Minister Martin announces 60 new jobs at Nortel Major investment at R&D facilities at Galway
Galway operation to spearhead company’s innovation drive
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin TD today (Wednesday 10th October 2007) announced that Nortel Networks Corporation, a global supplier of networking solutions, is implementing a significant research and development programme, with the support of IDA Ireland. This investment will create 60 new high level research positions over the next three years at Nortel Ireland’s Galway facility at the Mervue Business Park.
Nortel's facility in Galway is a world-class R&D centre where leading-edge products for corporate and enterprise customers are developed. The Galway operation's primary area of expertise is in the area of multimedia customer contact centres that handle communications not just over the phone but also via the web, email, and by video and text messaging. Galway also provides Nortel's customers with a showcase for new concepts and next-generation technologies which are designed to help eliminate today's barriers to efficiency, speed and performance by simplifying networks and connecting people to the information they need, when they need it.
Nortel Ireland was established in Galway in 1973 as a manufacturing facility. It subsequently expanded its activities to include sales and support, international finance and research and development. In 2002, Nortel Ireland was awarded the corporation’s global mandate for Contact Centre research and development, providing the campus with complete R&D responsibility for a critical Nortel product portfolio.
Minister Martin said “Nortel has an established and exemplary track record at its Galway facility. It has evolved from a manufacturing base to become a cutting edge and innovative centre of R&D excellence. The Irish facility has excelled within the Nortel parent corporation and is one of the few multinational companies in Ireland with full global R&D responsibility for a complete product portfolio. The staff and management of Nortel Ireland are to be congratulated for this remarkable achievement.”
The proposed R&D programme will focus on the research and development of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) platforms and enhancements to Nortel’s multimedia applications and eBusiness ordering tools. SOA is a methodology for designing software to create new applications simply and rapidly, regardless of the underlying technologies. Applications built on SOA enable businesses to be more agile and accurate while making better use of existing investments in network infrastructure.
The Galway team’s work on multimedia contact centres based on SOA is expected to provide enhanced applications and communications interfaces that improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. The enhanced eBusiness ordering tools will be consistent across Nortel’s portfolio, supporting Nortel’s value proposition of ‘Business made Simple’ as well as the go-to-market capabilities of the Nortel-Microsoft Innovative Communications Alliance (ICA).
Minister Martin, welcoming the investment, said “as investment in Research and Development is at the centre of Government policy this is excellent news from a global brand leader in the ICT sector. This knowledge-driven investment is highly significant for Ireland and in particular for Galway. As well as developing this highly sophisticated software and hardware technology, this investment is an endorsement by a world industry leader that Ireland is a primary location for the company’s future research and development requirements.”
Ollie Daniels, R&D leader, Nortel Ireland said "Today's investment is another significant milestone in the evolution of Nortel in Ireland. It is testament to the spirit of innovation that drives Ireland forward that the company has chosen Galway as the hub for this work that’s so integral to Nortel’s future.”
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Notes to Editor
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation was founded in 1895 as Northern Electric & Manufacturing and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Nortel’s networking solutions include hardware and software products and services that span access and core networks and support multi-media and business critical applications. Nortel Ireland was established in Galway in 1973 as a manufacturing facility but its corporate mandate was expanded to include sales and support, international finance and research & development (R&D). Nortel has a global workforce of 33,760 employees of which 255 are based in Galway. In May of 2007, Nortel invested $5million into the campus and opened a new customer partnering centre.
For further information:
Nortel Ireland David Silke 086 8501087 PR representation - Weber Shandwick FCC -Mary Bodley, Telephone: 01 676 0168
IDA Ireland – Press Office – Tel: 01 603 4000
Press Office, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment – Press Office: Tel: 01 631 2000
Last modified: 10/10/2007
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