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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

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

Success Stories: Hear from leaders calling Ireland home

A proven path

See all Success Stories
Novartis
Logitech
Mediolanum
Vanta
Takeda
Zendesk
Pharma giant’s 60-year history of investing in Ireland

Pharma giant’s 60-year history of investing in Ireland

The NGSC in Dublin is Novartis’s leading digital science centre globally. This is due to the fact that there is such a large amount of digital talent and a significant tech ecosystem in Ireland... We have an innovative team of data scientists and data managers who are harnessing the power of digital to revolutionise the way that we manage disease and ultimately get our medicines to patients faster.

Logitech’s Irish presence dates back more than three decades to 1988

Logitech’s Irish presence dates back more than three decades to 1988

We’re pleased to see Logitech’s Cork operations grow to encompass more opportunities ahead of the new year. This is a reflection not only of Logitech’s long-term performance, but also the wonderful culture and spirit our employees have developed, here and across the world. At Logitech, talent working out of Ireland is shaping the future, and enjoying it! We’re very grateful to IDA Ireland for their consistent support over the years.

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.

Vanta is a startup focused on automating cybersecurity compliance

Vanta is a startup focused on automating cybersecurity compliance

We have a talent pool that allows us to serve a large population in a very effective way, both with language and specialisation skills like sales or customer success.

Varied functions in Ireland for Asia’s largest pharma company

Varied functions in Ireland for Asia’s largest pharma company

The Grange Castle site is growing from strength to strength thanks to a great team and strong investment in our people and technology. The treatment produced here will be delivered to patients within 72 hours of being released from Grange Castle which means we are closer to the patient than we have ever been and this brings a great sense of pride to our team.

Dublin site is a regional hub for product development

Dublin site is a regional hub for product development

Dublin is such a hub for big tech companies that you might think ‘if we come to Dublin, we’re going to be competing with all of them, we won't be able to get good staff’. But I think the opposite is true. Because we’ve got such a base of well recognised brands in Dublin, that actually brings qualified people from all over Europe here.

Find your European home

Find your European home