DSC Communications Corporation (DSC), the electronics firm which is setting up in Drogheda, Co Louth, will begin recruitment immediately. The company's arrival brings to £470 million the amount invested in new electronics projects, representing 9,500 jobs, so far this year.
The DSC plant will involve an investment of £17 million, including IDA Ireland support, and will create 475 jobs. It is the 44th project which the IDA has brought into Ireland this year.
The Texas based DSC Communications Corporation supplies digital switching transmission and access equipment for the telecommunications industry. The company believes that the European and Asian markets have the single largest concentration of need and demand for telecommunication services in the world.
DSC currently employs more than 6,000 people worldwide and has major development facilities in six countries. It was established in Dallas 14 years ago and it has an annual market growth of over 35 per cent in the US.
Recruitment of a management team has already begun. More than half of the jobs will be in manufacturing, according to the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton.
"The Drogheda operation is designed to provide software development, procurement and complex technical support to DSC's sales and service centres in Europe, in addition to manufacturing," he said.
The company is locating in the former home of Brother Ireland Industries in the Donore Road Industrial Estate. Last year Brother moved to a smaller premises nearby, making the factory available to IDA Ireland.
It is exactly 12 months since the Minister visited Drogheda to announce that American Power Conversion Corporation (APC) was to invest £40 million in Ireland and locate plants in Drogheda, Gillogue, Co Clare, Castlebar, Co Mayo and expand its current Galway facility. APC was to move into the same factory that DSC Communications will now occupy.
The APC project for Drogheda would have created 290 jobs. IDA regional manager for the east and north east, Mr Michael Mullally, also confirmed the project for Gillogue would not proceed, but the APC investments in Galway and Castlebar would.
He said the IDA is involved in ongoing dialogue with APC as it had been with DSC and "the IDA saw a fit between DSC's needs, and the scale of employment and the ability of Drogheda to meet those needs".
"APC is a very big player and has continued to invest and reinvest in Galway. The company will need additional capacity and this will be met in the west of Ireland," he said.
Mr Mullally said negotiations regarding Drogheda had been very protracted". He added that the IDA would be redoubling its efforts to promote Gillogue.
It is believed APC confirmed it would not be going ahead in Drogheda yesterday morning.
Mr Bruton said he did not regard the APC situation as a closed case.
