TOP STORIES THIS MONTH

GOOD NEWS ON JOBS FRONT

WITh limerick still in running as one of the preferred locations for a 1,000 job online payment centre for the PayPal corporation, there was further good news on the employment front with five local firms announcing expansion plans involving the creation of 150 new jobs.

This brings the number of IDA-backed jobs confirmed for the region this year to over 400 with Dell and Analog involved in major expansions on the Raheen industrial estate.

ON Semi-Conductor is to invest around €13 million to expand its design centre in Raheen with 69 engineering jobs being created over the next four years.

Thirty jobs are to be created in Shannon by the end of 2012 by a new company, Eco-Eir Renewables, which manufactures, installs and maintains small domestic wind-turbines for homes, small businesses and farms.

360 Degrees, the Lisnagry-based maintenance and project management company, is to expand its workforce by between 20 and 25 jobs following their acquisition of a new agency to prevent water pipes freezing during cold weather. US specialist business information company Glass, lewis & Co has announced plans to set up a new office in Limerick with up to 15 jobs being created in the first year, with the potential for further employment.

Indigenous energy firm, Procad Engineering is set to create 10 jobs over the next year, as part of an Energypoint initiative launched at its base at the Raheen Conference Centre. The investment at ON Semi-conductor is aimed at enhancing its research and development capabilities for power efficient solutions for use in computing and consumer applications. The jobs boost comes as an industry-led survey by MIDAS among microelectronic firms indicated Ireland has the ability to create 2,000 jobs in the sector over the next five years.

The industry is already a significant employer and major contributor to the economy, employing more than 8,000 people in over 50 companies. Over 25% of the roles are in R&D. MIDAS chairman and director of ON Semiconductor John Blake said there needs to be increased focus on the provision of support for start-up companies in the sector. Jobs Minister Richard Bruton welcomed the announcement and said the Government is determined to take advantage of the country’s potential in the sector.

Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes moves are continuing to promote the former Dell manufacturing plant on the Raheen industrial estate as the site for PayPal’s new customer support centre.

PayPal is the global leader in online payment solutions. It was founded in 1998 and has 123 million customers in 103 markets worldwide.

 

BEST HOTEL BAR

The Dunraven Arms hotel in Adare has won the Best hotel Bar award at the National hospitality awards for the second year in a row. Louis Mur- phy, proprietor, said that to win the award for a second time was a great honour and they were “delighted to have become an established place for families to come for an informal meal or for people to enjoy a drink in relaxed, comfortable surroundings. All credit to our fantastic, hard working staff’.

 

CASTLE FUND AVOIDS CUTS

The redevelopment of limerick city’s top tourism attraction will go ahead as planned after it was included in theGovernment’s Infrastructure and Capital Investment programme.

Despite fears that Government cutbacks would result in the postponement of the €5.7 million renovation of King John’s Castle, funding for the project was confirmed with almost €5 million allocated through Failte Ireland and the balance to be provided by Shannon Development.

Welcoming the announcement, Mayor of Limerick, Cllr. Jim Long, said the investment would provide a significant boost for the regional tourism sector. “We were worried we would lose out and it is great news because there will be a lot of focus on King John’s Castle next year as it celebrates its 800th birthday,” he added.

 

HIGH BUSINESS COSTS

ISME says the National Competitiveness Coun- cil needs to investigate the costs for small and medium enterprises. The group has criticised the Government for its failure to address is- sues that block business success and claims the cost of doing business in Ireland, and the lack of credit are the two main reasons that companies are failing.

 

LIT JOBS SUCCESS

Almost 600 of the 900 students who graduated from the limerick Institute of Technology last year have found work with more than half of them being employed in the Mid-West region. LIT careers officer Joanne Holland said that “while times are difficult for graduates at pre- sent, there does seem to be a steady improve- ment, with an extra 15 per cent of lIT gradu- ates securing employment in 2010 than in 2009”. While acknowledging that it remained a “diffi- cult” environment for job seekers, lIT president Dr Maria Hinfelaar said the picture was not as bleak as it was painted by some commentators.

 

€23M SPORTS TOURISM PRIZE UP FOR GRABS

With sports tourism worth an estimated €60 million a year to the Shannon region, up to 71,800 extra bednights could be created through diaspora sports projects.

Addressing the National Sports Conference in Limerick last week, Mark O’Connell of Focus Consulting said the Government announcement of ‘The Gathering’ Diaspora 2013 project could generate an additional €23 million in sports tourism revenue for the region

Organized by Shannon Development, the ‘Positive change through sport’ conference highlighted the economic and social benefits of sport, as limerick’s reign as a European City of Sport 2011 draws to a close.

Arts and Heritage Minister Jimmy Deenehan said that in achieving ‘European City of Sport’ status, limerick had a great opportunity to use sport to address the need for regeneration, in a creative and dynamic way. We need to keep Sport and physical activity top of the agenda to ensure we develop healthy lifestyles from an early age”

Commenting on the benefits of the Diaspora 2013 project, Mark O’Connell said that Focus Consulting estimated that diaspora sports projects could generate a 38 per cent increase in sports tourism revenue for the region. “Capitalising on the legacy of limerick 

European City of Sport 2011, the Diaspora Project has the potential to attract more sports based tourism to limerick city and the wider Shannon Region. The core element of diaspora 

strategies is to encourage temporary return visits to the homeland. These include short, targeted visits by highly skilled expatriates who may be working in the global sports tourism industry. Diaspora sports tourism could be developed across a variety of sectors including international sports conferences and events; specialist training centres; mass participation events, sport themed festivals and elite sporting events,” Mr. O’Connell added.

highlighting the impact of limerick’s reign as a European City of Sport, Shannon Development Chief Executive, Dr. Vincent Cunnane said that sports events in limerick and the Shannon Region would generate an estimated €70 million this year and €10 million of this would be as a direct result of the European City of Sport project.

“Our aim has always been to turn the European City of Sport into a legacy event that would have a beneficial impact not just for one year, but for the years ahead. We are delighted that we have a strong pipeline of exciting new sports tourism related events for next year and beyond which will be announced as they are finalised,” he said

 

€20M COURT ORDERS

Anglo Irish Bank has secured judgment orders of more than €20 million on loans and guaran- tees of two property companies behind the pro- posed development of a hotel and a park-and- ride project at the Cliffs of Moher. Mr Justice Peter Kelly granted judgment for €10.4 million against John Flanagan, of Ballyvara House, Doo- lin; €6.4 million against Gerard lillis of Cree, Kilrush and €3.35 million against Ted Joyce, of Marine Village, Ballina. The claim arose mainly from the liabilities of Liscannor Properties Ltd and Atlantis Development ltd and guarantees provided by the defendants who consented to the orders.

 

LIFE AFTER COLLIER

Regardless of Minister Varadkar’s decision on its future ownership, Shannon airport will have a new boss following Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) chief executive Declan Collier’s decision to take up a new role as chief executive of lon- don City airport. his decision not to renew his contract next April comes five months after he opted to forego a bonus of €106,000 following a confrontation between Minister Varadkar and the DAA board. Mr. Collier, who was appointed chief executive of the body that manages Dub- lin, Cork and Shannon airports in April 2005, received a salary of €308,000 last year.

'CEAD MILE FAILTE' HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A SNARL

ThE man who turned the Jurys group into Ireland’s most successful hotel brand has claimed that the traditional Irish 'cead mile failte' has been replaced by a snarl and we have a long way to go to get back to our internationally renowned welcome.

National Roads Authority chairman Peter Malone, who is a graduate of the Shannon College of Hotel Management, told delegates at the 23rd annual Clare Tourism conference in Ennistymon that Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland should be merged into one agency.

"We have lost the friendliness that we became famous for. Staff don't say 'please', don't say 'thank you'.

The little touches that I learned all over the years in Jury's, they're gone.

"You get into a lift in any hotel, staff won't even say 'good morning' or 'good evening' to you. Go into a shop, go into a post office, go in anywhere, we snarl at people." 

"Unless we stop the rot soon and improve training and standards in our country, the friendliness will not return.

We have a long way to go. Food in restaurants and bars are at unreal prices.

Even a cup of tea or coffee is often €2.25 or more. Take your children out now at your peril as they are charged just as much as an adult."

Calling for the merging of agencies Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, Mr Malone said: "There is great confusion all over the country in the tourism sector as to who is doing what job and the industry has become frustrated. When we had the one agency, Bord Failte, it was much better."

Mr. Malone said the new Tourism Minister leo Varadkar was "really keen in cutting back on quangos and this is an ideal thing to do now to put everyone back into one tourism body".

 

200 JOBS ON THE LINE IN CLARE

OVER 400 staff at two medical diagnostics plants in Clare and Galway are awaiting news of company plans that are likely to see one of the facilities close.

Beckman Coulter has operated from the Mervue Business Park in Galway for more than three decades and employs about 200 people. In 2009, Beckman took over the former Olympus Diagnostics plant at lismeahan, between Tulla and O’Callaghan’s Mills in East Clare, where another 200 are employed. However, this year, Beckman Coulter, including both Irish plants,was purchased by US medical giant Danaher Corporation. The Irish facilities, which have retained the Beckman Coulter name and identity, develop, manufacture and market products used in complex biomedical testing. It is now feared that as many as half of the existing positions from both plants combined will be lost following a review of the Irish operation.

Workers were due to be informed of company plans earlier this week, but staff have since been told an announcement will be made “before the end of the week”. While Beckman leases the facility in the Mervue Business Park, the company owns the site in Co Clare, which has been upgraded in recent years.

Workers in Galway fear the operation will be centralised to Clare. however, workers in Clare are equally afraid the opposite may occur, and that they will have to travel almost 80km to the Mervue Business Park. There have also been reports that the company could also be considering the closure of both plants and moving the Irish operation to a greenfield site.

While the Danaher Corporation has not commented on the imminent announcement, a company statement last October: “As we are mindful that the environment is likely to be more challenging going forward, we anticipate increasing our previously announced fourth quarter restructuring efforts from approximately $50 million to approximately $100 million.”

The company added however: “This estimate excludes our ongoing cost reduction efforts at Beckman Coulter.” The company also confirmed that it will host a live video webcast of its annual investor and analyst meeting this week but it is expected that their Irish workforce will be notified of the restructuring plans before then

 

SHOPPING FOR PARKING

FREE car parking is a major feature of Christmas shopping promotions in both Ennis and limerick with local traders hoping that the measure will encourage more customers to shop locally this Christmas.

In Ennis, there is free parking throughout the town’s 759 off-street and 783 on-street public car parking spaces to 12pmdaily until January 7 while on-street parking in Limerick city will be free at weekends between 2pm and 5.30pm until the end of the year. This means there will be 3,000 on-street spaces free on Fridays and a further 1,044 on Saturdays. On-street parking in the city is free on Sundays.

‘Freepark Limerick’ is a new trial initiative to bring more shoppers into the city centre. When customers spend a set amount in participating shops, hotels, restaurants and businesses, they will be rewarded with parking vouchers, based on a minimum spend in that outlet. Depending on the amount spent, customers may park in participating city centre car parks 

for free. There are 11 car parks participating in the initiative, as well as 43 businesses. No such restrictions apply to the Ennis scheme where all on and off street parking spaces in the town centre will be free up until noon daily with reduced charges at the long stay carparks in Glór and Cloughleigh.

 

WATER INTO OIL

Limerick-based exploration firm, Circle Oil has found more oil at one of its chief assets in Egypt, potentially increasing the size of the overall field. The AIM-listed company said that an ap- praisal programme at its Al Ola-2 well that was meant to evaluate the potential for water injec- tion actually found more oil, suggesting that the well and the surrounding field could con- tain significantly more oil reserves than previ- ously thought. Chief Executive Professor Chris Green said he was “delighted” to report another positive drilling result from the company’s latest drilling round in Egypt.

 

NINE A DAY

Nine Irish companies were declared insolvent every working day October, according to figures from business information company Vision-net. ie that show that 172 companies were declared insolvent in the month. Business and profes- sional services companies now rank alongside construction companies as the worst sectors affected.

Christine Cullen, managing director of Vision- net.ie, said the level of business failures contin- ued to be stubbornly high and there were few real signs of recovery in the domestic sector.