway links between Letterkenny/Derry and Dublin and Belfast will remove the perception of the North West as a remote location and position the entire North West as a smart economy of the future, maintained Mr Molumby

The NWBTZ includes:

High spec property solutions in both Derry and Letterkenny,
Improved cross border broadband telecoms and IT linkages
Education and Training programmes designed to meet the skills needs of existing and potential ICT and financial services investors.

The Interreg IIIA programme provided Euro10 million on a 60:40 split between North and South. This funding levered additional money from the public and private sectors resulting in a total investment of over 30m/Euro35.

Specific projects within NWBTZ already supported include:-

The North West Business Complex and Entrepreneurial Hub - 53,000 sq ft of high spec flexible workspace at Skeoge Enterprise Park.

Timber Quay - a 10 million speculative building project in the City which provides 57,000 sq ft of open plan flexible workspace and is now the site for the Fujitsu Services FDI project which will provide over 300 high- quality, IT jobs in the City.

C-TRIC (formerly ABC) at Altnagelvin Hospital - a 2 million facility providing 9400 sq ft of research laboratories and business workspace provision.

North West Labour Market Initiative - to meet the skills needs of existing and potential ICT and financial services investors and incorporating an MSc in Computing for Financial Services at the University of Ulster and training/courses in software engineering and ICT at North West Regional College.

The IDA Ireland Letterkenny Business and Technology Park - comprising three fully serviced parks, landscaped to a high standard, with a total of c.100 acres is linked by the Letterkenny Outer Relief Road and the Metropolitan Area Network. The Park currently has two office and two advanced technology buildings, provided by the private sector, available for new inward investment as well as a range of medium to large serviced sites. Expansions by existing IDA Ireland clients notably United Health Group and Pramerica Systems Ireland combined with new start up projects notably ZEUS Industrial Products has resulted in c. 600 new jobs being created on the Park since 2003.

For information:

;IDA IRELAND:; Trevor Holmes, Head of Communications, 01-6034023/ 0872425560

€30 million Project Kelvin will bring cheaper and faster broadband

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Communications Minister Eamon Ryan today announced the awarding of a Euro30 million contract to construct a new direct telecommunications link to North America.

Project Kelvin is a cross-border venture in partnership with the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and co-financed by Interreg funding from the European Union. Following a competitive tendering process, the international communications contract has been awarded to Hibernia Atlantic Ltd.

The project will involve the construction of an optic fibre submarine telecommunications cable which will be brought ashore in Co. Derry. Further links will ensure Letterkenny and Monaghan as well as Castleblayney, Drogheda and Dundalk have direct international connectivity. Communications between Ireland and North America will be routed directly without having to use external networks e.g. through London. Amongst the benefits will be faster response times at lower cost for high capacity broadband.

Commenting on the project, Minister Eamon Ryan said, ";Our economic fortunes will depend on our ability to connect and to compete internationally.;

;Project Kelvin will provide faster broadband at lower costs. This alone will assist Ireland and Northern Ireland in attracting foreign investment. ;

;This project will complement our outward connections already in place making our international telecoms infrastructure more resilient. Information will be swiftly, cheaply and reliably transferred. ;

;For the areas directly involved, the benefits will be manifold. With international connectivity, Letterkenny, Monaghan and their surrounding areas will be attractive bases for businesses. Companies can set up in this region confident that they can operate successfully in the global market.;

;Prices for connection will be benchmarked against other international telecoms hubs, such as Amsterdam and London. Project Kelvin will make Ireland, and particularly the North-West and Monaghan areas, a cost-effective base for international business;. "

Minister Ryan announces telecoms connectivity project to connect Ireland US and Europe

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage; ;

;Project Kelvin, in partnership with Northern Ireland, will further enhance Irelands growth as a competitive, digital economy. ;

Dublin, 21st July 2008

Communications Minister Eamon Ryan, T.D., today announced that his Department, in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Northern Ireland, has finalised the tender for Project Kelvin which will procure direct international telecommunications connectivity to the North West of the island of Ireland. With an estimated cost of Euro30 million in Interreg Cross Border funding, the project will provide international connectivity between the island of Ireland and North America, as well as between mainland Europe and the North West of Ireland.

As part of the project , it is proposed that a telehouse facility will be constructed in Derry, directly linking to the areas of Letterkenny and Monaghan, which will in turn provide overall national connectivity to the facility.

Minister Ryan, announcing the Project, stated: I am delighted that this procurement process is about to commence. We must enhance Irelands position in the global digital economy and this project will be necessary to guarantee our competitiveness. In 2025, 70% of Irelands exports will consist of digitally traded services.

It is crucial that we act now to ensure we have the interconnectivity to allow us take advantage of the opportunities that are emerging. Enhancing our international connectivity is one of the elements of the recently announced Next Generation Broadband paper.

Irish industry is already internationally renowned, but this Project will allow our companies to advance and to be real players an international stage. Project Kelvin will not only encourage investment in our economy, but it will also strengthen our international position.

Notes for Editors:
The recently published consultation paper on Next Generation Broadband contained the following ten Government commitments:

Government will target capital investment of Euro435m to address the digital divide
Universal broadband coverage in Ireland by late 2009 / early 2010
100 Mbits per second broadband connectivity to be introduced to secondary schools on a phased basis
Future investment will be determined in accordance with value for money review of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
Ensure Irelands continued high level of international connectivity
Major public infrastructure projects will have to install ducting at the construction phase. Government will establish a one stop shop to provide service providers with flexible and open access to existing and future ducting infrastructure
New premises will be required to install open access fibre connections where practicable
Maintenance of the regulatory framework necessary for fair and transparent competition across a range of platforms. Allocation of spectrum to encourage trialling and development of flexible new mobile technologies
Use of Government purchasing power in order to stimulate demand, create economies of scale and better public services
Establishment of a specialised research programme to monitor developments

DETI and DCENR are the joint partners for Project Kelvin and DETI will oversee the project on behalf of both Departments. The project aims to increase competition in the telecommunications market in the North-South Cross Border INTERREG area and reduce the cost of telecommunications between North American and European telecommunications hubs and the North West. Project Kelvin will increase the resilience of the telecommunication networks in the INTERREG region and the island of Ireland and will reduce communications latency on telecommunications between the North West of Ireland, North America and Mainland Europe The project will be implemented over the years 2009-2011 and is being procured by the Open Procedure in compliance with EU Directives. A Contract Notice inviting Tenders for the present competition for the Provision of International Telecommunications Services (Project Kelvin) has been dispatched to the Official Journal of the European Union.

DETI and the DCENR are supported in this work by a grant from the EU INTERREG IVA Programme for Ireland, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland 2007-2013.

£120 Million Investment Will Make Seagate's Derry Plant Global Technology Leader

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

July 3, 2008-Seagate Technology (NYSE:STX) has announced a 120 million investment in its Springtown, Londonderry, plant, which will make it the global technology leader in the production of read-write heads for hard disc drives. The investment, which is expected to be completed in 2010, will go into new equipment, research and development, infrastructure and IT systems that will enable the factory to retain its position as the lowest cost and biggest producer of read-write heads in the world.

This investment will allow our Springtown factory to remain at the forefront of the technology and efficiency battle that is waged in the disc drive industry, explained John Spangler, vice president at Springtown. This will allow our Springtown facility to continue supporting Seagates market-leading position in the ever-expanding hard disc drive market. Springtown is already one of the leading producers of read-write heads in the world and is the primary supplier of heads for Seagate; this is a position that will be enhanced by this new investment.

The success of this factory since it started production in 1994 and the continued success we see for it into the future are evidence of Northern Irelands capacity to compete in the global marketplace. Northern Ireland has all of the right ingredients, including a business-friendly environment, a wealth of talent from a well educated, flexible and committed workforce, and an understanding of the importance of the knowledge-based sector for future economic development, said Mr Spangler. These are messages I was happy to bring to the US-NI Investment Conference held in Belfast in May.

Seagate is the worlds largest manufacturer of hard disc drives and recently passed the milestone of being the first company to have shipped one billion disc drives. It took Seagate 29 years to ship its first billion drives but we expect to ship our second billion within the next five years, said Mr Spangler. There is a massive amount of digital content being created in the home, in the office and in many other markets today and most of this content is stored on hard drives. This proliferation of digital content will continue to fuel hard drive demand into the future.

Last year the hard disc drive industry shipped over 500 million units compared to 1990 when less than 30 million were shipped. Seagate alone shipped just over 175 million drives.

Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of hard disc drives and storage solutions, providing products for a wide-range of applications, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, and Consumer Solutions. Seagates business model leverages technology leadership and world-class manufacturing to deliver industry-leading innovation and quality to its global customers, with the goal of being the time-to-market leader in all markets in which it participates. The company is committed to providing award-winning products, customer support and reliability to meet the worlds growing demand for information storage. Seagate can be found around the globe and at http://www.seagate.com. Seagate, Seagate Technology and the Wave logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Fujitsu's £8.8 million investment will create 150 new jobs

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Economy Minister, Nigel Dodds today announced an 8.8million investment by Fujitsu Services, creating 150 jobs, in Belfast and Londonderry.

Of the 150 jobs created 120 of the jobs will be located in Londonderry with the remaining 30 located in Belfast. This investment is Fujitsu Services third in the past 18 months, bringing their total employment locally to over 900.

Announcing the investment the Minister said: Im pleased that a global brand of Fujitsus standing has decided to reinvest further in Northern Ireland. The company considered several locations for this new centre of excellence but chose Northern Ireland because of the positive impact their existing operation here has on the companys global competitiveness.

They have attributed their success to our advanced telecommunications infrastructure, the highly qualified workforce, cost competitive location and the support offered by Invest NI.

The Minister continued: Northern Ireland has developed a reputation as an excellent location for inward investors looking to expand into Europe. As a result of this reputation we have attracted a string of blue-chip companies in recent years. The success of the recent US-NI Investment Conference highlights the genuine interest overseas investors have in taking advantage of the business opportunities on offer in Northern Ireland.

Fujitsu is one of the worlds largest independent providers of the Oracle eBusiness Suite services and has been experiencing rapid growth.

With over 2.2million of support from Invest Northern Ireland, the company will establish an Applications Services Centre of Excellence for the company, reinforcing its Northern Ireland operation as a key component of its European network. The company has a strong focus on staff development and Invest NIs support for the project includes an element of support for training.

The Minister concluded: This investment, which will contribute 4million per annum in salaries to the economy, is a major boost for the north-west in particular as 120 of the jobs will be based at Fujitsus Londonderry operation at Timber Quay.

Mike Crow, head of application services (Northern Ireland), Fujitsu Services, said: This investment reflects Fujitsus confidence in its Northern Ireland operations and in the regions ability to deliver the skills and the work ethic that has made our experience here so positive.

This new centre of excellence will play an important role in rolling out our strategy of developing innovative delivery channels based on a global delivery model.

Pramerica Systems Ireland Further Expands in Letterkenny

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan TD today (Friday 27th April 2007) announced that ;Pramerica Systems Ireland Ltd;. will expand its services centre in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. The expansion, supported by IDA Ireland, is expected to create 70 software development and testing, operations, call centre and financial services specialists new positions with added capacity to recruit an additional 80 personnel.

Pramerica Systems Ireland is a software development and customer services subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI). Established in Letterkenny in 2000, the company employs 550 people who provide cost-effective, skilled and knowledgeable software development and operations services. With the expansion, Pramerica will continue to deliver high quality, IT project management, business and systems analysis, software development & quality assurance testing, call centre and transaction processing services to all of Prudentials business groups.

Minister Coughlan making the announcement said This investment is excellent news for Letterkenny and the whole North-West region. We are delighted to see Pramerica thriving in Donegal. It has continued to develop and expand its business since it arrived here in 2000. Todays announcement further demonstrates that the North West Region is an ideal location for high-end financial services support operations.

Henry McGarvey, Managing Director at Pramerica added The decision to expand our business activities in Letterkenny was based on the high level of our performance since our launch in 2000. And that success is due to the high calibre of our employees skill-sets. We have been extremely pleased with the talent, competence and professionalism of the people we employ in Letterkenny and the pool of prospective employees that exists in the North-West.

Speaking at the press conference today, Mr McGarvey said that Pramerica has received outstanding support from FAS in Letterkenny, and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology, the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education and Magee University in Derry. These institutions have taught its students the skills that Pramerica requires now and will need in the future. Their role has been critical to our success, said McGarvey.

John Fox, vice president, Information Systems at PFI, said Pramerica has helped our business partners across PFI meet their business objectives. The capabilities and commitment of our staff in Ireland, in tandem with the support that we receive from the IDA, the educational institutions and FAS, were all key factors in our decision to expand the Pramerica facility. We look forward to continued success in Ireland working with our partners in the North-West. We are proud to be a member of the Donegal community.

Notes to Editors
Pramerica Financial is a tradename used by Prudential Financial, Inc., a company incorporated and with its principal place of business in the United States, and its affiliates in select countries outside the United States. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $616 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2006, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Leveraging its heritage of life insurance and asset management expertise, Prudential Financial is focused on helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth. The companys well-known Rock symbol is an icon of strength, stability, expertise and innovation that has stood the test of time. Prudential Financials businesses offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, asset management, and real estate services. For more information, please visit www.prudential.com or www.pramerica.ie. Prudential Financial is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.

Contacts:

Pramerica Systems Ireland, Karen Oliver Howell, +1 973 802-8533 karen.howell@prudential.com

Department of Agricultur and Food Michael Shovlin Tel: 086 835 1935 michael.shovlin@agricultur.gov.ie

IDA Ireland - Ruth Croke, Press & PR Manager. Tel: 087 4195051 ruth.croke@ida.ie

North-West Business and Technology Zone - further progress in its development

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan T.D., representing the Irish Government, today (Monday 13th November 2006) attended the official opening of Invest Northern Irelands new Timber Quay Office Development in Derry City, which is an integral part of the North-West Business & Technology Zone.

The North-West Business & Technology Zone incorporates business parks in Letterkenny and Derry City and is a joint development between IDA Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland, working together to market the area for inward investment.

The Zone was approved funding in 2004 of Euro10 million under the EU Interreg IIIA Programme for Ireland and Northern Ireland (2000 2006). Its concept of continued economic development between Letterkenny and Derry City is consistent with the National and Regional Strategies of both Governments.

Minister Coughlan said The rationale of the North-West Business & Technology Zone is the creation of a business zone with sufficient critical mass to allow the North-West Cross Border region to compete, more favourably, for inward investment. It will harness the synergetic effects of linking the populations, the graduate pools, the educational and research institutions, the business clusters and a wide variety of property solutions of Letterkenny and Derry City, within a high specification telecommunications network. It will benefit from a combined population of 346,000 people - making it the fourth largest urban conurbation on the island of Ireland.

The objective of the North-West Business & Technology Zone is the development of an excellent environment for the creation of self-sustaining clusters of technology-oriented activity interacting with third-level educational and research institutions locally and internationally. The technology-oriented activities which are being targeted are in sectors such as ICT, medical technology, biopharma/pharmaceutical, international and financial services and creative industries.

In achieving this objective a number of the elements are already substantially in place. These include:

The provision of property solutions in Letterkenny and Derry City which match current best practice worldwide in design and which offer an excellent working environment.
The provision of a resilient telecommunications network, which will assist in overcoming the perception of the Zone being physically remote.

Notes to Editor.
The North West Business & Technology Zone

IDA Irelands involvement in the Zone is the provision of c.44-hectares of state-of-the-art Business and Technology Park in Letterkenny. Invest Northern Ireland in addition to this Timber Quay Development which is being officially opened today is providing an enterprise centre at the Skeoge Industrial Park in Derry.

Invest Northern Ireland

Invest Northern Ireland works with individuals, companies and organisations in manufacturing and tradable services which show the ambition and commitment to grow by being more innovative, more entrepreneurial and more internationally focused.

Invest NIs resources are focused on assisting our clients to improve competitiveness, increase innovation, promote a stronger international focus and create more positive attitudes to enterprise. Invest NIs full range of support and services is delivered through local offices in Belfast, Coleraine, Ballymena, Craigavon, Londonderry, Newry, Enniskillen and Omagh, and an international office network.

For further information:

Re IDA Ireland involvement: Mr. Joe McHugh, Manager, Donegal/North-West Region, IDA Ireland, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Tel: 074 9169810 or Mob: 087 2477404

ICICI OneSource's second UK outsourcing centre to be located in Londonderry

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

London, July 5 2006: ICICI OneSource, a leading India-based Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company, has
announced that its second UK outsourcing centre will open in Londonderry later this year. The centre, located at
Northland Road will offer a range of outsourcing services to the companys clients and provide over 600 jobs for the
local community over the next two years. The plan to open in Derry follows ICICI OneSources recent announcement of a new centre in Belfast.

Leslie Morrison, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland, welcomed the announcement saying: "Following the Secretary of States announcement that ICICI OneSource is to establish its first European contact centres in Northern Ireland, I am delighted that the company has now confirmed Londonderry as its second location.

ICICI OneSource has made a clear long-term commitment to Northern Ireland, bringing significant employment and career opportunities for over 1000 people. Invest NI is committed to helping ICICI OneSource fully develop its business potential in Northern Ireland and, with our support, the Belfast and Derry operations will deliver over 28million of wages and salaries by 2008 into the local economy."

"Londonderry has a lot to offer our business," said Matthew Vallance, Managing Director for Europe of ICICI OneSource. "We have been impressed with the quality of the workforce, the enthusiasm of the local community and the interest they have shown in our company. Our new Londonderry facility will provide us with a solid foundation to support our long term growth plans."

ICICI OneSource is recruiting for both the Londonderry and Belfast operations. Recruitment inquiries should be directed to enda.darcy@icicionesource.com

ICICI OneSource handles Onetels entire customer lifecycle management process operating call centres, collections and back-office processing services from its centres in Mumbai and Bangalore. This has helped Onetel reduce its operational overheads and to enable a stronger focus on its core business growing its subscriber base.

The LTSB project with ICICI OneSource represents one of the largest third party outsourcing contracts in India by a UK-based financial services company. Over 1,000 call centre and back-office processing agent positions across three business units (retail banking, insurance and mortgages), are outsourced to ICICI OneSource.

About ICICI OneSource

ICICI OneSource (I-OneSource) is among Indias leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies. It provides customised business process management to global leaders in the Banking & Financial Services, Telecommunications & Media and Healthcare sectors. The company currently employs over 8000 employees across 10 delivery centres in US and India.

I-OneSource is the only Indian company to have won multiple awards from the National Outsourcing Association for 2005. It won the Financial Services Outsourcing Project of the Year and Offshoring Operation of the Year awards. IOneSource is the first Indian BPO service provider to be BS 7799 certified and is certified Version 3.4 COPC-2000 CSP Base Standard for its Inbound and Back Office capability and Version 4 COPC-2000 CSP Base Standard for its Collections capability. I-OneSource adheres to Six Sigma continuous improvement processing system for its clientservices. (www.icicionesource.com)

For more information contact:
Carlton Baxter
+44 (0)28 9040 8310 / +44 (0)7802546139
Email: carlton@carltonbaxter.com

Fraida Silver Enda Darcy
ICICI OneSource Email: enda.darcy@icicionesource.com
+44 (0)20 8834 1286 / +44 (0) 7774 188421
Email: fraida.silver@icicionesource.com

New Manufacturing Investment for Donegal Town by ABBOTT

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin TD today (21st March 2006) announced that ;Abbott;, one of the worlds largest healthcare companies, is to make a further high value healthcare investment in Ireland of Euro36 million, with the support of IDA Ireland, to establish a manufacturing facility for its diabetes care products in Donegal Town. It will create 155 high quality jobs with over 45% requiring a third level qualification.

Abbott has six manufacturing operations in Ireland, producing pharmaceutical, medical devices, nutritional and diagnostics products, in Sligo, Cootehill, Galway and Longford and employing over 2,200 people. Abbott Diabetes Care develops and manufactures innovative blood glucose monitoring products for people with diabetes. Abbott Diabetes Care will establish a manufacturing facility in Donegal Town to produce FreeStyle strips for monitoring blood glucose levels to service its growing global business.

Minister Martin said Todays announcement of Abbotts investment is tremendous news for Donegal. Ireland, and particularly the BMW region, has benefited greatly from Abbotts commitment to this country for six decades, and in return, Ireland has proven to be a highly successful location for Abbotts global manufacturing. This latest investment will further deepen that long-term relationship. Its decision to locate in Donegal town is an important component in developing the medical technologies industry in the North West. I want to thank Abbott for its ongoing commitment to Ireland and for its decision to choose the Hospira building in which to locate its new operation.

Minister Martin continued The Government made a commitment to the people of Donegal town that every effort would be made to attract investment from a company the calibre of Abbott, requiring the skills and expertise available in the locality. Todays news is a result of the combined effort of IDA Ireland, the local authorities, and the community, who all worked tirelessly to help us deliver on that promise.

Abbott Diabetes Care designs, manufactures and markets advanced blood glucose monitoring systems. Leading brands include FreeStyle, and FreeStyle Mini the smallest blood glucose monitor in the world, which works with a tiny blood sample and completes a test in an average of seven seconds. The test strips to be produced in the new facility in Donegal Town are a key component of the FreeStyle blood glucose monitoring system. The Donegal facility will help supply the global market in order to meet the rapid growth in demand due to the increased incidence and detection of diabetes in the population.

Commenting on the announcement today, Ed Fiorentino, President of Abbott Diabetes Care said, The new facility we have planned for Donegal will involve the manufacture of advanced diabetes management solutions for people with diabetes. The success of other Abbott operations in Ireland was an important factor in our decision to locate in Donegal."

Note for Editor
Abbott: Headquartered at Abbott Park, Chicago, Illinois, US, is a global healthcare company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. Abbott employs 60,000 people worldwide.

Minister Announces new European Operations Centre for Letterkenny

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin TD today (22nd September 2005) announced that ;Zeus Industrial Products, Inc;., of South Carolina, USA, is to establish in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, with support from IDA Ireland, a European Operations Centre for the production and distribution of precision medical tubing products.

This new European Operations Centre will involve a capital investment by Zeus of over Euro7m principally in state-of-the-art premises, production machinery and equipment. It is expected to create over 150 jobs within 5 years across a range of skills such as management, production, engineering, support services, sales and administration. In excess of 20% of staff will be third level graduates earning salaries over Euro37,000 per annum.

Minister Martin, making the announcement said, Todays investment by Zeus is a very welcome one for Donegal and the North West Region particularly in light of the difficulties experienced in the area recently. The Irish Government and IDA Ireland have been strongly committed to actively promoting the North West region and it is the Governments intention to continue to prioritise the region for securing further high quality investments from multinational companies.

Zeus is a pioneer and leader in the development and manufacture of high-grade precision extrusions, heat shrinkable tubing and other engineered polymer products. It has a broad range of customers across the electronics, semiconductor and aviation/aerospace industries and in particular the medical technology industry where its products are ultimately used in hospital, surgical, emergency and homecare environments.

This new investment brings a number of substantive benefits to Ireland. Zeuss leading edge technology represents a significant addition to our developing sub-supply infrastructure for the medical and electronics technology sectors. The inclusion of a European marketing function provides the opportunity for sales development and growth. The high quality employment Zeus will provide and its spending on salaries, goods and services will be a boost to the local economy of Donegal Minister Martin concluded.

Mr. John Worley, President & COO of Zeus said Zeus gathered extensive information on a number of potential locations through the world for this investment. Our decision to locate in Letterkenny was based on a number of factors, particularly the availability of highly skilled and educated people, the favourable business environment and infrastructure and the strong support and co-operation at local and national level.

The new operation will be based in the IDA Ireland Letterkenny Business & Technology Park.

Editor Notes:
Zeus is a privately owned, environmentally friendly corporation, established in 1966 by Mr. Frank P. Tourville. Headquartered in Orangeburg, South Carolina, US, it employs over 980+ people on five campuses in the US serving worldwide markets.

SITA expansion to add 123 new jobs in Letterkenny.

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin TD today (Thursday 31st March 2005) announced that SITA INC (Information Networking Computing) is to expand its software operation in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, with the support of IDA Ireland. 123 high quality software development jobs will be created over three years. SITA INC is the worlds leading provider of air transport focused applications, communications and IT infrastructure services to the travel and transportation industries.

SITA is unique in that it is owned by the air transport industry and its partners including airlines, airports and air transport organisations throughout the world. Its services and solutions are provided at every stage of a journey, from reservation web bookings and ticketing through check-in, border management and baggage tracking, to departure, flight operations and in-flight communications.

Minister Martin, welcoming the investment, said it embeds the existing operation in the town and creates additional high value jobs. It is also a significant endorsement of Letterkenny and the whole North-West as a business location as it demonstrates SITAs confidence in the areas ability to support such knowledge-intensive and skills-based activities. It will provide a very welcome boost to the employment opportunities in the region.

Mr. Thomas Marten, Vice President Government and Security Competency Centre, SITA, said Due to our increasing requirement for innovative products and solutions and our positive experience with our existing Irish operations we have decided to expand our Letterkenny facility. The other major influence on our decision was the available pool of people with the key skills and knowledge of technologies that we require such as Java, Web Services, XML and Oracle. The operation will develop a number of new products including border control applications, an Internet booking engine and mobile check-in applications.

The Letterkenny operation was established following SITAs purchase of Eland Technologies - an Irish software company with operations in Letterkenny and Dublin - in August 2003. It has been integrated into SITA INCs Passenger and Travel Solutions business unit and is responsible for the software development of products and services for that unit. It currently employs 27 people. The Dublin operation, which is responsible for the design and implementation of these products and services, has 28 employees, including finance, sales and marketing personnel.

SITA INC (Information Networking Computing) is the worlds leading provider of air transport focused applications, communications and IT infrastructure, enabling its customers to realise greater operational efficiencies and enhanced profitability. Building on a heritage of innovation, the company provides services to air transport customers and to related industries, as well as government authorities, offering a unique portfolio of solutions. SITA INC is registered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and recorded revenues of US$642 million in 2004.

Further information can be found at www.sita.aero

While in Letterkenny Minister Martin visited Pramerica Systems Ireland Limited in the town. It operates an international financial services centre that is responsible for software services, administration and customer care for its parent company, US-based Prudential Financial, Inc. and its group of businesses.

Minister Martin said, Pramerica has grown significantly since establishing in Letterkenny five years ago. The work being undertaken by the company is real evidence that the North West is a successful location for knowledge intensive activities. It is a region in transition from traditional cost based industries to advanced knowledge based sectors. The positive experiences and continued growth of companies such as Pramerica will encourage others to follow in its path.

Prudential Financial, Inc., and its group of businesses, offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, mutual funds, annuities, pension and retirement related services and administration, asset management, securities brokerage, banking and trust services, real estate brokerage franchises and relocation services.

For more information, visit www.prudential.com.

Letterkenny and Londonderry form the heart of NorthWestNow

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Letterkenny and Londonderry form the heart of NorthWestNow; a joint initiative formerly known as Northwest Business & Technology Zone. NorthWestNow is dedicated to the promotion of Irelands northwest as an area for industrial and social development of particular interest to foreign direct investment in the island of Ireland

Keith Prowse to create 120 new jobs in Buncrana, Co Donegal

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 0:0:0 IST

Back to News Homepage

Dr Jim Mc Daid T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Transport today (Friday 28th June 2002) announced that Keith Prowse, the leading international company in the sale of entertainment tickets and packages, is to establish a customer support centre in Buncrana, Co. Donegal with the support of IDA Ireland. The operation will support the worldwide sale of tickets and entertainment packages and is planned to create 120 jobs over the next four years. The Minister added that recruitment had already begun and said that up to 60 jobs will be available immediately.

This provides some great, immediate, opportunities for young people in the area, especially those who have just finished their IT courses in the Letterkenny Institute of Technology and other third level colleges in Derry, including Magee University and The North West Institute of Further Education and the recent Leaving Certificate graduates. It offers a great start for an internationally focussed marketing career, added Dr Mc Daid.

The new Keith Prowse Centre will be responsible for the sale of theatre, entertainment and attraction tickets, together with customised tour packages for travel operators. Initially responsible for calls from the UK, the Centre will expand gradually to cater for sales in the European and eventually the worldwide markets. The new project will be located on the Lisfannon Business Park in Buncrana in a facility previously occupied by Fruit of the Loom and provided for the company by Donegal County Council.

The company will be working closely with FAS locally in terms of training and recruiting staff. All staff will be fully trained to deal with the full range of customer relations services for the company in relation to venues across the globe.

Dr Mc Daid said that this announcement highlights IDAs continuing commitment to bring quality investments to priority areas such as Buncrana. The announcement follows on from other high profile investments won by IDA in the international services sector for County Donegal. The Minister cited as examples the great progress, especially in the last twelve months, with both PacifiCare and Prumerica - leading international services companies - announcing significant expansions of their Letterkenny operations with the support of IDA Ireland along with the establishment of the Claddagh Groups facility also at Lisfannon, Buncrana.

The Keith Prowse Company is a privately owned company by a number of international investors which operates across three continents. Keith Prowse has three main operating subsidiaries covering Europe, Americas and Australasia. The company employs 400 people worldwide in a network of over 30 offices in cities such as Paris, London, Sydney and New York, amongst others. Keith Prowse is a market leader in ticket handling.

Keith Prowse is the contracted distributor of tickets for well known names including Disney, Universal Studios and numerous West End and Broadway shows. The company is also the sole distributor of tickets to events such as the Chelsea Flower Show and also has major contracts with leading travel agents such as Thomas Cook, American Express, Lunn Poly and MyTravel. Keith Prowse currently employs 10 people in its Dublin operation.

IDA Ireland
28th June 2002