Paul Acton, client director, SAS and Eammon Sinnott, general manager Intel Ireland
Intel celebrated 25 years in Ireland this year as it continues to show its commitment to Ireland through strategic investments in research and product development.
This year marks the 25th anniversary for Intel in Ireland as the computer giant located its technology campus in Lexlip in 1989, with the production of motherboards and systems beginning the following year.
Since then, $12.5bn has been invested in the 360 acre former stud farm, turning it into the most technologically advanced industrial location in Europe.
Over the past two decades, Intel in Ireland has come to represent a diversity of activities across the spectrum of Intel business from advanced manufacturing to cutting edge research and design. Today, Intel has 5,200 employees across the island of Ireland.
“It has been an incredible journey since Intel first decided to locate here in 1989 and since then we have gone on to become the largest private investment in the history of the state, something of which we are very proud,” Eamonn Sinnott general manager for Intel Ireland said.
“Intel’s investment in Ireland has had a significant impact on the country with an average of $880m being contributed each year to the economy, more than 7,000 full time jobs supported and almost $2m each year being contributed to both community and education initiatives across the country. It really is exciting to think what the next 25 years may hold,” Sinnott added.
The majority of the Intel workforce in Ireland are based at the Leixlip campus in Co. Kildare which is the location for Intel’s hi-volume, advanced manufacturing facility which is currently preparing to produce Intel’s latest 14nm process technology.
There are 250 employees at the Intel Shannon campus who work to deliver Intel’s strategies in the communications and storage infrastructure, automotive and retail spaces as well as a further 100 people who are employed at Intel Belfast which, following the acquisition by Intel in 2013 of leading Northern Ireland company Aepona, has become a centre of excellence for the Network Products and Services Group.
Other Intel operations in Ireland include McAfee, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel and which has had significant operations in Cork since 2004 where today it employs 347 people. Dublin headquartered games technologies company Havok is also an Intel company with 120 employees.
In March this year, An Taoiseach, Tanaiste, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Intel president, Renée James, visited Leixlip to confirm the progress of Intel’s $5bn campus upgrade, the largest private investment in the history of the Irish State.
About the CEO
Eammon Sinnott has been a major player in Intel’s Irish operation since 1991, becoming a plant manager in 2006. He has held a variety of factory management positions in Ireland, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Portland, Oregon. As well as being general manager of Intel Ireland, Sinnott is also an Intel Vice President within the corporation’s technology manufacturing group.
Prior to joining Intel, Sinnott worked as an engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation and as a manufacturing manager at Nuvotem.
Sinnott is a board member of the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland.
Business & Finance, Company of the Month
Business & Finance, in association with SAS Ireland, recognises excellence in business through the ‘Company of the Month’ award. The Company of the Month award recognises the company which best demonstrates outstanding business leadership, sustainable growth, innovative strategy, strong financial returns and employee development.
