IRELAND\\\


Issue 2 2015 - Freight Business Journal


19


Is the Celtic Tiger ready to pounce again?


Aſter slinking off into the undergrowth hurt in 2009, the mythical beast of Irish legend is on the prowl once more. All the signs point to a sustained recovery, with trade and exports leading the way. Irish editor, Martin Roebuck reports.


Developing the next-generation skill sets


Recent expansion at Flextronics, especially in the medical technology and telecoms sectors, has increased demand for supply chain management skills


Conscious of the need to


develop practical supply chain skills, Flextronics works closely with Limerick and Cork universities,


taking on at


the company’s sites in Limerick and Cork. “We’ve seen growth of


more than 30% in the last 12 months,” says John Carr, VP supply chain solutions. “We were down to 300 people during


the recession, but


today we employ almost that number in manufacture and sub-assembly of servers, data storage, security and medical equipment, plus upwards of 150 logistics personnel. So our total head count is up by half even if we have nothing like the warehouse numbers we once did, with many of the new positions in supply chain management and technical support.”


undergraduates on internship programmes. “Our logistics activity in Limerick is heavily concentrated on medical technology, with new clients in pharma and food,” Carr says. “We support a number of large multinationals, managing their raw materials, delivering to point of use within customer facilities and distributing finished product globally.” Air freight remains key to given


Flextronics, the high


value and time-sensitive nature of the commodities it handles. However, ocean transport is increasingly important and the company is establishing global “control tower” capability to manage


customers’ multimodal needs. The West of Ireland’s


logistics expertise and good transport connections have encouraged world leaders in medical technology such as


Cook Medical, Boston Scientific, Stryker, Johnson &


Johnson and Vistakon to build facilities there. “Shannon offers direct


cargo services to the US east coast and Chicago, including freighters, and there is good motorway access to the main ports,” Carr says.


Dublin meanwhile remains


home to many global software firms,


even if a lot of the


physical manufacture has migrated to Asia and Eastern Europe in recent years. Flextronics operated from a large hub in the capital during


the high-tech boom years


and still has key personnel based there, developing supply chain IT solutions, warehouse, transport and trade compliance systems, and providing contract management services.


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