Ireland braces for Dell January jobs announcement

Jim McGrath

Michel Dell: the computer maker may be about to move away from Limerick

PC-maker Dell is set to announce plans early next year to relocate its assembly operation away from its Limerick facility. The Sunday Tribune understands from government sources in Ireland and company sources in the US that news of withdrawal of manufacturing from Limerick will be made public in January.

Over the course of 2009, Dell is expected to scale down its Limerick manufacturing before operations are relocated to Poland by the end of next year.

A Dell spokesperson in Ireland said it was "business as usual" in Limerick and that at this stage the operation of the plant remained "under review" as with all global manufacturing sites.

However, a senior source within the IDA has confirmed that it is bracing itself for "dramatic news" shortly. "A plan is being put in place to see where we can go forward from here and it is being treated with the utmost seriousness," the source said.

About 16,000 jobs within the mid-west are directly or indirectly linked to Dell.

December 14, 2008

Comments

#1 Leo commented, on December 14, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.:

Why is the loss of potentially 16,000 not on the front page of the Tribune, but half way down the business section in the middle of the paper??????? Something fishy here.

#2 Tom commented, on December 14, 2008 at 7:31 p.m.:

The reason I can only guess that it doesn't make the front page of the Tribune is that is outside Dublin!

#3 TimMo commented, on December 14, 2008 at 7:51 p.m.:

Because this is old news, these jobs would have gone long ago only for the election and now they want to wait till after Xmas. Manufacturing computers in Ireland is like making ice cubes in the Sahara, just madness. Innovation is the future no moving boxes.

#4 Eoin commented, on December 15, 2008 at 1:58 p.m.:

For 15 years we've been hearing this. What makes them so sure this time?
What will definitely happen in January is the same as every other quarter end. Dell will let go the 450 TEMPORARY employees that it takes on for the quarter and the papers will make a big deal about it (as they do every quarter). These 450 jobs are created every quarter so Dell can hit its targets, then at the end of the quarter the contracts of these 450 are not renewed. The next quarter another 450 are created.... and so the cycle goes on.
The permanent jobs are never affected

#5 dan_ whealan commented, on December 15, 2008 at 2:33 p.m.:

I heard it off the boys weeks ago

#6 Mike_J_O commented, on December 15, 2008 at 4:15 p.m.:

Please print fact-based information - not hear say and "a source says".
Dell and other companies are looking to save money so Dell are looking at their plants outside the US.
A Dell spokesperson says so in the article.
This is a non story, but the 16,000 jobs makes an eye-catching headline.
I'm sure you can do better than this lazy reporting.
I don't think I will see this online!

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