IDA faces ‘fierce competition’ to attract jobs to the West

The IDA is facing “fierce competition” to attract Foreign Direct Investment to the West of Ireland – but the presence of global giants here acts as a top reference for Galway.

And with hundreds of jobs created by IDA-supported companies in Galway during 2017, the number of site visits here by potential investors is on the rise.

Government figures show there were a total of 43 IDA-sponsored site visits to County Galway up to the end of September 2017 (the most up-to-date figure available), which is up from 42 for all of 2016 and 41 for all of 2015.

The only county with more site visits was Dublin (247 up to the end of September 2017), while Cork had 38 and Westmeath 34.

IDA Ireland’s Head of Regional Development, Anne-Marie Tierney-Le Roux told the Connacht Tribune that while the agency has had a good success rate in attracting multinationals, it has been an extremely competitive process.

“Every investment for Galway and the West region is hard won and the agency competes with other European and global locations as well as other locations within Ireland.

“Competition is fierce, but we will continue to work hard to win any and all potential investment for Galway and the West.

“Galway has proven itself to be an excellent location for investment, as evidenced by the number of global companies of international repute that we have here. Our value proposition is strong, we have demonstrated that we can meet their needs; we have the skilled workers, connectivity, the required level of infrastructure, services and third-level institutes they look for, coupled with a robust and supportive business culture and we will leverage that to the fullest extent.

“Working with established companies to help them develop and grow jobs is an important focus for us and in 2017, we saw SAP and Shopify do just that, adding 250 new jobs between them.

“It’s important to note too that the move to new premises demonstrates considerable commitment by companies to Galway and the West region, as in the case of Wood Group and MetLife.

“We should also remember the companies in Galway and the West region who have great longevity, and the benefit to the local economy that has accrued from their long presence here.

“Companies like Penn Engineering who established operations in Galway 16 years ago and this year celebrated the company’s 75th anniversary with a substantial facility expansion,” said Ms Tierney-Le Roux.

Looking to the coming year, the IDA’s Acting Regional Business Development Manager for the West region, Emma Goode, said the outlook is very positive.

“There is a lot to be optimistic about. We have a vibrant technology hub here. Our Med Tech sector is strong. The presence of global companies in these spaces here in Galway acts as an excellent reference seller for further investment.

“Site visits by potential investors are up on 2016. Another plus is the new Advance Technology Building for Galway which is being constructed as part of IDA’s property investment programme for the West Region.

“Construction is underway and the property is being marketed by IDA as a turn-key solution for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). We have had enquiries about it already,” she said.

That development in Parkmore East will see 45,000 square foot of office space – for up to 300 workers – completed by the middle of 2018 by the IDA along with Singapore investment fund Fine Grain Properties.

Galway’s reputation as an excellent location for companies to establish operations was further enhanced by a number of job announcements in 2017, the IDA officials said.

Announcements were made by two established companies; global software company SAP in May (150 new jobs) and commerce platform company Shopify in July (100 jobs) and new Italian company Antares Vision in December (53 jobs).

“Other activity during 2017 included Wood Group’s official launch of its new Data Analytics Centre of Excellence with the company planning to grow the data analytics team to ten people by year end and with the intention of developing further employment opportunities this coming year.

“In May, OpenJaw Technologies, the travel software company, announced 50 jobs between operations in Galway and Dublin.

“In September Penn Engineering officially opened an 80,000 sq ft facility. The expansion brings the total footprint of Penn Engineering operations in Galway to in excess of 200,000 sq ft The company employs 200 people.

“Another company which opened new premises in Galway in 2017 was MetLife. The official opening of their new Global Technology Campus in Galway took place in November.

“With plans to employ approximately 200 skilled IT professionals when at full capacity, the new campus represents a major investment in the digital initiatives that will help MetLife transform its customers’ experience around the globe,” said Ms Goode.

Galway currently has 68 IDA Ireland client companies, providing employment to 16,851 people.