Headcount climbs as Alps Electric expands

06-12-2005

by Deirdre McArdle

Japanese firm Alps Electric is to create 140 high-quality engineering and manufacturing jobs as it expands its facility in Cork.

The firm, which manufactures electronic components, has announced that it is to invest EUR14 million in the expansion of its automotive components manufacturing facility in Millstreet, Co. Cork. The expansion will see the Japanese giant creating 140 new engineering and manufacturing jobs over the next five years.

The primary aim of the investment, which is supported by IDA Ireland, is to bring the operation to a higher level by increasing the technical sophistication, skills profile, product range and manufacturing capacity of the facility. Alps intends to invest the bulk of the EUR14 million into new technologies that will help the group to create more sophisticated products, according to M. Kataoka, president of Alps Electric.

"This investment is being driven by the growth in demand in the European automotive business. Our Millstreet facility is the most suited for this undertaking because of its track record of success and consistent growth since its establishment in 1988," said Kataoka.

Kataoka further praised the Cork facility, saying it has hit the highest of international standards. He also expressed his confidence that the "availability of the necessary skilled workforce in the region will meet the demands of this expansion."

Alps Electric currently employs 410 people at its plant in Millstreet, which produces 40 percent of Alps' automotive products sold in the European Union. The firm expects this figure to rise to 60 percent as a result of the expansion.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin, who made the announcement, said the investment would "increase the Irish operation's already important role in its parent company in Japan and in its global business."

Tokyo-based Alps Electric was founded in 1948 and currently employs over 32,000 people at 24 facilities worldwide. For the year ended March 2005 the group posted a profit of EUR121 million on the back of sales of EUR4.8 billion.