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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

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

Success Stories: Hear from leaders calling Ireland home

A proven path

See all Success Stories
Qualcomm
Shutterstock
Diligent
Mediolanum
Regeneron
World Nomads
Ireland is a strategic IT and engineering hub for chip giant

Ireland is a strategic IT and engineering hub for chip giant

Ireland is one of Qualcomm’s fastest growing R&D Centres, and the availability of talent and motivated people… are making meaningful contributions in terms of our technology roadmap.

Technology and language skills an attractive mix for US business

Technology and language skills an attractive mix for US business

We are grateful to have found a home in Dublin for Shutterstock, and the city’s innovative and tech-forward culture makes it the perfect fit for our engineering and research and development teams. Our Ireland hub connects us to key players around the world and helps us drive our business forward relentlessly.

Educated workforce enables rapid ramp-up for software company

Educated workforce enables rapid ramp-up for software company

In other jurisdictions that we looked at, they literally wanted you to land and sign the deal. Whereas the IDA were very powerful in thinking about the next wave of growth beyond the first 200 people, and what type of skills we might look for then. It genuinely does feel like a partnership rather than a one-and-done, and the after-sales experience is excellent too.

The European asset management HQ for the group set up in Dublin in 1997

The European asset management HQ for the group set up in Dublin in 1997

What makes the Irish ecosystem unique from other financial services centres in Europe is the breadth of different types of companies and businesses in the financial services industry, paired with the presence of a massive technology cohort. The location has helped a lot of cross-pollination and access to talent with the mindset of the tech companies. Today, financial services companies must become tech companies; you need these cultures blending together if you want to stay relevant.

Biologics leader scales rapidly across two strategic sites in Ireland

Biologics leader scales rapidly across two strategic sites in Ireland

In order to make space in our New York facilities to accommodate our COVID-19 efforts, we needed to ramp-up capacity here in Limerick. Despite ramping up commercial production sooner than planned, my team hasn’t missed a beat. You can only perform like this if you have good people, and Ireland has lots of good people, so we are excited to be hiring 400 more.

Since reopening after Covid, team in Ireland has doubled in one year from 18 to 37

Since reopening after Covid, team in Ireland has doubled in one year from 18 to 37

Cork is renowned for its dynamic blend of innovation, skilled talent pool, and accessibility, so it really ticked all the boxes in terms of our ambitions. The city benefits from a robust infrastructure and connectivity. Its strategic proximity to other European markets facilitates efficient engagement with partners and customers, amplifying the potential for growth.

Find your European home

Find your European home