Announcement that around 200 highly skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs will be created by Vertiv at its base at the former Fruit of the Loom plant in Campsie, with support from Invest Northern Ireland.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Okay, so I'm just going to close now with some remarks.
00:04 I first came to this location, this general location, as a young engineer at Queen's University in Belfast.
00:12 I began working at DuPont in Mayden.
00:15 My first introduction to Nexus, by the way, which I loved, but unfortunately,
00:19 it was only a short 11 week shift, I think, to one day, so it's been part of the design team.
00:25 But Nexus was a good introduction to it, so I like this area.
00:29 I think a lot of the success we've had here is, I think, this building,
00:35 we brought building back to life for the alumnus who are here.
00:39 In terms of sustainability, repurposing all industrial facilities works for the environment,
00:45 so I'm very proud of that.
00:47 I think Verdict did their due diligence on this business.
00:52 I think they saw our manufacturing locations throughout the world,
00:55 and I think they saw Kempsey, and I think they got it that we wanted to bring it back to life.
01:01 Part of that is bringing in younger people into the workforce.
01:05 This facility hadn't been used for a few years, so it's been looking for us a long way to continue.
01:11 A general point I'd like to make about U.S. corporate investment and dairy.
01:15 I might get into the politics here, but DuPont came here in 1959.
01:21 A lot of business owners and entrepreneurs came out of DuPont.
01:25 Looking at the bigger picture, we could see a technology as well, high-tech, uptake business again,
01:31 which is a springtime industrial estate, they came here thinking, "I'm going to make a dairy."
01:35 Again, supported by InvestMA.
01:38 Again, they're a very successful company, and long may they continue.
01:42 But looking at the whole of Verdict, north and south,
01:45 my sister works as a HR director in City Park and Gulf, I think,
01:50 and I don't know where she is, I might know where she is.
01:53 But the bottom line is, I think it's a good news story.
01:56 American corporates have done well for Ireland, north and south.
01:59 In this area, I mentioned to you about Verdict,
02:02 and this legacy of entrepreneurs and skilled workers,
02:06 and the success of business continues.
02:09 I certainly want to continue to work in this company to deliver.
02:13 It's all about jobs, it's also all about shareholders.
02:18 We have to perform, and everybody in this room has to do their job,
02:22 and this will continue.
02:25 A final note I'd like to make, you see me walking through here with visitors a lot,
02:30 this is the most successful salesperson in the organisation.
02:34 This facility, with you guys working, it's amazing how many people say to me,
02:38 "I can't believe everybody's working, everybody's getting their job done."
02:42 That's really important that you do that.
02:44 Because it shows up in the numbers that Gio and Anna has to talk to,
02:48 and they talk to people in Wall Street.
02:50 So we can move the needle, but we have to keep doing our job.
02:53 Thanks very much.
02:55 I really appreciate that, it's always harder to follow, but I'll do my best.
03:04 It's great being with all of you today, so good day to you all,
03:10 and thank you to our distinguished guests for being with us today.
03:16 An important day, definitely an important day.
03:19 As Phil was saying, there are always a lot of ideas, a lot of opportunities to invest at Veritif,
03:27 and investing in a location is also a testament, not only to the potential of a location,
03:35 but also to the good work, commitment, focus and passion that that location has demonstrated over time.
03:45 So for that, thank you, and looking forward to more success going forward.
03:51 Veritif is a global leader in critical digital infrastructure.
03:59 What we do really is to create the infrastructure for the data center industry,
04:07 for the telecom industry, and a lot of commercial and industrial critical applications.
04:15 Basically, we enable the world to digitize, to evolve, to improve from a technology standpoint.
04:25 The market is particularly interesting and favorable these days.
04:31 That's one of the reasons why we are expanding here, more capacity, because we have more demand.
04:39 Especially the data center industry is accelerating, because there is a wave of investment
04:46 following the acceleration of artificial intelligence across the world.
04:54 That infrastructure is being built, and is being built for the years to come.
05:00 And the projects that we make here are absolutely critical, central to this evolution.
05:09 So think about what you do every day as enabling the digital transformation
05:17 and the acceleration of the world and of the world economy. Very important.
05:24 We talk about evolution, but let's think in terms of technology evolution.
05:30 The technology evolution that we all enable every day, our engineers and our manufacturing facilities.
05:41 So we create that future.
05:46 The renewed commitment to this side, to Camsea, is going to have a global impact.
05:54 In fact, what we build here is certainly going to serve the island, the UK, but more broadly,
06:04 Europe, Middle East, and Africa, but the world as a matter of fact.
06:09 So you are enabling the world again, and not just the countries in which we are,
06:18 and the countries around you to evolve.
06:22 The commitment is commitment to innovation.
06:26 Phil was talking about the roles that we are going to add here.
06:31 And think about how important the technical know-how or the experience
06:36 that we will build here to really accelerate Veritiv and everything we do.
06:43 But an investment is also a commitment, not only in, let's say, square feet of manufacturing area,
06:53 it is a commitment to the people, to the ideas, to the future, to our customers,
07:00 to the future of Veritiv, and to the future of all of us, all of you here, and of the community.
07:08 And we are very proud of it, very proud of it, as we build a more advanced world together.
07:17 Good morning everyone. My thanks to Judah and Philip for inviting us here this morning.
07:24 To hear the passion and their voices for what this business does, it is fantastic to hear.
07:29 But I am also delighted to be here to announce a significant investment for Byvertiv,
07:35 creating 184 jobs in the local area in the North West.
07:39 It is a testament that North Ireland is now achieving global recognition as a premier business location for investment.
07:48 And we are delighted that such a well-known, internationally-backed company is creating these jobs in the North West.
07:55 The decision by Veritiv to invest in here has not been an easy one.
08:00 You have heard about the mobility, but it is a testament to what we see here.
08:04 And one of the key reasons for North Ireland's success in attracting companies
08:08 is that we have a young, educated population and workforce that is keen to work and keen to learn.
08:15 And you just need to look around to see what we have here.
08:18 We are working very closely with the Department for the Economy to drive the 10X economy and the 10X vision
08:26 to create a productive, innovation, export-driven economy for North Ireland.
08:32 Whilst also achieving a fairer distribution of opportunities for all of our people through a balanced regional economy.
08:40 This investment in the advanced manufacturing sector in the North West, which is one of our priority clusters,
08:48 is taking us a step closer to achieving this balance.
08:53 And as a job opportunity for Northland, will not only benefit people in the Derry area, but also those in the surrounding areas.
09:02 And as you heard from Philip before, this is an area I know very well and I am very passionate about, and I am seeking to help.
09:07 The roles that will be created here, that have been created today, will also allow those people who want to progress in their careers,
09:14 but also provide opportunities for those people who want to re-skill, and also for younger people to come into the workforce.
09:21 So people just starting out in their careers, and this is an important stepping stone for many people.
09:27 Vertu's investment here is tangible proof that we have the ability to meet the business needs of such a global company.
09:35 And I extend my congratulations to Giodana and to Philip on what has been a significant announcement today.
09:43 But I also wish them great success on the development and success of this project.
09:48 And as the guys have already said, I hope this is the first of several investments we can work with the company on to expand this site and this location even more.
09:56 So again, thank you Philip, thank you Giodana.
09:59 [APPLAUSE]