Flexibility and speed were emphasised yesterday as the main ingredients in attracting IBM to establish a multi-divisional centre at Mulhuddart, Co Dublin. The company's $350 million (£239 million) Technology Campus, incorporating a microelectronics division, a Storage Systems Division (SSD), and a Server Group, was officially opened by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, who said that IBM would be paying out a weekly £1 million wage bill to the 2,850 people who will work on the nine-acre site within four years.

"Nowhere needs that more than the area we are in now, the north west side of the city," she said. The campus director, Mr Bob Dunn, said that in the aftermath of the announcement last year to set up the plant, there had been visions and dreams but "we really did not have any designs".

He said that by the end of January plans had been lodged for the first phase - a 117,000 sq ft building - by March 27th work had begun on the building and by September 23rd the first product had been shipped to the first customer.

Mr William Burgess, general manager of IBM Ireland, said the company would be employing 5,000 people in all its operations in the country by 2001. The centre currently employs 450 people producing microelectronic units, but the SSD centre, producing hard disk drive data components, will be operational by next summer.