IBM is to create several hundred new jobs at a new Global Services Integration Hub in Mulhuddart as part of an IDA Ireland-supported investment.
IBM Ireland currently employs in excess of 3,000 people in Ireland and its current business activities include research, software development and services at its technology campus in Mulhuddart, together with locations in Cork and Galway. A European Sales and Services Support Centre is based in Blanchardstown, Dublin.
CEO of IDA Ireland Barry O’Leary said Ireland has been chosen as the location for this investment based on the strong partnership with the country, its accessibility and connectivity, established industry clusters, and the infrastructure the country has to offer.
IBM employs 433,000 people globally and had revenues of US$106.9bn for the financial year ending December 2011.
IBM has been focusing in particular on its SmartCloud offerings. The company manages massive amounts of data and client transactions in its cloud environments, including 1menterprise application users working on the IBM Cloud; more than US$100bn in commerce transactions a year in the cloud; and 4.5m daily client transactions conducted through the IBM Cloud
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD, met senior IBM executives along with the IDA on a recent trip to the US. “This decision by IBM, one of the world’s leading technology companies, that it is locating more innovative operations here with the creation several hundred jobs, is great news for west Dublin and Ireland,” he said.
Ireland’s FDI record continues
This week, Ireland was named best location in Western Europe to invest and Dublin was named the best metro area to invest in Western Europe by Site Select, an international magazine. Welcoming the creation of the hub, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, said the investment by IBM is welcome news for Ireland.
“The decision by IBM to locate a Global Services Integration Hub in Ireland follows on from a significant number of FDI announcements in recent months from world-leading multinational companies which proves the value of economic stability in attracting new investment. It also demonstrates the value of Ireland’s position in Europe when it comes to our ability to attract overseas investment. Today’s announcement displays IBM’s continued commitment to its Irish operations and staff.”
IBM, or ‘Big Blue’ as it is known in the technology industry, celebrated 100 years in business last year. The company was formed on 16 June 1911 in New York by Charles Ranlett Flint as the Computer-Tabulating-Recording Company.
It now employs more than 433,000 people worldwide, has revenues of more than $100bn and, according to Fortune magazine, is the seventh most-profitable company in the US. It also holds more patents than any other US technology company.
IBM came to Ireland in 1956 with a room above the Shelbourne Hotel. Today, it employs 3,000 people across Ireland, with the majority based at a state-of-the-art campus in Blanchardstown.
IBM’s presence in Ireland began to ramp up significantly during the 1990s, beginning first with call centre and PC support jobs in Mulhuddart, but growing steadily in sophistication to result in 3,000 employees based at a state-of-the-art campus in west Dublin.
Last year, the company announced extra 200 jobs in Dublin at its first-ever IBM Smarter Cities Technology Centre, which aims to revolutionise how cities provide services, such as water and transport. Many of the jobs will go to PhD graduates.
