Joint Enterprise Ireland/IDA Ireland mission a big success with great
potential for the future
Conclusion of Minister Bruton’s 22nd trade mission in 41 months in office
6th September 2014
26 jobs in Ireland and contracts worth almost €10million for Irish
companies were among the initial, immediate results of the trade and
investment mission to Australia, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation Richard Bruton TD announced at the conclusion of the mission
this weekend.
In addition, three Irish companies announced new office openings – two in
Sydney and one in Auckland, New Zealand, helping to create and sustain jobs
in Ireland.
Furthermore, dozens of leads for potential multinational investments in
Ireland, and for potential sales for Irish exporting companies, have been
created during the 5-day 3-city mission, which will be followed up in the
coming weeks and months.
The trade and investment mission to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra was
jointly organised by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.
32 Irish companies travelled on the mission and participated in over 160
one-to-one meetings with Australian companies targeting export and
investment opportunities across the financial services, travel,
telecommunications and IT for Healthcare sectors. While in Sydney the
opportunity was taken to bring in a number of key buyers from New Zealand
to meet with Irish companies participating on the mission.
Minister Bruton participated in over 40 high-level meetings and events
including:
· 7 one-on-one meetings with senior executives of Australian companies
considering making investments in Ireland or expanding operations
already here, arranged by IDA Ireland
· 6 one-on-one interviews with major Australian media outlets –
broadcast and print – as part of the Government’s campaign to
communicate the story of Ireland’s economic recovery abroad to help
facilitate increased investment here and raise awareness of Ireland
as a source of world-class, innovative products and services
· 6 political meetings and events, including one-on-one meetings with
the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for
Communications, the Assistant Minister for Employment and the Leader
of the Opposition
The 26 jobs will be created in two Australian companies in Ireland, in
investments supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
through IDA Ireland:
· iM3, the Australian owned Veterinary Dental Company is to create 20
jobs at its newly established European HQ in Stamullen, Co Meath
· ACS Consolidated Group Ltd, an aviation compliance specialist, is to
establish its European operations centre in Dublin, with the creation
of six jobs
Among the deals announced by Irish companies during the mission were:
· Kildare-based HealthComms announced a new expanded contract in
association with leading Melbourne care provider “Catholic Homes” for
its “MyHomeReach” technology which focuses on supporting independent
living, promotes social inclusion and enables the ongoing monitoring
of wellness while increasing service quality to its users.
· Slainte Healthcare announced that it is working with Calvary Health
Care Hospital Group to create a paperless hospital environment by
replacing paper patient charts with electronic software.
· Leading Edge Group, Cork, announced the signing of a major Lean
initiative with The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. The contract
will involve the delivery of a full suite of Lean training programs
to a cross-section of the Melbourne hospital staff in association
with the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association (AHHA).
· Lincor Solutions formally signed an exclusive agreement with
Australia’s leading provider of interactive patient care for the
hospital and aged care sectors – Hills Health Solutions
· Idiro, a leading provider of advanced data analytics based in Dublin,
announced a deal with 2degrees, a leading New Zealand mobile
operator, to provide data analytics for marketing.
· Fenergo, the leading provider of Regulatory Onboarding, Entity Data
and Client Lifecycle Management solutions for investment banks and
capital market firms, announced its expansion into Asia Pacific with
the creation of a local team based out of Sydney.
· Westbourne IT Global Services (Cork) announced that it will open a
new office in Auckland, New Zealand later this month, allowing the
company to provide a 24/7 “follow the sun” solution for its
customers. The New Zealand office will both enhance and increase
existing jobs in Cork as Westbourne IT’s Cork headquarters will
provide back office support for the expanding group.
· Solgari, the leading cloud telecommunication software services
provider, announced the opening of their new Sales and Support Office
in Sydney to support their growing customer base across the wider
Asia Pacific region.
In addition, Oneview Healthcare, one of the leading global providers of
patient engagement solutions for healthcare facilities, announced it has
reached agreement in principle to deploy its state-of-the-art software
solution in two high profile hospitals – one in Victoria and one in
Queensland with a combined value of approximately A$5 million.
Speaking from Sydney Minister Bruton said: “At the heart of our Action Plan
for Jobs is building a new, sustainable economy based on exports and
innovation. As the immediate results from this mission show, the openings
for innovative Irish companies to increase their sales to Australia and New
Zealand are real and tangible. There are also major opportunties for us to
attract multinational investment to Ireland from this part of the world.
There is a growing awareness of Ireland’s innovation and capabilities that
was evident in every meeting I attended - people in Government,
multinational companies, business and the media are more aware of Ireland,
more aware of the strengths we bring to the table, and very willing to do
business with us.
"I have said before that Irish companies are at the heart of the recovery
we are starting to see across our economy. The 32 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
companies 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 strong economic links with
Australia and New Zealand. The visit facilitated practical relationship
building for Irish companies with their current and prospective
counterparts in Australia, as well as raising the profile of Ireland at the
highest levels of Government and through engagement with the key Australian
media outlets. 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.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO, 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 are proven to provide a strong platform to
promote Ireland and Irish companies as strategic partners across multiple
sectors in key international markets. Trade missions also demonstrate how
Enterprise Ireland can act as a conduit for international buyers to access
Ireland’s world class goods and services. The announcements made by Irish
companies during this trade mission clearly demonstrate the opportunities
that exist for innovative and ambitious Irish companies in Australia and
New Zealand. Enterprise Ireland is committed to working closely with our
client companies as they grow their international sales and create
much-needed jobs in Ireland”.
John Conlon, Head of Asia Pacific Operations at IDA Ireland
said: “IDA
will continue to reach out to Australian companies to make them aware of
the investment opportunities that exist in Ireland. The two companies that
have announced their intentions to invest in Ireland, iM3 and ACS are
typical of the sort of business that we want to attract to Ireland. There
are over 35 Australian companies already located in Ireland, employing over
1,600 people which includes leading names such as Resmed, Macquarie,
Computershare and QBE.”