Support for indigenous firms
David Maxwell asked what legislation will help homegrown companies like Combilift scale and compete internationally. Peter Burke praised Combilift as a lighthouse indigenous company and said Enterprise Ireland would support its growth.
What legislation is the Government bringing forward to support our homegrown indigenous companies to grow, scale and compete internationally? For example, in my constituency one company, Combilift, is providing key employment. It is owned by two local businessmen. They are supporting jobs in the region and stimulating our local economy. This one company has a workforce of over 800 direct jobs with hundreds of indirect jobs as well. It has an annual turnover of around €500 million and they want to grow this to €1 billion in the future. They export internationally and are global leaders in technology in forklifts, straddle carriers and similar machinery. What are Enterprise Ireland and the Government doing to help them grow further internationally? How are we supporting the next generation of homegrown companies to come through and have similar success?
As we know, we need further employment and industrial development in rural Ireland, especially in places like Cavan and Monaghan.
Comment on this
Not a week goes by that Deputy Maxwell does not mention Combilift to me. I know it has now reached its 100,000 milestone of machine-making in Monaghan, which is very significant. It provides huge employment. I know Martin and Robert there do exceptional work. It is really a lighthouse company for what we want in Ireland: innovation, an indigenous company, Irish born, exporting, growing its footprint in Ireland and operating in 85 markets around the globe. I absolutely assure the Deputy that Enterprise Ireland will be to the forefront of supporting that company's growth trajectory, which is very important to me as Minister because I want to demonstrate to others that this is what you can do when you have vision and ambition, working in partnership with Enterprise Ireland. I really commend the Deputy on the work he is doing, putting the company first and putting the workers first in Monaghan because jobs of that scale in a rural community like in Monaghan is so important. I put them at a premium and will do all I can in my Ministry to protect them.