Dublin, 8th May, 2012 – Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD and Total Defense Internet Security Ireland Limited, the Palo Alto, CA headquartered Internet security company, today announced it is establishing a European Operations Hub in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

21 people have been recruited to-date and it is anticipated the centre could grow to 100 people to support the company’s growing European business. Additional recruiting will be in the areas of inside sales, operations and customer support.  Total Defense is an IDA Ireland client company.

Formerly the Internet Security Business Unit of CA Technologies Inc, Total Defense, Inc. is now a leading developer and provider of anti-virus and anti-crimeware software for both business and consumer markets.

With a focus on both the consumer and SME markets, Total Defense’s product lines cover every device from desktop to mobile with multi-layered solutions for endpoints, networks and groupware systems.  Total Defense was ranked as the sixth largest retailer of consumer security products in the US by the NPD Group in 2011 and its Internet Security Suite won a 2012 Global Excellence Award in March 2012.

Making the announcement Minister Bruton said “A key part of this Government’s strategy for jobs and growth is to target sectors and niches with particularly high prospects for growth. Internet security is one such sector, and today’s announcement that Total Defense, a world-leading company in this area, is joining the list of companies choosing Ireland, with the creation of 100 jobs, is great news.

“As I travelled around the USA last week talking to potential investors I was struck by the positive sentiment towards Ireland and the number of considering specific plans to locate jobs in Ireland. With the right moves I am convinced that we can continue to attract companies like Total Defense and create the jobs we so badly need”, continued Minister Bruton.

“We are very excited about our expansion into the European market and Dublin will be at the very centre of our new business generation and support” said Chris Hickey, President of Total Defense.  “We are impressed by the quality and depth of the talent pool and the strength of the software industry in Ireland, which coupled with the partnership of IDA Ireland, made the decision to locate our European Operations Hub here, the right one for the future of the company.”

Welcoming the announcement, IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “Total Defense is an excellent addition to the thriving cluster of global anti-virus software companies operating in Ireland.  The Dublin base will be integral to the company’s European expansion plans.”

ABOUT TOTAL DEFENSE, INC.

Total Defense Internet Security Ireland Limited, the leading provider of solutions to combat the growing threat of cybercrime, protects over 40,000 businesses and over 4 million consumers from the growing epidemic of cybercrime and malware.  We provide multiple layers of digital security through desktop, mobile device, web gateway and cloud based solutions.  We go “beyond protection” by ensuring our customers receive the level of service and support they require in an ever changing threat landscape.  Total Defense is a former business of CA Technologies, one of the largest information technology companies in the world.  Our major centers of operation are in New York, Silicon Valley, India, and Europe.

Galway,  — Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, today (Monday, April 30th) announced that Cisco, the world’s largest supplier of networking products, is to invest €26 million at its Galway Research and Development (R&D) facility over the next two years, with the creation of 115 new R&D positions. The investment is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.  Recruitment commenced in the latter half of 2011 and is continuing in multiple product and technology areas.

The new projects expand the mandate of the Cisco Galway R&D centre into new business areas in communication and collaboration software technology including enterprise and cloud enabled desktop, mobile applications, desktop virtualisation and real-time web communications. The Cisco Galway site originally opened in 2007 and is celebrating its fifth anniversary of R&D activity in Ireland. Cisco also has Sales and EMEAR Capital operations at its offices in East Point, Dublin.

Making the announcement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, said, ‘This jobs announcement by Cisco is most welcome news for Ireland and the West Region. The decision by Cisco to expand its Research and Development capabilities here in Galway demonstrates the value of economic stability and Ireland’s position in Europe when it comes to our ability to attract the overseas operations of world-leading multinational companies such as Cisco. Today’s announcement displays Cisco’s continued commitment to its Irish operations and staff.  I would like to offer Cisco every success with this expansion and offer the continued support of the Irish Government into the future.

Welcoming the announcement, Barry O’Sullivan, Senior Vice President for Cisco’s global collaboration business, said, ‘’Cisco’s R&D operation in Ireland is developing industry leading products for global markets.  Access to diverse top-class engineering talent and support from IDA Ireland have helped build a successful, innovative and global development capability over the last five years. The projects announced today,  in collaboration software and virtualisation, are in line with Cisco’s  strategic product and market priorities and will further increase the scale of the Irish operation in terms of both engineering capability  and diversified technologies.  Since approval of this project we have already brought significant talent on board and are actively seeking to fill new software engineering, product management and user experience positions.”

Commenting on the announcement, Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland, said, “Cisco is an integral part of the cluster of leading technology companies operating in Galway and throughout Ireland. 70% of the world’s internet traffic is routed through Cisco equipment and the company’s investment in R&D activities in Galway will build considerable new capabilities in the Galway R&D team. The new research areas represent major growth opportunities in the area of collaboration software and are strategically significant for Cisco. Products and services developed in Galway as a result of the project are projected to generate significant revenues for Cisco and will extend the current leadership capabilities of Cisco in Galway, increasing the scale of the Irish operation both in terms of headcount and diversified technologies. IDA Ireland is delighted to support Cisco in this expansion and we wish them continued success in their Irish operations.”

For further information please contact:

Antoinette Tyrrell, Press & PR Executive, Tel: +353 (0) 1 603 4256, Mob: +353 (0) 87 7572053

Department of An Taoiseach

Ger Butler, Mob: +353 (0) 87 2531675

Cisco

Mary O’Brien, Account Director, Simpson FTPR, Tel: 353 (0)1 2605300, Mob: +353 (0) 86 8330809

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is provided by Cisco Systems International B.V. and Cisco International Limited, wholly owned subsidiaries of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

Apple plans to construct a three-storey office block next to its existing plant in the city.

This will cater for the expansion of its business in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.

Apple has been in Cork for 30 years. It currently employs 2,800 people in the city and its business is booming.

In the three months October to December last year, revenues in markets serviced by Apple’s Cork plant grew 55% year-on-year.

This growth is that Apple has out-grown its European headquarters at Hollyhill in Cork and more than 400 staff now work out of 30,000 square feet of leased office space in the Owen O’Callaghan re-developed Half Moon Street in the city centre.

Now Apple is expanding in Cork again. Apple’s senior director for Corporate Communications, Alan Hely, has confirmed to RTE News that the company plans to increase its workforce in the city by 500 to 3,300 over the next 18 months. He said the company was “thrilled” to make the announcement.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and senior officials in IDA Ireland have been involved in meetings on the project here and with Apple management in the US over several months.

“This development continues the strong trend of investment over the past years in Ireland, in particular from global ICT companies and demonstrates Ireland’s continuing success in attracting FDI additional investment,” commented IDA Ireland’s chief executive Barry O’Leary.

The total number of jobs advertised online has increased by 4pc, driven by certain sectors achieving large gains, the IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index for the first quarter of 2012 reveals.

The 4pc increase follows a six-month decreasing trend in the previous two quarters. The sectors experiencing gains include production, manufacturing, materials (+82pc); science, pharmaceuticals and food (+52pc); banking and finance (+30pc); and engineering and utilities (+22pc). IT continues in a steady upward trend.

The IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index also reported sectors that experienced a decline in Q1 2012 compared with the previous quarter. The sectors that have seen a slump include telecoms (-55pc); transport and motor (-24pc); legal (-14pc); marketing (-14pc); publishing (-12pc); and retailing, wholesaling and purchasing (-11pc).

The IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index measures the number of jobs advertised online across the main recruitment websites in Ireland, serving as an indicator of jobs market trends in Ireland.

“The jobs picture overall is reasonably positive especially when considered in the context of an unemployment rate of above 14pc in Ireland,” said Dr Stephen Kinsella, lecturer in economics at the University of Limerick and author of the report.

“The IrishJobs.ie index is a good leading indicator of the state of the Irish labour market, because it gives a sense of what employers are expecting the future to look like.’’

Jobs in Ireland’s cities and counties

Relative to the second quarter of 2010, jobs in Dublin are showing a marked increase over time, but a sharp downturn relative to the last quarter, according to the IrishJobs.ie report.

In comparison to Dublin, jobs in Cork and Galway are surging ahead, while jobs in Limerick have fallen consistently and are consistently lower in absolute numbers than the other cities. Overall, the report reveals a mixed picture for Ireland’s cities, with some experiencing large increases, and others, sustained declines.

The IrishJobs.ie report looks at all corporate jobs advertised on IrishJobs.ie and Jobs.ie between 1 January 2012 and 31 March 2012.

Tullamore, Co Offaly, 2nd March, 2011- Kelcourt Plastics, Inc, a component supplier to the medical device industry, headquartered in San Clemente, California announced today that it is establishing a new medical tubing manufacturing operation in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, with the support of IDA Ireland.  Kelcourt Ireland Pte Limited will create 55 new jobs over 5 years and is making a significant capital investment in its building at the IDA Business and Technology Park in Tullamore.

Kelcourt Plastics, Inc. is a division of PPC Industries Inc. of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.  In late 2010, Kelcourt was acquired by PPC Industries, Inc., a flexible packaging company which focuses on value added packaging for medical, food and industrial markets.  PPC also has a growing presence in Europe and is considering options for flexible film conversion in the Kelcourt Irish facility.  Kelcourt’s medical tubing capabilities and PPC’s medical packaging portfolio create perfect synergy into a broad range of key medical device applications that will be locally sourced in Ireland. The company also plans to target the European market with its range of medical tubing and packaging solutions. 

The Irish operation will also establish a product development function to work closely with client R&D teams on new product concepts.  The specialized tubing that will be manufactured at the plant will be used in hundreds of diverse medical products including anesthesia, urology, cardiology, surgery, IV systems and emergency medicine.

Making the announcement today Patrick Mickle, President, Kelcourt said “We searched for the right location to establish an operation to meet the demand for our medical and speciality tubing capability as well as our packaging capabilities in Ireland.  We are very excited to establish a manufacturing facility in Tullamore and we look forward to finding the right calibre of staff to ensure our success here.  This also creates the perfect gateway into the growing European market.” 

Commenting on the announcement IDA Ireland, CEO Barry O’Leary said  “Kelcourt’s decision to locate this operation in Ireland enhances the medical device supplier base here. Ireland’s reputation as a hub for Life Sciences continues to grow with 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical and 15 of the top 20 medical devices companies worldwide with operations here.”

“IDA’s strategy, Horizon 2020, sets out to achieve balanced regional development in Gateway locations, and today’s announcement for Tullamore builds on the strong medical device cluster in the Midlands Gateway,” concluded Mr. O’Leary.

Athlone,  American Medical Systems Holdings (AMS), the leading supplier of medical devices to treat urological and pelvic health conditions, today announced that it is to establish a manufacturing operation in Athlone with the creation of 50 new jobs and plans for future expansion. The new operation will involve an investment of €4.6 million, and is supported by IDA Ireland.
The new facility will be a key manufacturing facility for AMS mesh products used in the treatment of female continence products and pelvic floor repair, while also manufacturing some male continence products. The Irish operation will have full responsibility for all stages in the manufacturing of these products including sourcing and procuring raw materials, production planning and manufacturing, quality control, sterilisation, final packaging and shipping to AMS distribution centres in Belgium and the United States.

“This is the first manufacturing operation AMS has established outside of the United States, and it is of significant strategic importance as the company grows its international presence,” said Thomas Rasmussen, Vice President of Global Operations and Supply Chain, of AMS. “The decision to locate in Athlone was strongly based on the cluster of leading life sciences companies located here and the opportunity to partner with such companies in the processes carried out by AMS. I would like to thank the IDA for their support in setting this up and look forward to building on the AMS/IDA relationship as we grow our Irish operations.”

Welcoming the announcement, Barry O’Leary, IDA CEO said, “This is an excellent addition to the Midlands Medical Technology cluster and will have a beneficial impact on direct and indirect employment in the region. Manufacturing continues to remain a core strategic pillar of the Irish economic landscape and ‘Horizon 2020’ IDA’s strategy identifies high-value manufacturing as a key target area. Today’s announcement is in keeping with this strategy and demonstrates Ireland’s commitment and capability in the area of high-value manufacturing activities. I would like to take this opportunity to wish AMS every success with this investment and IDA Ireland looks forward to supporting the development of the Irish operation into the future.”

GALWAY, Ireland, February 14, 2011 – Fidelity Investments®, one of the world’s largest providers of financial services, today announced that it will add 100 new positions at its facilities in Galway and Dublin. Fidelity will hire 100 highly skilled technology professionals who will focus on Investment Management and Corporate Enterprise technology solutions for Fidelity’s global operations. The initiative, which represents an investment of €11 million by Fidelity over three years, is supported by IDA Ireland.
“The addition of 100 highly skilled technology jobs is an excellent endorsement of Ireland’s flexible workforce,” said IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary. “Fidelity’s investment shows our capacity to provide an increasingly competitive, business‐friendly environment in which technology companies can grow and develop. Fidelity has one of the largest R&D divisions within the multinational financial services sector operating in Ireland and IDA Ireland is delighted to work closely with the company as it embeds its operations further here.”
Fidelity Investments established its presence in Ireland in 1996 and currently has more than 240 technology associates working at office locations in Galway and Dublin. Technology associates in Ireland support multiple Fidelity business divisions in the United States, Europe and Asia, including Asset Management, Corporate Technology, Information Security and Enterprise Infrastructure.

Fidelity said the expansion is strategically important and will further enhance its Irish operations. The new positions will be part of Fidelity Technology Group (FTG), which is responsible for the company’s technology research, services and operations. FTG provides a diverse range of technology projects that touch almost every aspect of Fidelity’s global businesses including portfolio monitoring and trading, voice recognition systems, user interface design, business process management (BPM) and workflow transaction processing and fund pricing and market data technology. Fidelity’s new technology associates will be engaged in software development such as Java and .NET, performance and test engineering, database development and management, systems analysis and QA. The new jobs range from entry level to management positions.
” Ireland is a proven market in which Fidelity can continue to develop a vital part of our global technology organization,” said Julia Davenport, senior vice president of Fidelity Investments. “By expanding here, Fidelity is making a strategic, long‐term decision to invest in a region with a well‐educated, highly skilled workforce from which we can draw the quality talent needed to provide services across the firm. We’re so pleased to be collaborating with the IDA as well as our partners at several outstanding Irish universities.”
Davenport said that with financial markets active around the clock and Fidelity operating in multiple, global financial markets simultaneously, it’s imperative that the firm’s technology division has the resources to power Fidelity’s world‐class asset management and research organization. With this initiative, FTG is well‐positioned to further expand its current operations in Ireland and enhance its contributions to future technology projects. The quality of the Irish workforce, the success of Fidelity’s existing operations in Ireland and the research carried out in Irish universities were key factors in the company’s decision to expand here.

IDA Ireland today  welcomed the announcement by Allergan, one of the world’s leading Medical Aesthetics companies, that it is to locate the manufacture of its newest medical technology, SeriScaffold, at its manufacturing facility in Westport, Co. Mayo.

SeriScaffold is a bioresorbable silk-based surgery scaffold for use in tissue generation in numerous therapeutic areas including breast reconstruction. Allergan has chosen Westport as the location for this manufacturing activity due to the combination of state-of-the-art engineering capabilities and scientific expertise.

Welcoming the announcement, Barry O’Leary, IDA CEO said, ‘I would like to congratulate the management and staff at Allergan in Westport for winning this excellent investment. It is encouraging that Ireland continues to win investments of this nature demonstrating that advanced manufacturing activities remain as a fundamental part of Ireland’s Foreign Direct Investment portfolio.’

‘Building on its long history of continued investment in Ireland this announcement is highly significant to Allergan and will help to further position its Irish operation as a centre of strategic importance within the parent company. On behalf of IDA I look forward to working with Allergan as the company further develops in Ireland.’

The Irish Times reports that  a Dublin-based subsidiary of the world’s second-largest online poker room, Full Tilt Poker, has confirmed the creation of a further 100 jobs. The recruitment drive will bring to 800 the numbers employed at Pocket Kings Ltd‘s operations at the Cherrywood Science and Technology Park. Pocket Kings acts as a service provider to Full Tilt Poker; it was established in Dublin in 2006.

The Irish Independent reports that Dublin-based Endeco Technologies is to create 30 jobs over the next year, after receiving an investment of more than EUR800,000. Endeco, which specialises in energy management technologies, is to hire software development and sales and marketing staff as it seeks to triple its workforce. The move comes after an investment led by the AIB Seed Capital Fund. Additional funding was raised through Enterprise Ireland and private investors.

Irish Examiner reports that cloud computing and data management firm Quest Software is to announce the creation of 150 jobs in Cork on Thursday. Quest Software is to set up an international shared services centre and it is expected the new jobs will come on stream over the next three years. The jobs being created will be in finance, software renewals, sales and software development. The investment is expected to have the potential to grow to 300 jobs over the next three years, according to industry sources.

The Irish Independent says that multinational car technology firm Valeo is to announce the creation of 100 Irish jobs on Friday. The Galway-based firm will also invest an additional EUR17 million in a research and development programme at its Tuam base. Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keeffe will confirm later this week that recruitment for the high-end jobs will begin immediately, bringing employment at the plant to over 300. The company, which is headquartered in France, develops and manufactures systems that use cameras to make parking easier for drivers.

According to the Financial Times, Skype plans to increase its headcount by nearly 50 percent this year. The hiring spree is an attempt by new CEO Tony Bates to inject urgency into the online telephony firm. Skype has been slow to come up with a broad “premium tier” of services for which it can charge users — something Bates aims to address. “You’re going to see a rhythm and cadence of product release that’s going to increase,” said Bates. He indicated Skype plans to hire up to 400 new staff this year, with 80 percent of those in Silicon Valley

The Irish Examiner reports that US-owned PopCap Games has confirmed it intends to double the number of staff it employs at its European headquarters in Dublin. The company currently employs 55 people, and Senior Director Cathy Orr confirmed on Sunday that the firm is planning to create an additional 55 jobs at its Dublin office. “We are aiming to double the number we employ here over the next two to three years,” she said. The Seattle-based games developer established its European HQ in Dublin in 2005.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan TD, last month announced that Zeus, the US headquartered medical device company, is investing €10m in a 40,000sq ft expansion and creating 75 new manufacturing jobs over three years.

The expansion of its facility at the IDA Business and Technology Park, Letterkenny, Co Donegal is supported by IDA Ireland.

Zeus Industrial Products (Zeus), headquartered in Orangeburg, South Carolina, is a leading developer and manufacturer of precision polymer extrusions, including specialist fluropolymer tubing solutions, for a range of industries. Established in 1966, the company is privately held by the original founder Frank P Tourville and employs 1,200 people worldwide.

“The decision by Zeus to expand its operation in Letterkenny is testament to the availability of a highly-skilled workforce in the north west region, the performance of its existing staff and the ease of doing business in Ireland,” stated Coughlan at the announcement. “On behalf of the Government, I look forward to providing continued support to Zeus as its Irish operation grows and develops.”

Séamus Hughes, general manager of Zeus in Ireland, said: “Since establishing our operation in 2005, our experience of doing business in Ireland has been a positive one. Due to the growth in our customer base in Europe, we are expanding our operation in Letterkenny to meet the demand for our medical and industrial speciality tubing product. We are very excited about our expansion plans and I look forward to finding the right calibre of staff to ensure our continued success here.

“In addition, I would like to thank the executive management team of Zeus Inc for their continued support of the Irish operation and their confidence in the Irish employees. On behalf of the Irish employees, I am very proud to be part of a very progressive organisation.

“Finally, I would like to express our appreciation for the work and contribution made by IDA Ireland during this process and supported by the Irish Government.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary also welcomed the announcement. “Zeus is an important manufacturer in the medical device industry in Ireland and offers a key sub supply role in a very specialised area,” he said.

 “This expansion was won for Ireland in the face of stiff international competition from other global locations, proving that Ireland has an increasingly competitive and pro-business environment to offer investors with a strong manufacturing focus.”