Its $3.9bn acquisition of Perot Systems puts Dell on a different journey from when it started 26 years ago.
It’s almost a year and a half since Limerick was struck with the harsh news that computer manufacturing giant Dell was pulling out of the city, with the loss of 1,900 jobs, and transferring manufacturing to Poland. Since that time, Dell has ceased manufacturing in
Europe altogether, having sold its manufacturing operations to Foxconn, the $78bn-a-year manufacturer for the global ICT industry, which makes everything from smartphones and iPods to Xbox 360 consoles and the Nintendo Wii.
While this may be small comfort to the 1,900 ex-Dell workers – 300 of whom have so far received FÁS training under the European Global Adjustment Fund – it’s important to remember that Dell is still a prominent employer in Ireland, with close to 2,000 workers engaged in leading-edge server, logistics and business processes.
Read more of ‘Dell: From PC maker to global services giant’ at Digital 21.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Dell is taking on the big guns in professional services, such as HP and IBM, and sees opportunities in particular in healthcare. Pictured are Dell Ireland country manager Dermot O’Connell and Liam O’Reilly, who heads up the new Dell Services division in Ireland
www.digital21.ie – Digital 21 is a campaign to highlight the imperative of creating an action programme to secure the digital infrastructure and services upon which the success of our economy depends.
