3Com to create 775 new jobs

COMPUTER networking company 3Com Ireland will create 775 new jobs at its Blanchardstown headquarters over the next five years, the company said yesterday.

The expansion will involve an investment of £70 million, and should bring to almost 1,200 the number of workers there by 2001

The company said cast night the new jobs would be in several areas, including manufacturing, research and development, sales and marketing. 3Com makes adaptors, hubs and ISDN routers for the European and world markets.

"The jobs being created are high quality and cover a wide range of skills," a company spokesperson said. "Currently, approximately 30 per cent of those employed by 3Com Ireland are university graduates or have a higher technical qualification.

Staff enjoy a share option programme, as well as a profit-sharing scheme.

The move will mean that the Blanchardstown plant, which was sited in concert with IDA Ireland with expansion in mind, will treble in size.

"We opened in 1991 and we have grown at the rate of 40 per cent per annum in the last three years - a remarkable achievement," said 3Com Ireland's general manager, Mr Donal Connell.

Before yesterday's announcement, the corporation had already invested $50 million (£33 million) in Ireland. Earlier this year, the company provided some £100,000 worth of computer equipment to two local secondary schools.

Making the formal announcement of the expansion, the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, said that benefits for the country of such multi-national companies locating in Ireland were numerous.

"There are the obvious ones, such as the creation of jobs, both directly and in supplier companies, and the return to the Irish Exchequer, but there are even more substantial benefits at another level; namely the transfer of new technology and the introduction of innovative manufacturing processes which groups such as 3Com have brought to us," he said.

He stressed the attractiveness of Ireland as a business location, citing US Department of Commerce figures which show that the average rate of return on US manufacturing investment in Ireland was four times the EU and world average.

"The consistent Irish government policy towards overseas investment has included the freedom to repatriate profits, the absence of restrictions on ownership of plants in Ireland, and consistently low levels of corporation tax on manufacturing terms," the Taoiseach said.

3Com Corporation was founded in 1979, and is based in California. It has more than 5,000 employees, and 124 offices, around the world. In the 12 months to the end of February 1996, world-wide shares were $2.3 billion (£1.5 billion). The 3Com Ireland subsidiary was established five years ago and currently employs 350 people.

The Taoiseach added that more than 1,000 overseas firms have been attracted to Ireland.

His comments were echoed by Mr Randy Heffner, the vice-president for marketing of 3Com corporation.