Specialist builder Mercury Engineering is cutting 40 workers from part of its Irish operation through this year as contracts wind down in computer chip giant Intel’s base here.
Dublin-based Mercury builds data centres, pharmaceutical, hi-tech and other manufacturing plants, for clients in Ireland and Europe.
The company intends to cut 40 posts this year from the 400 staff it has working in Co Kildare, who are mainly focused on on Intel’s Irish operation in Leixlip, it is understood.
Work on Intel’s Fab 34 plant is largely complete, so construction contracts there are coming to an end. The US group invested €17 billion in the facility.
READ MORE
Construction sources say that while Intel winds down, there are other large projects on the way in the Republic, particularly in pharmaceutical manufacturing, mostly driven by foreign investment.
Mercury did not comment on Thursday. The company is advertising around 150 posts in Ireland and abroad on its website.
The Sandyford, Co Dublin-based group has operations throughout Europe.
It is one of a number of Irish companies cashing in on their experience with multinational industry in this country by building data centres and other facilities for clients in Europe.
Mercury’s website notes that it designs, plans, builds and commissions data centres across the continent.
Gary Connolly, director of industry lobby group, Digital Infrastructure Ireland, warns this week that the Republic is exporting expertise in data centre design and operation to the rest of Europe while the industry remains moribund here.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Connolly pointed out that other countries are committing billions of euro to lure an industry in which the Republic up to recently enjoyed a leading position.
His organisation is campaigning to have the Government end uncertainty that has stalled development here.
