Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey is confident that the creation of 100 jobs as a result of a €7 million investment by Element Six will be the first of a series of significant announcements for the Shannon Free Zone.
He was commenting after the Shannon company which is a member of The De Beers Group of Companies confirmed that all posts set to be filled in the first half of this year and the latest round of recruitment at the company and will bring its overall employment in Shannon to 550.
“On a broader scale, the Shannon Free Zone is undergoing its first programme of investment in two decades with a €21million redevelopment programme being undertaken by the Shannon Group. This should translate into a significant increase in employment levels across a range of new and existing enterprises by the end of the year”.
“Work is well under way on the construction of an €8 million office block at the airport entrance to Shannon Free Zone West. The building work, which is scheduled for completion in September, is supporting more than 250 construction related jobs. Even more importantly, it will provide the IDA with a significant resource to attract high level foreign direct investment to the Free Zone”.
“At this stage, it is vital that the IDA and the Department of Jobs and Enterprise puts a process in place to ensure there is maximum benefit for such a significant investment. More than 1,000 jobs – many of them in the high tech sector – have been announced for Limerick over the past six weeks. With state-of-the-art infrastructure and purpose-built office accommodation, the Shannon Free Zone should now be the preferred location for any new high tech jobs”, Deputy Carey declared.
“Shannon is a resource for the entire Mid West region and should be promoted as such. It has the capacity to serve as a high tech hub for a wide range of ancillary businesses and attract a higher level of Foreign Direct Investment. This is particularly important in the context of the uncertain climate created by Brexit and the US election,” he concluded.