· First-ever joint trade mission with UK and NI Ministers to Singapore
a success – Bruton
· ASEAN region offers serious opportunities for Ireland – Enterprise
Ireland
13th February 2014
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD today
[Thursday] concludes a four-day trade and investment mission to Singapore
and Malaysia during which contracts worth €25 million and significant new
business partnerships were announced across the financial services, ICT and
education sectors. These announcements underline the growing opportunities
for Irish companies in the developing ASEAN region (Association of South
East Asian nations).
The mission of 42 Irish companies was organised by Enterprise Ireland in
close cooperation with IDA Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade and the Embassies of Ireland in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
While in Singapore, Minister Bruton also led the first ever joint Irish, UK
and Northern Ireland trade mission, along with UK Transport Minister
Stephen Hammond and Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster.
Among the announcements made during the mission were:
· Tango Telecom (Limerick) announced a major expansion deal with Robi
Axiata, one of the three largest mobile operators in Bangladesh.
· cut-e, a world leader in the design and implementation of innovative
online tests and questionnaires for recruitment, selection and
development, signed a deal to provide online psychometric assessments
to Morgan Advanced Materials in Asia.
· ICDL Asia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ECDL Foundation, announced
they have entered into an agreement with RVi Group Singapore to make
ICDL available throughout Myanmar.
· Quest Computing (Dublin) announced that its ASEAN subsidiary, AIMS
Software, is partnering with Tech Mahindra to provide joint Sales and
Marketing focus in addition to local System Integration delivery
capability.
· Atlantic Projects Company signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding)
with Malaysian company Serba Dinamik Group.
Among the more than 30 meetings and events which Minister Bruton
participated in during the 4-day mission were:
· An intensive programme of events aimed at facilitating increased
sales by Irish companies operating in South East Asia
· Meetings with the Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, the
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of International Trade and
Industry and Governor of the Central Bank
· A series of interviews and events with South East Asian regional and
national media aimed at communicating Ireland’s recovery story
· Visits to the Singapore Airshow, ST Aerospace, CRH’s new Asia Hub
offices, Creganna Tactx Medical’s Singapore facility as well as the
new Mead Johnson infant formula manufacturing facility where Wicklow
based company Dortek has supplied and installed over €1.3m of ultra
hygienic doors
· Meetings with SE Asian multinational companies considering investing
in Ireland, organised by IDA Ireland
· Reflecting the importance of the strong relationship Ireland has with
Malaysia in the education sector, Minister Bruton visited the
Education in Ireland office in Tunku Abdul Rahman University College
and Kolej Mara Banting, the elite feeder college for Malay students
Speaking from Kuala Lumpur before departing for Ireland, Minister Bruton
said: "Supporting increased exports by Irish companies is at the very heart
of our Action Plan for Jobs, and we have put in place a range of new and
increased supports to deliver this goal, including doubling the number of
trade missions. Growing markets like South East Asia offer huge
opportunities for Irish companies.
“The contracts announced and the partnerships signed during the last four
days clearly demonstrate the scale of opportunity for Irish companies
willing to commit to doing business in this vast region of 600million
people. This trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia is part of a continued
drive by Government to target growth markets and support exporting
companies to sell more of their products and services abroad, and help
sustain and create jobs in Ireland.
"I am also delighted to say that the first joint trade mission by Ireland,
Northern Ireland and UK was highly successful. It attracted an impressive
list of companies that demonstrated our considerable combined strengths in
the aerospace sector at Asia’s largest airshow. I am confident this
initiative will lead to enhanced opportunities for our companies in this
important sector, and ultimately more jobs in Ireland”.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, who accompanied Minister Bruton
on the mission, commented:
“ASEAN offers serious opportunities for Ireland. Irish companies and
education institutions are winning more and more business in the region
matched by an increasing interest among ASEAN companies in Ireland as a
location for setting up new operations to target the European market. Trade
missions are a key part of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy to grow Irish
export sales by opening doors, making high-level introductions and helping
our client companies to exploit the opportunities that exist in global
markets.”