A Taiwanese company, Hon Hai Precision, plans two industrial projects in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, which are expected to create 500 jobs over four years.
The projects, announced yesterday by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, are backed by an IDA-supported investment of £8 million and the company's recruitment drive is under way.
In the first project, Hon Hai Precision, will establish a subsidiary - Foxteq Engineering - to operate a facility manufacturing enclosures for leading personal computer makers such as Dell and Apple. This will involve a £4.5 million investment and 350 jobs.
Foxteq will take a lease on the 115,000 sq ft former Tarkett plant and has begun modifications at the site. The decision to set up such a facility was in response to the demands of the company's two major customer, Dell and Apple, said a company statement. This first project is not receiving any grant aid.
In the second project, another subsidiary - Foxconn Ireland - will employ 150 people at a European production centre for specialised electronic components, including cable assemblies, connectors or riser cards.
The facility will service the European customers such as 3Com, Hewlett Packard, Fujitsu and Nokia. More than one-fifth of the project's employees will be third level graduates with technical skills in IT design.
Hon Hai Precision of Taipei is one of the world's largest producers of enclosures for the PC industry. Founded in 1974 it is listed on the Taiwan Stock exchange and produced turnover of £781 million and net profits of £112 million last year.
Ms Harney said the company's plans were a first class development because not only was "it the first major investment breakthrough for IDA Ireland in Taiwan, but it also delivers a solution to the employment crisis in Mullingar".
Tarkett, which manufactured resilient flooring, closed at the end of January with the loss of 140 jobs. It said the decision to close was taken after "unexpected changes in the market place", in particular, declining sales in Russian and eastern European markets. As a result the jobs announcement comes at a critical time in Mullingar's development as it has become a major dormitory town for Dublin with excellent rail and road links.
At its peak, the Tarkett factory employed 300 people, but this had shrunk to 140 when the factory eventually closed.
The Tarkett closure came at a time when two other low tech industries in the midlands also closed - Atlantic Mills in Longford and Avon Arlington in Portarlington.
The Tanaiste ordered a review of job creation policy after these closures on the grounds that the Government would no longer willing to support low tech industries.
After the closure was announced, IDA Ireland set up a working group to find new industries for Mullingar.
