First new Limerick jobs for two years

The first new IDA jobs for Limerick city in more than two years were yesterday announced by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney.

In a jobs boost for the midwest, Ms Harney announced the creation of 180 jobs in three existing companies with 80 jobs going to two Limerick firms - Cook Ireland Ltd, a medical device company, and Power-One Ireland Ltd, a power conversion tool manufacturer.

The remaining 100 jobs are to be created in Ennis, where Organic Lens Manufacturing Essilor is to implement a €6.5 million investment, bringing the numbers working at the plant to 285. Limerick and Ennis have fallen behind other cities and towns in job creation in recent years through general failure to secure new foreign investment.

The last IDA jobs announced for Limerick by the Tánaiste were in May 2002. Ennis has lost 400 light industrial jobs since 2000 through a number of company closures.

However, the Tánaiste said yesterday that the 180 jobs created through the three separate investments "demonstrate the Government's ongoing commitment to the midwest region and IDA Ireland's strenuous efforts to win more high-value investments that will provide new employment opportunities".

Fifty of the jobs will be created at Cook Ireland, through the establishment of a European shared services centre at its facility at the National Technological Park in Limerick.

The company already employs 174 people and the new centre will be responsible for customer service, sales support, accounts, human resources and information technology.

At Power-One, 29 jobs will be created through the company expanding its design team and establishing its European customer and technical support centre at its R&D and pilot manufacturing operation at Raheen Business Park.

The 100 new jobs at Organic Lens in Ennis will be created over a five-year period in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, distribution, quality control and administration.

The Tánaiste said: "This will strengthen the Ennis company's strategic position within Essilor internationally. It is also extremely important for Ennis as it further embeds the operation in the town and secures the existing employment."

On the Limerick jobs' announcement, Limerick east Labour TD Ms Jan O'Sullivan welcomed the news. She said, however: "Today's announcement is a bright spot on what has been a bleak landscape in recent times, where there have been a number of job losses with no new jobs announced."

"Industry Ennis" is an initiative established in 2001 to attract new jobs for Ennis. Spokesman, Mr Joe Saunders welcomed the announcement, stating that this brings to 333 the number of industrial jobs created in Ennis since the organisation was established.