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Shannon Chamber was named as the winner of the ‘Most Successful Policy Campaign’ category in Chambers Ireland’s Awards 2022. The awards, hosted by Chambers Ireland, recognise the work of chambers of commerce throughout the country in supporting local, regional, and national business. The announcement was made at the awards ceremony in Dublin. Shannon Chamber’s entry into this category was the preparation of the business case for a multi-annual, fully funded regional air access recovery and growth action plan, which was presented to Government. The business case was prepared by Shannon Chamber in collaboration with the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), and supported by Ennis, Limerick, and Galway Chambers. The objective of this policy campaign was to demonstrate that, while the funding allocated by Government to support Irish airports up to 2021 was welcome, a reform of funding strategy would be needed in the future. The collective business and hospitality representative grouping wanted the Government to consider providing three forms of sustained …

A TEAM from Ennistymon has been named among the finalists for this year’s national Student Enterprise Programme. BEA Scrubs from Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon, the brainchild of Áine Hennigan, Eimear Lernihan and Bríd Áine Rouine, will represent Clare in the junior category final on May 18. The Local Enterprise Office initiative has seen over 300,000 Irish students take part over the course of its 20-year history. The announcement of the finalists took place at The Helix in Dublin, the venue for this year’s finals, with this year’s Ambassador, All-Ireland winner and All-Star, Limerick’s Sean Finn. Over 24,000 students took part in the Student Enterprise Programme this year, which began in September 2021 and returns to a physical National Finals event for the first time since 2019. From over 24,000 student enterprises, the top five businesses in each of the three categories, Senior, Intermediate and Junior have been selected to go forward to the final at the Helix on May 18 where …

WHILE 2021 was more promising than 2020, it was still a very difficult year for Shannon Group, according to its newly published annual report. Writing in the report Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine stated that while there are some grounds for optimism, there are also threats present. “The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact Shannon Group during 2021, contributing to another challenging year for the Group. “Throughout the year we focused on the recovery and rebuilding of our businesses, with positive developments in the second half of the year providing grounds for future optimism. “However, while air travel demand continues to recover, the Group is mindful of current geopolitical uncertainties and their potential influence on business performance during 2022.” While the Group’s financial performance did improve, she claimed that Shannon Airport will need State support for some time to come. “Shannon Group delivered an improved financial performance for 2021, with an increase of 18% in turnover to €40.5 million (2020: €34.3 …

Microchip Ennis is looking to recruit people for a number of exciting positions in the Clare county capital. A spokesperson for the firm said, “At Microchip we recognise that our employees are our greatest strength. This is highlighted by the continued opportunities we provide, helping our employees to develop, grow and achieve excellence within the company. “Our culture focuses on being open and honest. We believe that communication is vital which can provide excellent opportunities to share knowledge and improve the quality of our work.” The locally-based company operates within Microchip’s High Reliability Discrete Solutions group (HRDS) which offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive power, module, and signal discrete semiconductor product portfolios. The HRDS group addresses multiple markets including aerospace and defence, commercial aviation, communications, and power solutions. Operations on the Ennis site include initial product development, device testing and screening, reliability testing and inspection, shipping and distribution to customer and customer support. Recruitment Opportunities • Senior Manufacturing Engineer …

IN light of the current labour market crisis, Shannon Chamber has sought answers on delays in securing work permits for non-EEA nationals. A request was made by members of Shannon Chamber’s HR Forum to meet with Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, to discuss labour market matters. Minister English was able to assure them that delays being experienced in the processing of employment permits for non-EEA nationals were being reduced. The meeting arranged through Deputy Joe Carey, which was held virtually, enabled Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes and members of the HR Forum to discuss these issues in person with Minister English and officials from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The minister acknowledged that the delays to employment permit processing times are not acceptable. He said, “We experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year, impacting on processing times. “From the start of January to the end of …

SHANNON Group has begun work on its latest commercial property development worth €8 million which will generate over 100 jobs during construction. It is on a multi-use industrial space spanning over 60,000 sq ft, located in the Free Zone. The project will take ten months to complete and will be constructed to international standards providing high energy performance from renewable sources, known as a Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB). The new building is designed for both FDI and Irish enterprises seeking high-end multi-functional space, and is suitable for manufacturing, industrial and R&D use. It can be leased as either one unit, three separate commercial units (20,000 sq ft each), or two units at 40,000 sq ft and 20,000 sq ft respectively. Limerick company Nautic Building Co Limited have been appointed as the main contractor. Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine said: “We have now started work on the next phase of our property development solution offerings, having completed major infrastructure upgrades …

EMPLOYMENT in a Shannon aviation company will more than treble over a six year-period from this Friday when a new takeover of a neighbouring business takes off. Atlantic Aviation Group (AAG) employs 320 in its existing hangar, 120 in its UK base and will take on about 300 new employees from Lufthansa Technik. The new hangar, which is almost three times the size of the AAG building, can accommodate nine narrow body Ryanair sized aircraft or two wide body and four narrow body aircraft. Back in April 2015, when investor Patrick Jordan bought the company it was employing about 217. Revenue have grown from €15 million to a projected figure of €80 million by the end of the year, with AAG chief executive, Shane O’Neill expecting growth to more than €100 million over the coming years. Barring some unexpected major setback, Mr O’Neill believes overall employment could increase up to 1,000 in a few years. AAG services, maintains and repairs …

THE progress of Ei Electronics is one of the great success stories of Clare business, with the company now employing 1060 people in Shannon and still seeking to add to that figure. This week saw it publish its first Annual Sustainability Report, charting its progress over the last 12 months as it seeks to become carbon neutral by 2030. Writing in the report company chairman and CEO Mick Guinnee said that sustainability is vital to the company’s future. “I have set the Ei Electronics Group the ambitious target of being Net Zero Carbon by 2030. In some ways this is a daunting taks – however I believe it is not only achievable but is an essential contribution by this company to the preservation of the planet for future generations. “We will be focusing on the identification and reduction of carbon emission sources – from the design of our products to how we manufacture, where we source our components, our energy …