At the announcement at Government Buildings of MFG.com's investment were Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O'Keeffe, and Stefan Bachmann, general manager, Europe, with MFG.com. Photo: Jason Clarke.

MFG.com to establish EMEA operations centre in north-east

Published: Wed 30 Jun 2010, 4:36 PM

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O'Keeffe, has announced that online sourcing marketplace for manufacturing provider, MFG.com, is to establish an EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) operations centre in Drogheda. The company aims to create over 50 high-skilled positions over the next two years at the operation. The investment is being supported by IDA Ireland. MFG.com, founded in 2000, is the largest online sourcing marketplace in the world dedicated to serving the global manufacturing industry. It has a proprietary on-demand platform that facilitates the complex process of sourcing and selling manufacturing components and services. MFG.com connects buyers with suppliers that have the expertise, credentials and capacity to meet their exact sourcing needs. Billions of dollars' worth of discrete manufacturing services, industrial components and textiles has been sourced online via MFG.com. The company's new European operations centre in Drogheda will provide operational support to the EMEA region and will involve the centralisation of functions such as customer technical support, outbound sales, lead generation, accounting and management, human resources and EMEA IT support to one location. The company said it plans to immediately begin recruitment for the new operation. Minister O'Keeffe described the investment as "strategically important for the north-eastern region". The announcement consolidates Ireland's reputation in the global business services sector as a top location for innovation-intensive and knowledge-based investments, added the minister. Stefan Bachmann, general manager for Europe with MFG.com, said: "Drogheda was a natural choice for our EMEA expansion, given the flexible, highly-qualified workforce and the increasingly competitive, pro-business environment. We look forward to building the Drogheda operation into our pivotal hub for the EMEA region and also welcoming more Irish-based buyers and suppliers who wish to broaden their international reach." Barry O'Leary, CEO of the IDA, said: "This announcement is in line with IDA's recently published Horizon 2020 strategy which aims to drive regional economic development through the location of high-value investments in regional locations. This investment reinforces Ireland's reputation as one of Europe's leading locations for business services companies. MFG.com is a highly reputable company and is a proud addition to the existing global players conducting key business services here." MFG.com is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and also has offices in Paris, Geneva, Munich, Bangalore and Shanghai.