Wednesday, 17 September 2003
The recent announcement of job losses at Schneider Electric Manufacturing in Celbridge is another devastating blow to the engineering sector according to the Irish Engineering Enterprises Federation (ieef). Paul Kelly, ieef Director said it was a continuation of a pattern of job losses in the engineering sector over the past 18 months. Urgent action is needed to stop this trend.
He called for National Policy to address the strategic needs of the engineering sector and in particular to examine:
· Grants and/or tax credits for R&D;
· Support for investment in automation;
· Supports for training;
· Assistance with business management improvements e.g. processes, supply chain management, outsourcing, purchasing, etc.
The engineering sector is a critical component of the Irish economy. Engineering companies in Ireland employ over 60,000 people. This figure represents 25% of employment in manufacturing in Ireland. Also much of this employment is in parts of the country where the local economy is heavily dependent on a small number of large companies. Any significant reduction in numbers employed by the engineering sector would have a major socio-economic impact in certain regions.