Just 10 companies account for more than half of all the Republic's industrial output, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
The 10 largest industrial enterprises accounted for 51.7 per cent of all manufacturing production last year. The value of goods manufactured and sold by these enterprises was put at €69.6 billion.
The remaining 3,654 industrial enterprises in the State reported combined output worth €65 billion.
Pharma and medtech companies that use the Republic as a base to sell produce globally dominate the Irish manufacturing sector. Pharmaceutical exports account for about 60 per cent of the State’s goods exports.
The CSO figures show that over three-quarters (75 per cent) of the State’s output in value terms – equating €101.5 billion – is generated by the top 50 enterprises.
" This highlights that the manufacturing sector in Ireland is heavily reliant on a very small number of enterprises," the CSO said.
The value of products manufactured and sold by Irish-based enterprises rose 12.9 per cent to €134.6 billion in 2019. The figures show the pharmaceutical sector reported an aggregate net selling value of €53.9 billion in 2019, the largest of all the sectors.
The four largest sectors – pharma, chemicals, computer sector and food – accounted for 81.2 per cent or €109.3 billion of total net selling value, up from 79.8 per cent or €95.2 billion in 2018.
The net sales value of food and drink was €25.8 billion, or 19.2 per cent of the total – a lower percentage share compared to the previous two years.
In medtech, the CSO figures show the value of needles and catheters fell 10.2 per cent to €2.4 billion. Meanwhile, the value of artificial joints manufactured rose 17.1 per cent to €1.4 billion last year, having jumped almost 47 per cent in 2018.
There is still a market for a sweet tooth, with the value of cake and pastries up 24.6 per cent to €319.3 million in 2019.
