Tuam, Co. Galway, Valeo, one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers has announced that it is embarking on a major expansion and RD&I programme at its Valeo Vision Systems (VVS) operation in Tuam, with an investment of €17m and the creation up to 100 new high-skilled positions over the next 3 years.  The investment which focuses on RD&I and high value manufacturing, is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland. 

Valeo is undertaking this major R&D initiative at the operation to target a growing share of the camera market with the development of the next generation of new camera/vision systems and supporting technologies for vehicle parking and manoeuvring.

This investment programme follows on from the successful launch by VVS Tuam of its first generation multi-camera systems on the market in 2008. It is now proposing to significantly expand its manufacturing operations to meet growing automotive customer demand and to develop the next generation vision systems for the global market.

Valeo Vision Systems has built up a strong RD&I competency at the plant and has developed close links with NUIG with the establishment of the Connacht Automotive Research (CAR) Group in 2004.

The additional jobs will be recruited across its manufacturing and RD&I operations. The investment will involve expansion of the plant (including the lease of existing units on the Tuam Business park), investment in advanced technology, training and RD&I.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Mary Hanafin TD paid tribute to the strong performance track record of Valeo’s workforce in Tuam and described the new jobs as a major boost for high-end manufacturing in Ireland.

 ‘The Government is anxious to support research and development projects that can create high-tech manufacturing jobs. Firms that invest in innovation to produce new products and services are the same ones that grow market share, generate jobs and pursue sustainable business models. This investment embeds Valeo’s operation in the group’s global business while at the same time creating top-level career opportunities for Galway,’ said Minister Hanafin. 

Commenting on the VVS expansion, Fergus Moyles Director, Valeo Vision Systems said, ‘I am delighted to announce that recruitment is currently underway for the 100 positions announced today.  The expansion in Tuam is very significant within the Valeo group as it will play a leading role in ensuring that Valeo maintains its technological leadership position in vision systems, generating innovative new products which exceed our clients’ expectations.’
                                                                                                                     
Welcoming the announcement, Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland said: ‘This is a very exciting development for Valeo Vision Systems in Tuam.  The decision demonstrates the parent company’s high regard for its Tuam operation, which, I am sure, is in no small part due to the company’s successful track record here. I wish to offer my congratulations to Fergus and his team in Tuam and would like to assure him that he has the full support of IDA Ireland behind him as he embarks on this ambitious new initiative in Tuam.  It is a great success story for high-value manufacturing in Ireland, which is at the centre of innovation and development for such a highly-respected global automotive company.’                 

About Valeo
Valeo Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for the automotive industry, mainly for CO2 emissions reduction. Valeo ranks among the world’s top automotive suppliers. The Group has 110 plants, 21 Research centers, 40 Development centers, 10 distribution platforms and employs 53,700 people in 27 countries worldwide.

About Valeo in Ireland
Valeo Visions Systems based in Tuam consists of an R&D centre and production site which forms part of the Comfort and Driving Assistance Business Group of Valeo. Originally established in 1982 as Connaught Electronics Ltd. (CEL) as a manufacturer of automotive security products, it diversified into camera systems and was acquired in 2007 by Valeo. CEL was a strategic acquisition for Valeo as it complemented Valeo’s existing detection technologies for vehicle parking and manoeuvring.

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.

Thursday, 16th December 2010, Galway – Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today announced that Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. is to create up to 115 new jobs over 5 years and invest €1.1m at its facility in Mervue Business Park, Galway.  Recruitment is already underway.  This investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

Goodman Co., Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Japan manufactures and sells medical instruments and equipment worldwide.  Goodman Medical Ireland Ltd. (GMIL) was established in 2004 and currently employs 56 people in the manufacture of cardiology products such as PTCA catheters and bare metal stents.

The expansion will transform GMIL’s business by adding to its manufacturing and R&D operations and becoming Goodman’s sales and marketing centre for EMEA by generating market data, developing territory sales strategies and managing distributors and sales related activities.  The company will also commercialise the ‘Vival’ stent developed onsite in Galway.

Minister O’Keeffe said the investment “strengthens Ireland’s well-established medical devices cluster, with many leading firms based along the western seaboard. The Galway operation will be a platform for Goodman Medical Ireland to develop its business in the EMEA region, driving better manufacturing and product innovation output through the skills of a flexible and highly educated local workforce”.

“The jobs bolster Ireland’s high-end manufacturing backbone and consolidate our reputation as a leading location in Europe for foreign direct investments,” said Minister O’Keeffe.

President Takehito Yogo of Goodman Co., Ltd. said “We are excited to announce our expansion plans to meet anticipated long-term demand for our products worldwide.  We chose the Galway operation for our future growth and development due to our dedicated and proactive workforce, the support of IDA Ireland, our strong supplier network and the positive experiences we have had of doing business in Ireland since 2004.”

IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary said “Goodman Co. Ltd’s decision to locate this operation in Ireland demonstrates our attractiveness for companies investing and expanding in the Life Sciences Sector. 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, and today’s announcement for Galway builds on the strong medical device cluster in the West of Ireland” concluded Mr. O’Leary.

Notes to Editor
Goodman Co. Ltd., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, is primarily engaged in the import, development, manufacture and sale of medical instruments and equipment. The company operates two business divisions. The Disposable Medical Instrument division develops, manufactures and sells catheters and stents for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The Medical Equipment and Others division is involved in the import and sale of medical testing equipment for circulatory organs and network system software for digital imaging equipment.

The Irish Times reports that HP has confirmed it is to create 105 high-tech jobs at its Galway operation. The jobs, which will be in Ballybrit, are based around enterprise data architecture, application development and software engineering and testing. Between 50 and 70 of the positions will be filled immediately. The investment is being supported by IDA Ireland.

Increasing Software R&D Capacity at the Centre of HP Worldwide Initiative

GALWAY, 13 DECEMBER 2010 – HP today announced that it is adding 105 new highly skilled jobs within the Global IT organization in Galway that supports the company’s Enterprise Business (EB) unit. This investment is supported by IDA Ireland.

The jobs—all to be located in HP’s campus at Ballybrit—are technical in nature, focused on enterprise data architecture, application development, and the latest in software engineering and testing, among other skill sets.

“This is an important part of helping develop HP’s capability in software engineering, and we see it as an important statement of both our capacity to do more and the relevance of the skills that have been developed by the existing team here in Galway,” said Gerry Jacob, vice president within HP’s EB IT organization.

Martin Murphy, Managing Director HP Ireland said, “we are thrilled to be able to secure these jobs for Ireland as they speak hugely to the esteem in which the Irish skill set and capability is regarded within the HP community.

“HP’s strategic intent is to continue the shift towards research and development, including working with institutions such as LERO, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre at Limerick University,” Mr. Murphy added. “We have a proud tradition of delivery in this regard across hardware, software and services in Ireland.”

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe TD, described the HP jobs as significant boost for research and development in Ireland.

‘HP has chosen Galway for these highly strategic and knowledge-based roles in a move that reinforces our global reputation for high-end research and development activity. The investment shows that we can compete for highly skilled jobs in the information technology sector as we forge ahead with efforts to make Ireland Europe’s innovation hub,’ said Minister O’Keeffe.

You can apply for IT HP Jobs in Galway.

The Irish Examiner reports that 300 jobs are due to be created in Cork and Galway by two multinational firms. Cork city will get 200 jobs in the new year when a NASDAQ-quoted cloud computing software company sets up a major European hub in the city. The IDA and the company have yet to make an official announcement but it is understood that official word will come in early 2011. Meanwhile, the IDA is expected to announce over 100 jobs in HP in Galway today. The new highly skilled jobs will be in software engineering, testing and application development.

Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív, TD today announced that GENBAND, a leading developer of Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure and service solutions, plans to establish its International Headquarters and Business Services Centre in Galway, which represents an €8 million investment by the company that will create more than 100 new jobs. GENBAND’s decision is supported by the Irish Government with the aid of IDA Ireland (Industrial Development Agency).

“We’re very pleased that the global leader in VoIP and next generation networking solutions has decided to locate its international headquarters here in Galway,” said Minister Ó Cuív. “On behalf of the Irish Government, we welcome GENBAND to Galway and appreciate that they recognize our region’s reputation as a leading technology hub. GENBAND’s role in transforming telecommunications networks through IP perfectly aligns with Ireland’s status as a Smart Economy. We look forward to supporting GENBAND as it develops its operations here.”

The Galway facility will create new employment positions in finance, supply chain management, customer support, software development, HR, legal and administrative activities.

“The establishment of our international headquarters operation in Ireland represents a critical component of GENBAND’s continued global strategy and growth,” said Charlie Vogt, President and CEO, GENBAND. “Ireland’s breadth of high-quality, skilled human resources made Galway an ideal setting for our expansion, particularly when combined with the region’s competitive cost structure and leadership as a telecommunications corridor. We look forward to being a part of the Galway community and would like to thank the Irish Government and IDA Ireland for their support, which enabled this expansion to come to fruition without delay.”

Barry O’Leary, IDA CEO said, “GENBAND’s investment is very significant for Galway and builds on the excellent telecommunications expertise available in the region.   Ireland is experiencing strong growth in international IT services which is contributing significantly to Ireland’s impressive export performance. Of the 72 investments made by IDA this is the 25^th investment involving 100-plus jobs that has been made by IDA in 2010 and    IDA is delighted to welcome this telecommunications leader to Galway and looks forward to supporting their continued global expansion.”

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe, TD also welcomed the announcement by Genband saying, ‘This investment shows that Ireland is very much open for business and that our enterprise economy remains vibrant. Ireland continues to meet the requirements of global corporations to run international operations.’

About GENBAND
GENBAND is a global leader of IP infrastructure and service solutions, helping fixed, mobile and cable service providers around the world evolve communications networks through IP innovation. The Company offers market-leading Switching, Networking and Service solutions, with products deployed in over 600 customer networks spanning more than 80 countries.  GENBAND is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and has operations in 50 countries. To learn more, visit us on the web at www.genband.com .

GENBAND, the GENBAND logo and icon are trademarks of GENBAND.

Galway 8th November 2010– Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe TD announced that Industrial Info Resources Inc is establishing a European Operations Centre in Galway, creating 50 positions over 5 years, with the support of IDA Ireland.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Sugarland, Texas.  IIR performs in-depth market research on the industrial processing, heavy manufacturing and energy related industries worldwide and offers Knowledge Management Solutions to companies that sell products and services to these industries.

The company is now expanding its worldwide presence to support its clients on a global basis.  The Galway operation will have responsibility for developing subscription based industrial market intelligence databases in the European market as well as selling the global capabilities of IIR to European clients.  The specific functions within the centre will be in research, sales, administration and management, and recruitment is already underway.  The company is located in Ballybrit Business Park in Galway in a newly refurbished 6,000sq foot dedicated facility. 

Speaking in Galway today, Minister O’Keeffe described the announcement as “another significant foreign direct investment win for the city.  IIR’s investment in Galway reinforces the western region’s growing reputation as a location for high-end business services operations”.

“IIR has a strong track record in the industrial market research space for over 27 years and Galway is now well positioned to play a key role in the firm’s continued growth,” said Minister O’Keeffe.

Ed Lewis, President of Industrial Info Resources Inc. commenting on today’s announcement said “Galway is an ideal location to grow our operations to better service our customers throughout Europe. We are confident that the skills we require are readily available in Ireland for the long-term success of our European operations.”

Welcoming the announcement by IIR, IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary commented “IIR’s decision to locate this significant, knowledge-intensive part of its international business in Galway is in line with IDA Ireland’s strategic focus to win new investment in the diversified business services sector and is a very welcome addition to the growing cluster operating successfully from Ireland.”

Notes to Editor
IIR, a privately owned company, operates across twelve key industrial sectors including alternative fuels, electric power, pharmaceutical & biotech and industrial manufacturing industries. 

IIR’s clients include equipment manufacturers, servicing companies, distributors and other companies that sell products and services into the industrial market.  Specific clients include Siemens, Babcock & Wilcox, ABB and Pratt & Whitney.

The suite of products and services that IIR offers their clients include:
Databases
IIR’s database products include event tracking for major capital and maintenance projects, also known as PEC (Planning, Engineering and Construction), planned and unplanned unit maintenance outages, shutdowns and turnarounds, plus details on plant locations that include key decision makers, unit details, and equipment profiles for turbines, boilers, compressors and pollution control equipment.

Forecasting
IIR provides market forecasting services that include global capital and maintenance spending projections for twelve industrial markets segments.  IIR also provides specialised forecasts for equipment, materials and labour that help their clients determine market size and future demand.

Daily News
IIR’s research experts generate daily news on the main industrial markets to keep clients up to date with the latest developments.  This original content is collated from the extensive interviews conducted by IIR’s teams worldwide.

The Irish Times reports that software firm Lumension is to create 20 jobs in Galway. The company, which already employs 30 people in the city, develops software that helps firms protect computer data. Galway is home to the company’s international centre for product research and development, customer support and auxiliary services.

The Irish Times reports that Airspeed Telecom has purchased Magnet Networks’ wireless spectrum licence, allowing it to expand its WiMax broadband services. Airspeed already holds a licence for another piece of the spectrum and through it provides broadband to businesses around the country. The deal means Airspeed now owns the 3.5GHz Fixed Wireless Access Local Area spectrum licence for Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Magnet will maintain its relationship with customers using the frequency, but with Airspeed now providing the service as a wholesaler.

DSG Retail Ireland will create 100 jobs after confirming the first phase of a development programme that will see the opening of new stores in 2010 and a roll-out of a new retailing format. The programme will commence this summer.

In addition, plans are being developed to completely re-fit the PC World store in Galway and the Currys and PC World stores in Limerick following the success of Currys in Galway which has traded above expectations since its refurbishment in the latter part of 2009.

Business will operate as normal during these developments and no existing jobs will be affected during the course of this activity.

Commenting on the development, Declan Ronayne, Managing Director of DSG Retail Ireland Ltd said: “In a very tough economic environment, we have proved our retailing mettle by trading successfully. We’ve done this by focusing on Value, Choice and Service for customers, as well as trimming costs where possible and becoming an even leaner, more efficient operation. Introducing eye-catching campaigns like the UK Vat Campaign where we offered parity with Northern Ireland’s prices also drove customers to our stores.

The availability of a highly experienced, multilingual workforce and the proximity to many of our European customers were key reasons for our choice of Galway for these important operations.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan TD today, 19th January 2010, announced that StreamServe Inc., a leading provider of business communications solutions, is to establish an Inside Sales and Customer Care Operation in Galway, creating 20 jobs, with the support of the Government through IDA Ireland.

StreamServe, will initially employ 20 people at the Galway operation in areas such as sales, maintenance renewals, and customer care operations, servicing both the U.S. and EMEA markets.

The Tánaiste, welcoming the decision, said “I am delighted to announce the official opening of StreamServe’s new Irish operation in Galway today. This investment is great news for Galway and the west region in particular. It is a positive endorsement from an industry leading software company that Ireland can provide the necessary skills and pro-business policies to assist companies such as StreamServe’s rapidly growing international business. I wish to congratulate the company on this important day and to assure StreamServe that it has the full support of the Irish Government as it develops its operation in Galway.”

“I am delighted to officially announce the establishment of our Inside Sales and Customer Care center in Galway,” added Dennis Ladd, StreamServe’s president and CEO. “The availability of a highly experienced, multilingual workforce and the proximity to many of our European customers were key reasons for our choice of Galway for this important operation. We look forward to doing business here for years to come.”

About StreamServe:

StreamServe is a leading provider of Enterprise Document Presentment solutions that set the standard for business communications. Simple to deploy and maintain, the company’s dynamic composition, document process automation and enterprise output management solutions meet the demanding challenges of today’s global businesses for producing and delivering highly customized documents in any format.

StreamServe’s advanced software solutions ease the process of composing and automating business communications, enabling organizations to increase the value and profitability of their business relationships. This is done all while leveraging existing business applications such as ERP, CRM and ECM.

The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Burlington, Mass., with 14 offices worldwide. StreamServe serves more than 5,000 customers in 130 countries, primarily in the financial services, utilities, manufacturing, distribution and telecom sectors. Customers include BMW, CLP Power Hong Kong, AmerisourceBergen, and Siemens Financial. StreamServe’s strategic partners include Adobe Systems, IBM, InfoPrint Solutions Company, Lawson and SAP AG. At the SAP for Utilities 2009 conference in Washington, DC, StreamServe became the only technology vendor awarded an “SAP Collaboration Fuels Innovation Award” for its integration with SAP solutions in developing innovative solutions that meet the business needs of today, as well as those of the future.

Tom Hogan Motors, which had outlets in Galway, Clare and Tipperary, is to close because of trading difficulties, with the loss of 190 jobs.With outlets at Ballybrit in Galway, Shannon, Ennis and Clonmel, it was one of the largest Toyota dealership in Ireland.

Economic downturn, which has particularly affected new car sales, have forced the company into liquidation. Toyota Ireland confirmed that any cars purchased through the group would continue to carry their full warranty.