By Business & Finance 
(L-R) Gerry Moan, SmartInvest; Jeremy Whyte, SWG Inc; Minister Damien English TD; Michael McLoughlin, Connect Ireland; Mike Hoprich, MDS Global Technology; Jim Luciano, SWG Inc.
MDS Global Technologies and SWG Inc. have this week officially opened their international headquarters in Kells, Meath, creating a total of 50 jobs.
The companies were introduced to Ireland through the combined efforts of ConnectIreland, the company responsible for delivering the Government’s Succeed in Ireland initiative, in association with IDA Ireland, and SmartInvest, a transatlantic accelerator fund for high potential technology companies. Both companies will begin recruitment immediately for their operations at Kells Enterprise Technology Centre and hope to fill the 50 positions over the coming three years.
Speaking at the opening of both offices in Kells today, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English TD said:“The establishment of these two companies in Kells builds on the investment announced by Mafic last year, another Connect Ireland project that is being supported by IDA Ireland. This is a great example of how Government initiatives, private investors and local communities can all work together to win valuable new jobs for Ireland and, critically, for towns like Kells. In particular, this reinforces the great enterprise relationship between Ireland and the US.
“The inclusion of Kells in the new national Regional Aid Map will further enhance the prospects of attracting new investment and the expansion of existing enterprises both foreign and indigenous.”
MDS is a US-based technology company that manufactures equipment to enable IP traffic over existing coaxial cable to the MDU and hospitality space. Formed in 2013, MDS is expanding in the North American and European markets. The Kells operation will manufacture IP equipment, as well as heading up the global sales, technical support, administrative and financial divisions of the company. The company has already attracted significant interest in their product and hope to fill 15 of their 25 positions in the first 12 months. They are now looking for experienced professionals to fill engineering, logistical, sales and general office positions.
Jim Luciano, MD of MDS, said: “Key for me in choosing a location was that when we were looking, Ireland had the most interest in what we were trying to do. Secondly, resources. Ireland has really good resources and also to me, it’s been pretty easy. People have been really receptive to what we’ve planned and what our vision is. Everyone has embraced what we’re trying to do.
“We do a lot of business in Europe and Asia and an operation out of Ireland made sense. Meath seemed like a good landing spot for the business. With our product there is really nice potential to grow and Kells will be able to accommodate that growth.”
SWG Inc. buys, sells and repairs wireless and network equipment and will locate its first operation outside of the US at Kells Enterprise Centre. The Meath location will house an extensive R&D team as well as repurposing equipment, and the company are currently looking to recruit for a number of technical roles, growing to a total of 25 employees over three years.
Greg Kopa, co-founder of SWG Inc. said: “We know we can build a business in Ireland and know we can grow from a solid base and branch out. The location is very easily accessible. The Kells Enterprise Centre is outside of Dublin, already set up for high tech companies with fibre optics, and it’s a nice area. The people have all been very positive.
“The other thing about Ireland is that there is a very strong technical base. There is a good labour pool to draw from, Ireland has a good technical background.”
