Sectoral Strengths: Engineering

Investment, innovation, and industry

With €7 billion generated annually and 42,000 directly employed

Our passion for engineering is reflected in the numbers, with a broad range of companies from various fields including automotive, aerospace, industrial automation, and engineering services.

Research and development (R&D) is an important part of the engineering landscape here: we are dedicated to the cutting-edge and by facilitating collaborations between academics and applied research partners, we are now a world-class destination for networking, incentive trips and conferences.

Learn more in our Sectoral Strengths digital flipbook

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An industry embedded in the national culture

Over 75% of the engineering companies based in Ireland are homegrown businesses, a figure that shows the country's passion for the industry. The success and ambition of the engineering sector in Ireland is driven by world-class talent, research and development, top STEM education and regulatory competence.

Fact file

Over 11% of Ireland’s full-time undergraduate new entrants choose to study engineering, manufacturing and construction.
An impressive 42% of companies and over 1,000 employees are involved in engineering research and development.
8/10 of the world’s top Industrial Automation companies have operations in Ireland, including ABB, and Emerson. Engineering is an essential element supporting this increasingly important sector.
Ireland’s largest product is manufactured in Killarney in County Kerry by Liebherr — a container crane with a reach of 70 metres. These cranes are used to load and unload the largest container ships in the world.

A national community

Ireland's engineering network is widespread

The most advanced global engineering companies, consultants and academics the world has to offer work across the backdrop of the island of Ireland.

Among the 1200+ engineering companies based throughout Ireland, star players include:

ABB
Emerson
Henkel
Honeywell
Kostal
Lufthansa
Magna
Siemens
SR Technics
Sulzer Pumps
Tecnik
United Technologies
Valeo

Company spotlight

Selected success stories from the sector

Henkel

The name behind many well-known brands, Henkel employs approximately 910 employees in the UK and Ireland across six sites, covering manufacturing, industrial adhesives, and office facilities. Henkel operates a manufacturing plant and an Operations and Research Technology Centre in Dublin.

Magna

Magna manufactures high quality press moulds for the automotive industry. It produces lightweight car doors and panels for Bentley, Aston Martin and Mercedes at its Carlow plant.

Siemens

Siemens first came to Ireland in 1925 and has since become one of the world’s leading electronics and electrical engineering companies, operating in the industry, energy, and healthcare sectors. In Ireland it employs approximately 700 people, with facilities in Dublin, Donegal and Clare.

Key industry links

Sources of information and support at your fingertips

Planning your next corporate meeting, conference, or incentive trip in Ireland means a wealth of connections, collaboration, and creativity, set against the backdrop of a spectacular island experience. Here are some key sources of information.

Professional associations

Research/innovation centres

Academia

Unrivalled knowledge centres attract talent from around the globe

Ireland’s universities have excelled in the fields of engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacy and biotechnology. As a result, strong co-operative links to the industry have been developed. The combined power of these centres of learning means Ireland has one of the youngest and most educated workforces in Europe. Just some of these educational institutions comprise of:

University College Dublin (UCD)
Technological Universities Dublin (TU Dublin)
National College of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
University College Cork (UCC)
Institute of Technology Sligo (IT Sligo)
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)
Institute of Technology Tralee (IT Tralee)

Your building blocks for success

The Meet in Ireland Team are ready to help

With over 1,000 high growth multinational companies choosing Ireland as their strategic European base, as well as seven universities, numerous teaching hospitals and research centres, we are in a strong position to shape the content of your most successful conference yet.

Let Meet in Ireland assist you with recommendations on regional destinations in Ireland based on sector strengths and make introductions to industry and academic leaders or economic development agencies. We can also assist with financial support. Contact us today for more advice.

Find out more in our Engineering Sectoral Strengths flipbook.