Minister for Labour Affairs, Mr Tony Killeen TD, today (Tuesday 17th April, 2007) announced the establishment of two new companies at Shannon Free Zone in Co. Clare which between them will create 97 new jobs over the next five years. Supported by Shannon Development, the new companies are; White Horse Insurance Ireland Ltd (52 new jobs) and PC Tools Software (45 new jobs).
Making the announcement, Minister Killeen said, “It is a wonderful vote of confidence in Shannon Free Zone that two world class companies have decided to establish bases here. White Horse Insurance Ireland Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the global MyTravel Group plc, a major player in some of the most active markets for package holidays and other leisure travel services, and PC Tools Software a global leader in innovative software products designed for securing, protecting and maintaining Windows operating systems”
Welcoming the two new companies to the Shannon Free Zone, Mr Kevin Thompstone, Chief Executive, Shannon Development, said: “The two investments announced today represent the further development of two key strategic sectors for Shannon Free Zone – Insurance and E-Commerce. We are delighted to welcome White Horse Insurance Ireland Ltd to the Free Zone. They join the growing cluster of insurance operations at Shannon, now employing almost 700 people, firmly establishing the Zone as a centre of excellence in this sector of financial services. PC Tools Software will also be a strong addition to the emerging e-commerce sector at Shannon. The arrival of these global players clearly demonstrates that Shannon can provide the skilled labour and the support infrastructure required by world-leading financial services companies”.
Speaking at the announcement Mr. Steve Tighe, General Manager, White Horse Insurance Ireland Ltd, said, “The establishment of a presence in Shannon represents a strategic building block in the development of White Horse Insurance Ireland. Since inception, all our insurance claims handling has been out-sourced to specialist third party claims handling companies. The focus of our plan is now to bring these activities in-house and we are delighted that Shannon Free Zone has provided us with the facilities to allow us to achieve our goal.”
Commenting on their announcement Mr. Tom Foley, European Financial Controller, PC Tools Software, said: “We are delighted to be establishing our European HQ and finance shared service centre in Ireland. This is an important step for PC Tools Software as we have now found a home for our European shared service and customer contact centre, which is an important part of our global business.”
The two new companies were attracted to the Shannon Free Zone through the co-operative work of Shannon Development and IDA Ireland. The Free Zone continues to be a location of choice for global businesses across a variety of industries. Over 7,200 people are employed in 110 companies at the Shannon Free Zone, generating over €3.3 billion in annual sales. Shannon Development is currently preparing a comprehensive master plan for a major regeneration programme at the Free Zone to guarantee its continued competitive edge into the future. In all, over 700 new jobs have now been secured at Shannon Development’s Shannon Free Zone in the last year.
Nandi O’Sullivan
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