Exporting

A third series of the TV drama ‘Ripper Street’ is to be produced in Ireland, which is expected to provide a major boost to the Irish film and TV industry. The total value of the first and second series to the Irish economy so far has been around €20m in terms of spend on local goods and services. They employed 5,000 Irish cast, extras and crew, providing about 170,000 Irish work hours per series. ‘Ripper Street’ follows the H Division, the police precinct charged with keeping order on Victorian Whitechapel. James Hickey, chief executive Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board said the announcement was “very good news for the…

Primark has opened its second store in France, in La Toison d’Or, Dijon, creating 304 jobs for the local area. Located in Burgundy’s biggest shopping centre, the new store has 4,106 sq m of retail space and stocks fashion for women, men and children, jewellery, shoes and accessories and large selection of homeware. Primark opened its first store in France in Marseille last December and will open three stores in the suburbs of Paris – in Aulnay-sous-Bois at O’Parinor and Villeneuve La Garenne and Creteil -by summer 2014. Sorcha Corcoran

Gina Arcari, managing director of Dita Eyewear Europe, the global distribution centre for eyewear company Dita, discusses international growth from a Dublin base. What is the background to Dita Eyewear Europe being set up? Dita was founded in Los Angeles the US in 1995 by two childhood friends, Jeffrey Solorio and John Juniper, who saw a niche in the market to design, manufacture and distribute luxurious fashion eyewear for both men and women. Since then the company has grown due to its unique designs, use of some the best materials available and Japanese-based manufacturing. It was restructured in 2011, setting up its global distribution centre here in Dublin, which is…

The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has welcomed the announcement that the Government is to open five new embassies and consulates. IEA CEO Simon McKeever said our diplomatic network and the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade were vital in supporting the exporting sector, especially in new and emerging markets. “This government investment will undoubtedly reap benefits for our commercial reputation and business success,” he said. The decision, announced by the Tánaiste, will see five new Irish embassies and three new consulates established in Europe, South East Asia, Africa and the Americas. “At the IEA we have been working with the government to encourage established and potential exporters…

Irish consulting engineering firm Byrne Looby Partners (BLP) has opened a new office in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), increasing its footprint in the Middle East where it already has two offices (in Doha, Qatar and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), The new Dubai office brings the total number of BLP offices, in Ireland and internationally, to nine. The company has also made two senior appointments to bolster its presence in the UAE – Mike White, regional director of BLP Dubai, is to be joined by Ronan Duffy as regional business development manager and Mohammed Nimeri as senior project engineer to the Dubai office. Since first entering the Middle East in…

Irish IT services company Version 1 has acquired the UK-based Forest business operations of Northern European IT services company Tieto Corporation for an undisclosed sum. Version 1 currently employs over 400 people and operates offices in Dublin, Cork, Belfast and London; Forest’s 23 employees in Kent transferred to Version 1 on 31 October. Forest develops and supports IT solutions for customers in the packaging and recycling industry. Justin Keatinge, chief executive officer of Version 1, said this was the first in a series of strategically planned announcements it would make over the coming months. “Through this first deal, we will greatly strengthen our platform in the UK market and increase…

Education Minister leads education and technology mission to Brazil The Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn TD today led a major Enterprise Ireland education and technology mission that included 30 companies and education institutions to Brazil. The mission, organised by Enterprise Ireland from 19 to 25 October, will coincide with a major higher education fair in Sao Paulo and Futurecom, the largest telecommunications, information technology and internet event in Latin America. During that time Irish companies and education institutions will be working to increase Irish exports and deepen business and education links between Ireland and Brazil. “Jobs are an absolute top priority for this Government, and increasing our export activity with the…

Irish company Eirtech Aviation has won a contract with Canada’s second largest airline WestJet for the installation and maintenance of advanced warning cabin pressurisation systems. The work will be carried out on WestJet’s Boeing 737 fleet. Eirtech developed a solution to a specific Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Airworthiness Directive. The directive mandates a further level of warning and awareness for the flight deck crew by improving visual and aural annunciation in the cockpit, which will enable pilots to accurately and safely differentiate between take-off configuration indicators and cabin altitude pressurisation warnings. Eirtech’s design solution has already received all mandatory approvals from the FAA, European Aviation Safety Association and the Canadian…

Camara Education is opening a centre in Haiti to improve the quality of education there and provide digital literacy skills. To be located in Port au Prince, the new hub will enable Camara to develop partnerships with local schools, community groups and other educational institutes on the ground, in order to establish eLearning centres and deliver teacher training. The decision to open the hub in Haiti is based on the success of Camara’s pilot projects with 12 women’s centres throughout the country, which was supported by Digicel Foundation. The announcement was made at the Haitian Center for Research and Action toward the Advancement of Women (CHREPROF) in Port au Prince.…

PCH partners with Texas-based MetaWatchThe STRATA Cork, headquartered PCH International is partnering with US start-up MetaWatch as part of its Accelerator programme, coinciding with the launch of its smart sports watch, the MetaWatch STRATA. PCH International founder and CEO Liam Casey said: “MetaWatch CEO Bill Geiser and CTO David Rosales have almost a decade of experience designing smart watches, and they are disrupting the watch industry with their innovative thinking. “Coupled with PCH product development and supply chain expertise, and our ability to scale, we are bringing a revolutionary new product to market.” Through the Accelerator programme, MetaWatch can take advantage of PCH expertise in product development, module mechanical design, case mechanical…