Siemens Establishes Global Centre of Competence for Secure E-Business in Dublin Expansion to Provide 250 New Jobs

Mary Harney T.D., Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment today (Wednesday 1 March 2000) welcomed the decision that Siemens - one of the world's largest electrical and electronics companies - has announced that its Irish subsidiary, SSE Ltd. is to be designated as a Global Centre of Competence for Secure e-Business.

"The announcement represents a further significant expansion in Ireland by Siemens AG, which last February announced the establishment of an International Services Centre at Penrose Wharf in Cork as part of their ongoing expansion in Ireland. The company is in discussion with IDA Ireland with a view to the creation of 250 jobs over four years at SSE Ltd. under the expansion announced today, bringing the total number of Siemens jobs in Ireland to 1000." said the Tánaiste.

SSE will become a leading provider of state-of-the-art information security solutions and will extend their product range to provide future-oriented, innovative technologies, including Biometrics, Smart Cards and Wireless Internet (WAP) Technologies. This unique suite of products and services for secure e-business communications will serve a range of markets including Telecommunications, Government, Healthcare, Finance/Banking and Industry.

Welcoming the development by Siemens, the Tánaiste said: "This investment by Siemens further demonstrates Ireland's important role in providing leading-edge solutions in the ICT industry and that the country was increasingly becoming a significant centre for knowledge-based activities in Europe. It endorses the increasingly global recognition of Ireland as a growing market for innovation in e-business, which is the primary sector of focus for new business development by IDA Ireland."

"This development is extremely attractive and strategic to Siemens in Ireland," said Richard Crowe, Managing Director of Siemens Limited. "This expansion is an integral part of Siemens global e-business and services offensive unveiled by our parent last week. The utilisation of knowledge as a strategic resource, and the co-ordination of the problem sharing capabilities of all Siemens on a global basis are key objectives. The expansion at SSE will enable our Irish subsidiary to play a leading role in the E-Business initiative of Siemens AG."

"The decision to locate the Global Centre of Competence in SSE was based on the quality of both our people and our products, underpinned by the advanced e-business environment in Ireland promoted by the IDA" he added.

Currently employing 50 people, SSE offers a powerful suite of "Trusted" security solutions for e-mail, Internet, Intranet/Extranet, Trust Centre, Attribute Certification, Electronic Data Interchange and digitally signed documents, utilising advanced digital signature and encryption technologies. SSE's complete security solution, with its flexible certificate management framework and advanced Smart Card integration, enables end-to-end secure e-business communication to leading corporations and government bodies globally.

Siemens AG (headquartered in Munich and Berlin) is one of the world's largest electrical and electronics companies with a turnover of over IR£47 billion and employing over 400,000 people in 190 countries. In Ireland Siemens employs over 700 people and has offices in Dublin, Cork and Belfast with support centres in 17 further locations. The company provides solutions, products and services across a broad range of market sectors including Information and Communication, Energy Generation and Distribution, Transportation, Industrial Systems, Healthcare, Electronic Components and Domestic Appliances. In fiscal year 1999, the Siemens Group in Ireland had a turnover of IR£200 million.