1,300 Extra Xerox Jobs Package Approved by Cabinet Harney Says Xerox Decision "Strategic" 400 Jobs Boost for Dundalk 900 Extra Employees For Blanchardstown Massive Vote of Confidence in Ireland - Tánaiste

Mary Harney, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced today (Thursday 17th June, 1999) that the Government had approved IDA Ireland's proposal to support a further IR£180 million (e228.55m) investment in Ireland by Xerox Corporation, in a number of projects which would increase their employment in Dundalk and Dublin by a further 1,300 jobs over the next 4 years.

"This very welcome decision by Xerox brings them into the top rank of businesses in Ireland and means that their total investment commitment to Ireland is now in excess of IR£360 million (e457.11m) with employment to reach 3,500 jobs" said the Tánaiste. "It is a most significant endorsement of the current and projected competitiveness of the Irish economy by one of the leading I.T. companies in the world and means that Ireland has become a strategic centre for the Xerox business in Europe," she stated.

The additional investment by Xerox will increase employment at its Dundalk plants to 1,900 employees. The Blanchardstown facilities will increase to 1,600 on completion of Xerox developments within four years.

The Tánaiste said that this was a model of the high value type of investment which the IDA, on behalf of the Government, is now promoting as the future of industrial development in Ireland. "Not only is it a strategic part of the Xerox global business into the future but the employment content of the Xerox projects in Ireland will provide a wide-ranging mix of jobs across very many skills, with third level graduates accounting for half of all the jobs."

Most of the new capital investment will be at the company's rapidly developing 110 acre campus site at Dundalk, where 5 separate facilities totalling 39,018 sq. metres (420,000 sq. ft). of factory space are already under construction and due for completion by the end of the first quarter next year. Dundalk will now be the European centre for colour toner and also for ink jet cartridge manufacturing, as well as providing integrated solutions for large corporate and Government customers in Europe. Total employment at Dundalk is planned to reach 1,900 jobs over the next 4 years, with a major recruitment programme now underway to begin this build-up of jobs. "This means that Dundalk will benefit from an additional 400 jobs over the original employment targets I announced in June 1998," said the Tánaiste.

Xerox, in Blanchardstown, Dublin, under the new development programme now approved by the Government, will substantially expand the shared services and multilingual customer support centre there, which originally was planned for 700 jobs. A total of 1,600 jobs is expected on completion of the new investments within 4 years. "Xerox already is ahead of schedule in the build-up at Blanchardstown, with over 600 people now employed and major developments underway on its much-enlarged site," the Tánaiste said.

Originally, Xerox acquired the former Claris 6,503 sq. metres (70,000 sq. ft) facility at Ballycoolin Industrial Park and extended this to 8,361 sq. metres (90,000 sq. ft.) Most recently the company has acquired a further 18 acres nearby from IDA Ireland and is currently constructing three more office buildings there totalling nearly 12,077 sq. metres (130,000 sq. ft.) "Xerox plans to build up employment at Blanchardstown very rapidly in the coming months and expects to double employment levels there by the end of this year," the Tánaiste concluded.