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.

The Irish Independent notes that consultancy firm Ernst & Young plans to create more than 300 Irish jobs over the next 18 months. Half of the new employees will be graduates with degrees in engineering, IT, legal, business, accounting and finance.

The Irish Times reports that online sports betting firm Betfair has announced plans to create up to 100 jobs at a new office in Dublin. Betfair said it intends to open a new data centre and relocate some of its UK customer operations teams to Ireland early next year. The company has already commenced a recruitment process to fill the posts. It said existing staff in the UK would also have the option to relocate to Dublin, but it was not yet clear exactly how many people would be interested in taking up this option.

The Irish Independent reports that Hewlett-Packard is to create 50 jobs at its base in Co Kildare. HP said it was creating positions for “highly-skilled, multi-lingual graduates” to work as support for Microsoft software programs. HP Ireland’s managing director Martin Murphy said the company could add a further 70 people at a later date depending on the success of the new hires.

The Irish Times reports  that a new online tax service will offer some of its services free and others at a heavy discount. PayLessTax.ie said it would create 20 jobs in the next two years. Established by tax expert Cathal Maxwell, the firm is targeting self-employed people who have to make their own returns to the Revenue Commissioners and PAYE workers who do extra work that is not taxed at source. The online service starts at EUR239 for the self-employed. PAYE workers with no other income sources can avail of a free service to find out if they are due a tax refund

Dublin, Friday 30th July 2010 – IDA Ireland CEO, Barry O’Leary welcomed the expansion of Kellogg’s European Headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin.  The company, which is the world’s leading supplier of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, is creating 50 high value positions bringing total employment at the Dublin centre to 250.

Kellogg’s set up its European Headquarters in Dublin in 2005, with the support of IDA Ireland.  Kellogg’s Headquarters in Dublin includes service functions such as Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain Management, Legal, Finance, HR, Corporate Affairs and Nutrition. 

Welcoming today’s announcement IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary said “Kellogg’s decision to deepen its commitment to Ireland is a very welcome development demonstrating that even in difficult economic times the positive experience of Foreign Investors in Ireland is such that they will continue to grow their businesses and enhance their strategic standing within their parent corporations. This announcement by a leading global brand like Kellogg’s in their European Headquarters is a significant vote of confidence in Ireland’s international reputation and standing as an excellent investment location.”

“The winning of the original investment in 2005 was of key strategic importance as it helped Ireland establish its reputation as a European Headquarter location for MNCs.”

He added “The company chose Ireland as its European base in 2005 over stiff competition from other locations. Ireland won the investment because we have the skills that the company needs to operate successfully in Europe, including a well educated workforce and a pro business environment.  On behalf of IDA, I look forward to working closely with Kellogg’s as it continues to develop its operations in Ireland.”

About Kellogg:
With 2009 sales of nearly $13 billion, Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and veggie foods. The Company’s brands include Kellogg’s(R), Keebler(R), Pop-Tarts(R), Eggo(R), Cheez-It(R), Nutri-Grain(R), Rice Krispies(R), BearNaked(R), Morningstar Farms(R), Famous Amos(R), Special K(R), All-Bran(R), Frosted Mini-Wheats(R), Club(R) and Kashi(R). Kellogg products are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, visit the Kellogg Company web site at http://www.kelloggcompany.com.

For Further information:
IDA Ireland
Thomas McEvoy, Press Manager, Tel: 01 603 4255, Mob: 087 7426684
Gillian Kelly, Press Officer, Tel: 01 603 4190

The report entitled, ‘The Cost of doing Business in Ireland 2010’ shows Ireland’s cost competitiveness has improved considerably for a range of business inputs such as energy, property and a number of key business services.

Welcoming the Report, Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA said, ‘Competitiveness is a key influencing factor when foreign multinational companies are choosing a location for their international operations. This report is further evidence that the cost of doing business in Ireland is falling, which in turn is helping to win new Foreign Direct Investment for Ireland and grow exports.’

‘IDA along with Government and all stakeholders involved in securing FDI for Ireland must retain a focus on maintaining competitiveness and work closely to ensure our competitive position internationally continues to improve as the economy returns to growth.’

ENDS

The full report can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.competitiveness.ie/media/NCC100722-costs_of_doing_business_in_ireland_2010.pdf

The Irish Examiner reports that e-payments provider Payzone saw its pre-tax losses increase to EUR177.2 million in its last financial year, according to accounts filed with the Companies Registration Office. The company, established through the 2007 merger of Irish firm Alphyra and British cash machine operator Cardpoint, had generated a pre-tax loss of EUR148.7 million the previous year. The latest set of accounts for the Dublin-headquartered company also show an increase in operating loss from EUR119.2 million to EUR148.6 million and a rise in overall revenue from EUR555.7 million to EUR588.7 million.

The Irish Times reports that Belfast firm APTX has taken a major step forward in getting its audio technology into mainstream products, following a new deal with Apple. The firm has developed technology that makes Bluetooth usable for high-fidelity audio. The firm’s technology streams high-quality stereo sound over Bluetooth wireless connections from devices such as laptops, mobile phones and portable music players. The compression and decompression algorithm, known as a codec, was used in Apple’s Mac Mini, which was unveiled last month.

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.

The Irish Times reports that many organisations have scrapped or curtailed IT projects in light of the downturn, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey of Irish chief information officers. One-third of those asked said planned or initiated projects in their organisation had been cancelled in the past year. Two-thirds also reported a reduction in the scope of other projects. Eighty percent of respondents said this kind of cost-cutting was their biggest challenge as they tried to maintain service levels and innovate. Ninety-five percent of CIOs also reported that a business case was now required before any significant investment was made in IT. However, a third of organisations did not follow this through to see if the promised benefits were actually realised upon completion.

The Irish Times reports that Taoiseach Brian Cowen has announced the appointment of a board to oversee the Government’s new EUR500 million innovation fund. The fund is intended to support enterprise development and job creation. The scheme is to begin in September, with the State investing EUR250 million over five years, a sum which will be matched by private sector investment. The fund will be overseen by an advisory board chaired by Damien Callaghan of Intel Capital.