HP expansion to go ahead as planned

Date Published: 24-May-2012

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

Hewlett Packard workers in Galway are unlikely to escape unscathed from the company’s global ‘restructuring’ programme – however, plans for a massive new office block in Ballybrit are likely to proceed, the Galway City Tribune understands.

The technology giant announced on Wednesday evening that it would be cutting a total of 27,000 jobs, which represents 8% of its global workforce.

HP employs a total of 4,000 in Ireland, with around 600 of these at their premises in the Ballybrit Business Park.

A company spokesperson told the Galway City Tribune that there are no specifics in relation to the job cuts, other than the “reductions will impact just about everywhere”.

However, there is hope that any potential job losses in Galway will be minimal – the company is driving investment in the areas of cloud computing, big data and security – in 2010 HP secured Galway’s status as a cloud computing hub, after winning a major international contract to develop a ‘track and trace’ system to remove potentially harmful food, healthcare and other products from supply chains.

Chief Executive Meg Whitman said the restructuring plan is broad-based and will “touch all of HP” – the cutbacks will be implemented by the end of the company’s financial year in 2014.

However, the Galway City Tribune understands that a planning application for a new 90,000 square foot office block in Ballybrit – beside their existing offices – will be lodged with Galway City Council, probably in July. The block will accommodate around 800 people, allowing a move from its existing building which is 40 years old.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.