Cork yesterday received a series of jobs boosts with three com-panies announcing a total of 188 jobs, including one international company which is setting up a specialist software division and another setting up in the financial services sector.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin yesterday announced details of the establishment of Cork operations by American-owned software company, SolarWinds and Bermudan-headquartered fund administrator company, Apex Fund Services Ltd with both projects being supported by IDA Ireland.
SolarWinds is establishing its European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) headquarters at City Gate, Mahon, Cork, which will employ 75 people over three years in a range of activities including multilingual sales, technical and customer support, financial shared services, marketing and localisation.
"SolarWinds is a highly successful company and will be a very welcome addition to the software industry in Ireland. We are delighted the company chose Cork as the location for its EMEA headquarters and it joins a number of other companies who have located such operations there in the last couple of years," said Mr Martin.
"This investment was won against strong competition from other locations across Europe.
"Innovative companies like SolarWinds need and require a good availability of highly-educated people and a vibrant information and communications technology industry to develop and support its European customer base and they found such attributes in Cork."
SolarWinds president and chief executive officer Michael Bennett said the company had selected Ireland for its EMEA base because of the pool of talented individuals, the quality of living and strong support from the Government. He predicted that the company would grow its staff to 125 within five years.
Mr Bennett, who previously worked with Digital in Galway in the 1970s, said he was confident that Cork would become the company's headquarters for all its international business.
Meanwhile, details were also announced yesterday of the first fund administration company to set up its primary operation in Ireland outside of Dublin when Apex Fund Services Ltd unveiled its plan to employ some 40 people in Midleton in east Cork.
Earlier, Mr Martin announced the creation of 73 jobs in Macroom when a new joint venture company, Eirebloc Ltd, announced it is to invest €6 million with support from Enterprise Ireland in the creation of a new facility to manufacture composite pallet blocks.
