A hare ambled - mostly they run - across the lawn in front of the main Visitor Centre of the Intel campus at Leixlip in Co Kildare yesterday. "We have a great population of hares. We don't cut the grass and we have no dogs," Mr John McGowan, the site manager at Intel explained.
But the hares were the only beings ambling around the Leixlip campus. Everyone else was preparing for the big announcement of the multinational's expansion in the Republic. "Escort required" read the visitor's badge of local TD Mr Bernard Durkan. No! Not that kind of escort. In fact, everyone else had a similar tag. Between 4,800 and 4,900 people work in the Intel town at any given time. About 800 are construction workers or experts who service the high-technology tools used by the company. There are 1,500 parking spaces and as many again for construction workers on the site of the new facility.
Intel, with its three main-road entrances and numerous doors to the various buildings, could be regarded as an intrusion on the Co Kildare landscape. "We have a full-time person, Karina Howley, whose job it is to interact with the people in Leixlip, the Chamber of Commerce and near neighbours," said Mr McGowan. "We have a good relationship with the people of the village. We have a community advisory panel. We make sure we advise them of anything we're doing. Having a development over a sylvan valley wasn't always welcome, but they appreciate we've always consulted with them," he said.
"A lot of people who work here live in this area," says Ms Maria Power from Wexford. "Go into Kenny's pub in Lucan any night and you'll see." Ms Power, who did a degree in German and chemistry, works as an engineer in Intel. "People who work here live everywhere. They even move out towards Enfield and Kinnegad," she says. She has worked in Intel since leaving college. "There's a lot of change. It's a great place to work - that's a catchphrase, isn't it? - but there's an awful lot to learn . . . the whole safety side of things, opportunities to travel, to move within areas and carve out your own bonus to make up for it," she adds.
Mr Derek Fanning works in the training department. "We're very, very busy. Our deliverables are for the next two weeks. We're introducing new processes. We have to make sure all the skills are on the floor when Work Week 28 comes around . . . let me check . . . that's Monday, July 3rd. We have to have all the skills on the floor," he says, blinding everyone except techies with his words.
He talks about the virtual factory, meaning that Intel in Ireland is now on a par with Intel in Phoenix and Albuquerque.
Engineer Mr Dara O'Donovan is a group leader for the chemical vapour distribution group. "It's a very good place to work," he says. "Well, I would say that, wouldn't I? It's very well-organised, very well-structured and funded."
