In Carrick-on-Shannon, Freudenberg Medical employs close to 1,000 people producing advanced medical devices. It’s a continuation of the region’s toolmaking tradition, and it produces more than just high-end medical devices. MCi, part of Flex, has a top-class, highly automated electronics manufacturing site outside Manorhamilton in county Leitrim, supplying the luxury automotive sector in Europe.The region, which covers the counties of Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim, has welcomed close to 60 world-leading businesses including global brands such as Abbott, Abbvie, Tata Consulting Services and Optum.
Regional expansion at a key strategic site
Abbott has had a presence in Ireland for more than 50 years and has grown at multiple sites. The company first set up in Sligo 30 years ago to manufacture blood-screening products and reagents. This facility has expanded eight times in the intervening years and now covers almost 170,000 sq ft over a nine-acre site. It is Abbott’s second largest facility worldwide of its kind manufacturing diagnostic products.As well as cutting-edge technology, financial services is another strong sector in the area. County Donegal in particular has built a deserved reputation in this field. For years, Letterkenny hosted Pramerica which at one point employed more than 1,200 people. Part of the company was bought out by the Indian conglomerate Tata/TCS, and its legacy also remains through PGIM, a high-level investment management company.
The financial services skills fostered in the area also attracted companies like FinTrU, which provides technical skills in security, risk and compliance for its clients. The company was originally founded in Northern Ireland and its site lead Sylvester Clancy pointed to its “unique position” in the cross-border region, offering clients the opportunity to work with a multi-jurisdictional team across the company’s Northwest Campus in Letterkenny and Derry/Londonderry.
Looking to the future
And the region also has its eye firmly on the future: as businesses across the world start to understand how to harness artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance innovation, uncover insights and improve efficiencies, a 100-strong team at Beyond, based in Sligo, is running an exciting AI operation that includes software platform development – an important strategic function for that company.SITA, one of the world’s leading technology providers to the air transport sector, has consistently grown its Irish presence since first setting up in Letterkenny, county Donegal in 2003. In the intervening years, it grew its team from 20 to more than 100. In 2021, it announced the expansion of its Agile DevOps team by more than 55 people to develop the next generation of its product portfolio supporting the global airport security and passenger management sector.
The region is also an attractive incubator for the flourishing SME business sector. All in all, international investors will find talent of the highest international calibre and an abundance of potential by setting up in the Northwest.
Quality of life attracts talent to Ireland’s Northwest
That’s no mere hype. One of the great attractions of the region is the quality of life on offer, which helps to attract talent – in some cases, from not just outside the region but from Ireland itself. Beyond’s head of AI recently joined and moved from Northern Spain.Factors like lifestyle and nice places to live are key parts in choosing where someone chooses to settle, and in this respect, the North west can offer a great deal. Whether someone is based in Strandhill or Mullaghmore in Sligo, Buncrana or Ballyshannon in Donegal, Drumshanbo or Manorhamilton in Leitrim, they have the advantage of stunning lifestyle and accessibility. For example, it’s possible to live near Letterkenny and with a 20-minute drive, find themselves at the beach for surfing, or a walk in the spectacular outdoor surroundings of Glenveagh National Park.
The growth of remote and hybrid working models in recent years has also played to the region’s advantage. It is well served by digital infrastructure which means a person can work productively from Sligo, Leitrim or Donegal.
Low attrition and high loyalty among teams
It’s a situation that benefits both employers and workers. Employers can establish operations in the region, confident that they’ll be able to attract and retain skilled talent. Workers can relocate there, knowing that they will be able to choose from a cluster of companies well suited to their skillset – even if, in practice, they tend to stay loyal to their original job there.Inward investors to the region also gain from positive, collaborative relationships with the local councils in Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal. The same is true of the partnerships with third-level education: four of the nine Atlantic Technological University (ATU) campuses are located in the region, producing graduates to the high standards that multinational employers need.Add up all these advantages, and it means companies setting up in these three counties can rely on attrition rates of typically less than 5 per cent, which is the outcome when you can combine a high quality of job with excellent quality of life.
Links to third level education and training
ATU has strong links with the existing IDA client base, and an openness to connecting with new arrivals through their industrial liaison officers. As well as providing courses in areas like engineering and robotics, they often provide bespoke training to particular companies based on their talent needs.And the future is bright for the region; the Irish Government has named Sligo and Letterkenny as designated growth centres under its planning framework Project Ireland 2040. As part of this strategic plan, it’s anticipated the population of this region will grow by 40%.The two largest urban centres in the Northwest are Sligo, the county capital, and Letterkenny in Donegal. The total population for the region is 258,328 (Sligo (65,393), Donegal (161,137) and Leitrim (31,798). There is an overall population of 410,206 people within a 60km radius of Letterkenny Town, given its proximity to Derry.
The project also foresees development of public infrastructure and support for businesses and communities. Sligo, Letterkenny and Leitrim have seen the announcement of many FDI projects, company expansions, and infrastructure in recent years, while culture and tourism continue to be a focus for growth for the future.