Tánaiste Announces MAPICS Inc to Establish New Software Development Centre in Athlone

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney T.D., announced today (Monday 13^th October 2003) that MAPICS Incorporated of the US, a well established and respected company in its segment of the software sector, is to establish a technical support and shared services centre in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, with the support of IDA Ireland. MAPICS is a developer of software designed specifically for use by mid-sized manufacturers and divisions of large corporations that have annual sales of between $20 million and $1 billion.

The Athlone centre will service MAPICS' Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) markets. It will create 55 new jobs over five years, half being recruited within three years. With responsibilities that include software localisation and testing, information technology support and financial management, it will largely require people with degrees and diplomas in software development, engineering, accounting and multilingual skills. Recruitment and operations are already underway at Monksland Business Park, Tuam Road, Athlone.

The Tánaiste, welcoming MAPICS to Athlone, said, "This investment is the result of the company's strategy to plan for future growth and to have just two international focal points, Athlone and Singapore. This places the Athlone operation at the heart of MAPICS' future global business strategy. This project contributes to IDA Ireland's objective of attracting high quality investment to the BMW region in Ireland. It will enhance Athlone as an attractive location for software companies where the required qualified and skilled people are available. It is a further boost in employment opportunities for the area following the recent announcement of the investment by Alienware Corporation for the town."

MAPICS' software is provided on two leading technology platforms, IBM and Microsoft, and includes functions such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM) and product lifecycle management (PLM).

MAPICS Inc, headquartered in Georgia, US, has more than 10,000 customers in 70 countries, which include leading manufacturers such as Bayer, Volvo, Medtronic, Honda and Ingersoll Rand. It employs 800 people worldwide and had revenues of over $128 million, with net profits of $13.7 million, for 2002. . The company is listed on NASDAQ.

ENDS/ETE 1144