Minister warms to Thermo King on fact-finding visit

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, recently completed a two-day trade and investment mission to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway jointly organised by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.

The objective of the initiative is to maximise procurement opportunities for Irish companies with Ireland-based multinational companies.

As part of the Action Plan for Jobs, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland are working together to deliver more sales for Irish companies out of the global supply chains of multinationals based in Ireland.

Thermo King Galway took part in the Galway event held in the Radisson Blu Hotel.

Over the course of the two days more than 300 one-to one meetings took place between 150 indigenous Irish companies and 75 multinational companies, giving Irish companies the opportunity to engage directly with procurement teams from multinational companies across a wide range of sectors.

After the event the Minister and senior IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland staff visited the Thermo King Galway plant.

Thermo King employs 550 people directly with approximately a further 300 local jobs dependent on the business. It has a long and fruitful history of partnering with local suppliers, both for direct and indirect purchases.

The Minister was particularly interested in plans to sustain and increase that Irish supply base going forward. The wider site story was also presented – the evolution of manufacturing, the importance of safety, employee engagement, continuous investment in lean/automation, potential R&D projects at the Galway site and the importance of IDA/Government support. To conclude the visit the minister and team were given a plant tour of the manufacturing areas.