Barry O'Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland
Semiconductor solutions provider Microsemi Corporation has marked its 20th anniversary in Ireland by officially naming its Ennis, Co Clare, facility as its European headquarters. The company also announced the inaugural Microsemi Scholarship in Engineering at the University of Limerick, as well as funding for a science and aerospace engineering programme in St Flannan’s school in Ennis.
“We have been impressed at Microsemi with the calibre of engineering graduates in Ireland and we are confident about the future of the skill base in Ireland, hence our decision to make Ennis our European headquarters,” said James J Peterson, Microsemi’s president and chief executive officer.
“Naming Ennis our European headquarters is a testament to the hard work and talent of the many employees who have built this facility into a world-class manufacturing, sales and engineering centre and gateway for our European operations.”
IDA Ireland involvement with Microsemi Corporation
IDA Ireland, which is responsible for attracting and developing overseas investment in Ireland, has been working with Microsemi Corporation.
IDA Ireland’s CEO Barry O’Leary said Microsemi is a growing company with ambitious plans and Ennis is well-positioned to contribute to this growth.
“The contribution of the company to the local economy and community is highly significant, and it is gratifying to see the partnership strengthening with the announcement that Ennis is to become its European headquarters,” said O’Leary.
Fifty staff members have been recruited at the Ennis facility so far in 2012, bringing its headcount to about 300 people. Staff in the region will help the Ennis facility develop new products and grow key research and development functions.
Microsemi Corporation’s Ennis facility
The Ennis facility’s key competencies are the development, manufacturing and high reliability testing of semiconductors to meet aerospace, satellite, medical and security standards, and it is now one of the largest such facilities in the world, IDA Ireland said.
Microsemi also has a design group in Dublin which is focused on advanced system-on-chip (SoC) software and solutions with an emphasis on ARM processor-centric designs.
The company’s annual spend in Ireland exceeds US$25m annually and it continues to recruit engineers and other technical professionals.
