150 new jobs and the establishment of R&D activities for Killarney and Waterford

Tánaiste announces almost 150 new jobs and the establishment of R&D activities for Killarney and Waterford

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney T.D., announced today (Monday 5^th April 2004) that three new IDA Ireland supported investments, two being expansions by existing companies in Killarney and one a new operation in Waterford, are to create almost 150 new jobs and establish research and development (R&D) activities. "This further underlines Ireland's continuing attractiveness for new investments where the calibre of available people and the infrastructure count more than lower costs. It confirms what other investors have said during the past year -`that the right location is not all about cost, but is more about ensuring the success of the project'," said the Tánaiste.

Two of the investments are for Killarney, Co. Kerry -

Dollinger (Ireland) Limited, established for over 20 years, is to be expanded and established as the global centre for production of its compressed air products and will have global responsibility for the development of a particular product. The €1.1 million investment will create over 70 new jobs over the next four years and has resulted in Dollinger re-locating to larger premises in the town.

Liebherr Container Cranes Limited, which has been in the town for 46 years and is one of the longest established IDA supported companies in Ireland, is to recruit 6 highly skilled R&D personnel for a new R&D specialised team. The team, which will be of strategic importance to the parent company and will enhance the facility's role as the centre-of-control for Liebherr's container crane products, will develop products from concept through to product launch. In addition, any Intellectual Property (IP) developed will be the property of the Irish company.

The third investment is for Waterford City -

Ubiqus SA, of France, is to establish a centre for report writing to produce high value reports of spoken events such as conferences, seminars and meeting for US and UK clients. It will create 69 new jobs over five years and it chose Waterford because of the quality of graduates available, an important factor in its operation, as about 80% of the jobs will be for graduates.

Notes for Editors.

Dollinger (Ireland) Limited

Dollinger (Ireland) Limited in Killarney, Co. Kerry, is to be expanded and established by its parent company SPX Air Treatment as the global centre for production of its compressed air products and will have global responsibility for the development of a particular product. In a €1.1 million investment, which is supported by IDA Ireland, it will create over 70 new jobs over the next four years in production and in areas such as customer service, engineering, procurement, planning and stores.

Dollinger has re-located in Killarney to a larger 45,000 sq. ft. existing building, which it is leasing from IDA Ireland. This will double the manufacturing and warehousing space currently available at the company and will offer scope for future possible expansion.

The Tánaiste, welcoming the investment, said "this expansion will provide an important boost for South Kerry, through the new jobs being created and the resultant increased contribution to the economy. Dollinger's resilience over 20 years in Killarney, its strong operational performance and now its transformation into a global centre are a tribute to the commitment of the local management team and workforce. Killarney is a priority town for IDA as a Hub in the National Spatial Strategy and as a location in which IDA wishes to build a critical mass. It will continue at the forefront of IDA's marketing for further new investment."

Dollinger has operated in Killarney since 1981. It employs 62 people and is responsible for two main product lines - the traditional Dollinger business which provides filtration solutions to the gas, power and chemical industries and a specialised manufacturing line in compressed air filters and elements. Dollinger became part of SPX Corporation in 2001, when SPX acquired United Dominion Industries.

SPX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global multi-industry company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, US. Founded in 1911, SPX has annual sales of over $5 billion and more than 22,000 employees in over 20 countries.

Mr. Patrick Dennehy of Dollinger in Killarney, said "this investment will give our Killarney operation global responsibility for the development of a particular product and will help to raise the strategic importance of our Irish operation and further embed its profile within the wider SPX group."

Mr. James Doherty, President of SPX Air Treatment, based in Ocala, Florida, said "we are delighted to announce this increased investment in Killarney and we look forward to a deeper relationship between SPX and Ireland in the years to come."

Liebherr Container Cranes Limited

Liebherr International AG, one of the world's largest family owned businesses and a global leading manufacturer best-known for its cranes and construction machinery, is to implement a strategic expansion of its R&D activities, with the support of IDA Ireland, at its Irish operation - Liebherr Container Cranes Limited - which was established in Killarney, Co. Kerry, in 1958.

The R&D investment will recruit an additional 6 highly skilled R&D personnel for the establishment of a new specialised R&D team to develop new products from concept, through production, to full product launch and to manage the on-going developments and modifications required by customer's changing requirements.

The Tánaiste, welcoming the investment, said, "It will further enhance the Killarney facility's strategic role as the centre-of-control for Liebherr's container crane products and will provide a substantial increase to the level of technical expertise and industry knowledge that already exists at the facility. In addition, any Intellectual Property (IP) developed by the team will be the property of the Irish company. It will also further increase the facility's crucial role in its Group's worldwide business."

Mr. Pat O' Leary, Director of Liebherr said "This support for further investment in R&D facilities at Liebherr will insure that the Killarney plant consolidates its position within the International Liebherr group as one of its engineering strongholds with the ability to innovate and develop products at the highest technological level. This development underlines the commitment of Liebherr to its Irish operation and confirms the confidence within the group in the technical ability of Irish technical and engineering graduates."

The Tánaiste continued, "Liebherr's Irish management and workforce are to be congratulated for winning this new investment and for the important contribution the company has made for 46 years to the local economy of Killarney through its crane manufacturing facility and its ownership of three hotels in the area."

Liebherr currently employs over 400 people at the Killarney facility, with over 30 of these being employed in R&D. Since 1972 the Irish operation has been responsible, within the Group, for worldwide marketing, R&D, design, manufacturing, erection and after-sales service of Liebherr's container cranes. It was Liebherr's first investment outside of Germany when it was established in 1958 to produce large tower cranes. In 1967 it began to produce container gantry cranes. As international freight traffic has grown over the last three decades and demand has increased for larger and more sophisticated container cranes, the Killarney facility has continuously improved its technical ability and its product offerings, undertaking a major expansion in the late 1990s.

This R&D initiative is being implemented by Liebherr in line with its strategy to expand its product range to provide the global crane market with a complete range of maritime load handling equipment. The Killarney facility's products currently included rail mounted gantry cranes and rubber tyre gantry cranes, used in shipping to load and unload containers and to move containers around ports.

Liebherr International AG, in addition to the production of cranes and construction machinery such as excavators, loaders and concrete equipment, also produces a wide variety of products and services in a number of industrial fields such as aircraft, it is one of Airbus' largest suppliers; refrigeration; transport technology and is the owner of hotels. It is headquartered in Bulle, Switzerland, and is managed by second generation members of the Liebherr family. It was established in 1949 and employs 21,000 people at 25 locations in 11 countries.

Ubiqus SA

Ubiqus SA, of France, is to establish a centre for report writing in Waterford City, with the support of IDA Ireland, to produce high value reports of spoken events such as conferences, seminars and meetings mainly for US and UK clients. It will create 69 new jobs over five years. About 80% of the jobs will be for report writers. These employees will be graduates in a range of disciplines including business, finance and management, and must have good writing skills. The balance of the jobs will be in proof-reading, planning, back-office activities and management. Recruitment is already underway.

Ubiqus produces the reports to a length which is usually specified by the client. This can range from 20 pages per event hour down to a highly edited summary of 2 pages, which requires more processing, adds more value for the client and commands a higher price. The Waterford centre will produce reports ranging from 2 pages per event hour to 15 pages. It will also have the capability to translate other languages into English.

The Tánaiste, welcoming the investment, said, "Ubiqus chose Waterford because of the level of calibre of people available, rather than on the basis of cost. This again confirms what several other investors said throughout 2003 that `the right location is not all about cost, but is more about ensuring the success of the project'. This investment is a further significant boost for Ireland's reputation as a leading location for knowledge-led high-value international services projects."

Mr. Guillaume Dumortier of Ubiqus, confirming its reasons for choosing Waterford, said "We see a good fit between the skills requirements of this centre and the graduates of the Waterford Institute of Technology as well as graduates of other Irish Colleges who reside in the South East region. We studied other English-speaking locations across the world, and while they offered lower costs than Ireland, we chose Ireland because of the higher level of written and literary skills we found there."

Ubiqus, established in Paris in 1989, is a private company employing 170 people. Its reports can be delivered to the client immediately at the end of an event, where a writer and editor attend the conference, or several hours to several days later where audiotapes of the event are used for the report. It also offers a range of related services including stenotyping, translation and simultaneous interpretation.

Ubiqus' customers are large companies, government departments, utilities, labour organisations and specialised events. With 1,500 clients, its largest include Aventis, AXA, Pfizer and the French Ministry for Labour. Its main markets are France, US and the UK and it had sales of over €16 million, with a net income of over €1.5 million, for 2002. It has centres for report writing in Paris, New York, Redwod City in California and London

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