Projects will lead to at least 20 jobs in Ireland
13 bilateral meetings with IDA Ireland target companies, as well as
engagements with dozens more multinationals
28th June 2014
Contracts between Irish and Asian companies worth just under €5million and
the creation of 20 jobs were among the initial, immediate results of the
5-day Enterprise Ireland trade mission to China and Korea, the Minister for
Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD announced today
(Saturday) as the mission finished.
In addition, investments of €36million in business opportunities in Asia
were agreed by Irish companies during the week-long trade and investment
mission.
The announcement comes at the end of a five-day programme to Beijing,
Shanghai and Seoul, in which 41 companies participated, targeting export
and investment opportunities for Irish companies across sectors including
Financial Services, Clean technologies, Information & Communication
Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, Agricultural Technologies, Medical Devices
and Education.
The trade and investment mission also included 13 bilateral meetings with
IDA Ireland target companies, as well as engagements with many more such
companies in a group setting, during which many projects with potential to
create jobs in Ireland were discussed and advanced.
Speaking from Seoul Minister Bruton said: "At the heart of our Action Plan
for Jobs is building a new, sustainable economy based on exports and
innovation. As part of this strategy we have put in place a number of
measures including doubling the number of trade missions and putting extra
IDA and Enterprise Ireland staff in foreign markets.
"This is my sixth trade and investment mission to Asia since taking office,
and the intensity of visits by other Ministers to this part of the world
has also seen a major step up. As the immediate results from this mission
show, we are really starting to see the concrete signs of progress in these
markets. This progress was evident in every meeting I attended - people in
Government, business and the media are more aware of Ireland, more aware of
the strengths we bring to the table, and more willing to do business with
us.
"I have said before that Irish entrepreneurs and business-people are the
real heroes of the recovery we are starting to see across our economy. The
41 companies who participated in this mission, some of whom have finalised
deals, others of whom have made major progress, have done great work over
this week. These are the pioneers who will drive our employment recovery,
and I wish them every success with pursuing the opportunities that have
developed over the past week".
In line with Enterprise Ireland’s strategy, the objective of the Trade
Mission was to build on Ireland’s existing economic links with China and
Korea. The visit facilitated practical relationship building for Irish
companies with their current and prospective counterparts in both markets,
as well as raising the profile of Ireland at the highest levels of
Government. Over the course of the five day programme introductions were
made, contacts developed and business relationships progressed from which
significant increases in exports and jobs by Irish companies are targeted
over the coming years.
Among the deals announced during the mission were:
Accuris Networks announced a strategic partnership with Autelan, the
biggest Chinese-based Wi-Fi infrastructure provider to bring seamless,
secure Wi-Fi offload to Chinese mobile carriers such as China Mobile, China
Unicom and China Telecom as well as carriers in the Asia-Pacific region and
Africa.
OpenJaw Technologies, leading online technology partner to the world’s
biggest travel brands, announced plans to grow its operation into Asia
Pacific, from a new office base in Hong Kong.
Med-tech firm ArraVasc Ltd., based in Galway, signed a new contract with a
leading medical device distributor Shanghai Micro Medical worth at least
$3.5m of business for new peripheral vascular products. The contract will
help to create at least 20 new jobs over the next 2-3 years.
Irish company ChinaHR, the largest Irish employer in China, announced plans
for the further significant expansion of its operations. Announcing an
investment of €30 million, the company aims to provide full HR solutions
throughout China. The investment includes the launch this week of the
company’s HTLM5 mobile website which will significantly strengthen its
online offering. ChinaHR has a very strong presence both online and
offline, having grown by 60 per cent and placed 1 million jobs in the last
twelve months.
Clavis Insight, a technology leader at the forefront of the consumer
packaged goods (CPG) eCommerce revolution, announced the opening of a new
office in Shanghai to support their growing customer base in the
Asia-Pacific region. This comes at a time when China has surpassed the US
as the largest eCommerce market in the world.
Dublin-based Cylon Controls announced a Joint Venture (JV) in China with
Sinosteel. The estimated investment from Sinosteel will be approx. €6m, and
the JV will locally manufacture Cylon’s Building Management Systems which
are widely used in public building and commercial properties.
Datalex plc, a leading provider of e-commerce and retail solutions to the
travel industry, announced the opening of a new office in Beijing.
Keelings Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keelings Group, announced
that it will further expand its roots in China through co-operation with
the Bright Food (Group) Corporation Limited in fresh produce supply chain
innovation and standardization through its Shanghai subsidiary (Green
Island Keelings Solutions Information Technology – Shanghai). The deal is
worth in excess of €1m.
Ocuco, leading providers of retail software solutions and lab management
solutions to independent optical practices, medium sized groups, large
chains, optical labs and ophthalmology clinics announced the opening of a
new office in Shanghai to support their growing business in China.
Zenith Technologies based in Cork has partnered with the Chinese division
of ABB, a Global Electrical conglomerate, to provide state of the art
technology solutions and platforms for the emerging Chinese Life Science
Industry.
Summit Bridge Capital, a leading technology growth capital investor and
manager of the China Ireland Technology Growth Fund, announced the creation
of a first-ever China-based executive networking and relationship group
that will connect C-level Irish Executives with their Chinese counterparts.
The high-level group, Sino-Irish Technology Executive Society (SITES), will
bring together leading technology executives from the Republic of Ireland
and the People's Republic of China for a number of forums each year to
promote cross-border trade.
Dublin-based company Fishtree, providers of one of the world’s leading
learning platforms, signed a strategic alliance to partner with SK Telecom,
Korea’s leading telecommunications company, and a global leader in
innovation. The partnership is focused on offering new and combined
solutions for classrooms all over the world, with leading hardware,
software and content solutions.
Kevin Sherry, Head of International Sales and Partnering with Enterprise
Ireland, who is accompanying Minister Bruton on the trade mission added: “A
key element of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to grow indigenous Irish
companies on a global scale. Ministerial-led trade missions provide a
strong platform to promote Ireland and Irish companies as strategic
partners across multiple sectors in growing markets like China, and
demonstrate how Enterprise Ireland can act as a conduit for international
buyers to Ireland’s world class goods and services. The announcements made
by Irish companies during this trade mission clearly demonstrate the
opportunities that exist for highly innovative and ambitious Irish
companies in China and Asia. Enterprise Ireland will continue to
work
closely with our client companies as they grow their international
footprint and create much-needed jobs in Ireland”.
ENDS