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Why Ireland for engineering investment

  • Ireland is the European location of choice for growing numbers of industrial engineering and technology companies in manufacturing, research and innovation

  • Principal industry sectors include automotive, aerospace, chemicals and advanced materials, automation and industrial technology

Source the skills you need to make your investment in Ireland a success

Connect with us

Source the skills you need to make your investment in Ireland a success

Connect with us
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Leading Industry Names

Ireland’s strong and vibrant engineering industry supports a broad range of companies across many industries. It includes names like Liebherr, Henkel, Element Six, Sulzer and Thermoking. The sector contributes more than €5.6 billion annually to Irish exports.

  • The top eight industrial automation companies
  • Four of the top 10 global engineering design firms
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A Proven Track Record

Ireland has been attracting engineering companies for more than 50 years. Recently, many have expanded their operations to serve EMEA markets. Ireland is also developing into a hub for cutting-edge fields such as IoT, Industry 5.0, Connected Autonomous Vehicles and more.

  • 250+ industrial technology and engineering companies in Ireland
  • 23,000+ people employed in the engineering sector
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Cutting-Edge Research

Ireland is an attractive location for researching new technologies, with 42% of engineering companies in Ireland already engaging in R&D activity. Ireland’s industry-led research centres specialise in areas like advanced materials, smart manufacturing and industrial automation.

  • Active R&D in emerging technologies
  • World-class research centres with strong industry focus
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Strong Talent Pipeline

Engineering companies locating or expanding in Ireland can avail of skilled talent including recent graduates and staff already working in the sector. Ireland’s EU membership provides unrestricted access to a labour pool of more than 240 million people.

  • 45,000 third-level students enrolled in STEM fields at any one time
  • Ireland ranks first in the world for productivity in industry (OECD)
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Ready for Disruption

As Industry 5.0 trends reshape engineering and manufacturing, IDA Ireland client companies are already working on R&D projects in augmented reality, industrial IoT, robotics and automation to enhance and optimise their manufacturing operations.

  • Government support for feasibility investigations to digitisation projects
  • 25% tax credit for all qualifying R&D activity

We selected Dublin because of its global business environment, talent, ability to support European languages, excellent long-term cost structure, and quality of life for employees. Dublin is a vibrant, multicultural and creative city. These qualities align well with our brand and culture and we think Dublin will be a great fit for us.

See similar companies in Ireland

Enernoc
ElementSix
Schneider
Pilz
Valeo
Liebherr
Airbus Helicopters
Aptiv
Jaguar
DuPont
Siemens
United Technologies
Ingersoll
GE
GM
Henkel
Honeywell
Abbott

Success Stories: Hear from leaders calling Ireland home

A proven path

See all Success Stories
Citco
Supermetrics
dōTERRA
Blackrock
eSentire
Vanguard
IDA Ireland support key to wide-ranging R&D and training initiatives

IDA Ireland support key to wide-ranging R&D and training initiatives

A lot of the leadership in Ireland also hold senior global positions, so we consider Ireland to be a strategic office and we’ve got representation across most business lines in the organisation sitting in Ireland.

Ireland’s attractiveness helped by how it brings people from across Europe to work

Ireland’s attractiveness helped by how it brings people from across Europe to work

Dublin is ideal for the rich pool of talent, with significant technology literacy: people who have extensive experience either selling similar solutions, or – equally importantly – selling to similar types of customers. That really accelerates our ability to identify and hire the talent, bring them into the business and get them to a point of productivity very, very quickly. You don’t get that in other places.

Company chooses Cork as its first international manufacturing site

Company chooses Cork as its first international manufacturing site

Our presence in Ireland has created employment opportunities for skilled workers, improved our ability to respond to our customers’ needs, and dramatically reduced our environmental impact.

$1.5 trillion of assets under management in its Irish-domiciled funds

$1.5 trillion of assets under management in its Irish-domiciled funds

We find the various government departments very approachable and always open to engaging with the industry, with the IDA a particularly strong partner. The ecosystem is excellent, and by that, I mean not only asset managers but who they interact with, professional services firms, fund service providers and industry associations. They’re arguably the best I know.

 eSentire's Cork site has become a service delivery centre of excellence and now employs 52 people

eSentire's Cork site has become a service delivery centre of excellence and now employs 52 people

There’s a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, it’s well documented that it’s very hard to hire and retain cybersecurity professionals. We’ve been able to hire very high-quality talent, who are doing a great job. There’s a very strong work ethic and culture here, eSentire has several very, very strong partnerships, and I emphasise the word ‘partnership’. A good example is Munster Technological University: they have what I would describe as the leading programme in cybersecurity in Ireland, hands down.

Ireland’s robust regulatory landscape a key factor

Ireland’s robust regulatory landscape a key factor

We are a steward of the assets of 50 million clients around the world. What’s important to them is that we are a trusted organisation, and the products and services that we offer are trusted. The UCITS framework, as overseen by the Central Bank of Ireland, has the interests of investors at heart. What Ireland offers is a robust and retail-oriented regulatory framework aligned to what we want to offer to our clients.

Find your European home

Find your European home