Ó An Roinn Fiontar, Trádála agus Fostaíochta; Fiontraíocht Éireann
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Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar today arrives in Berlin, as he embarks on the final day of Enterprise Ireland’s three-day trade mission to the UK, France and Germany. The three-day trade mission, visiting London, Paris and Berlin, supports the accelerated export-led recovery of Irish businesses in the UK and Eurozone, Ireland’s closest markets.
Germany is a strategically important near-trading market for Ireland, with Enterprise Ireland client company exports valued at over €1.3 billion in 2020. With Germany being the largest economy in Europe, and Ireland’s open economy and reputation for talent and innovation, there are significant scope to build on the well-founded and sustainable trading partnerships that already exist between the two countries. Supporting growth opportunities for Irish companies in Germany, today, Tánaiste will meet with Europe's leading healthcare provider, Helios Health and German mobility company TIER, both of which work with Enterprise Ireland client companies.
Arriving in Berlin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said:
"Trade and collaboration will be crucial to our recovery as we rebuild after COVID-19. Ireland has strong and embedded trade links with Germany and we intend to further strengthen these, working closely together on both challenges and opportunities over the coming months, not just in respect to the pandemic, but to digitalisation and climate change as well- all pressing concerns for international governments and the business community. Now, after Brexit, our two countries are closer than ever.
"We have some really good news for Dundalk today too. As a result of a new Irish and German partnership, Berlin based Private Pier Industries will be investing in a new €4 million spirits blending, bottling and maturation facility in Dundalk, creating 15 new jobs. Irish company Luna and Europe’s leading e-scooter operator, German-based TIER Mobility have also formed a partnership, which I’m sure will prove very successful for both parties. Luna will hire 15 new jobs as a result of the partnership, which will help build on the current pilot project that is taking place in DCU."
Attending the trade mission in Berlin, Tom Cusack, Head of International Sales and Partnering at Enterprise Ireland, said:
"Ireland and Germany have a strong and important trading relationship across a number of key industries including lifesciences, agritech, construction and digital technology. With exports of €1.3 billion in 2020, Germany is one of our largest trading partners within the Eurozone. As we emerge from COVID-19, the focus is on recovery and accelerating Irish exports, growing new business and new market opportunities. Irish companies have enjoyed great success, but there is also great untapped potential in the European market, and we continue to identify opportunities for Irish businesses across a range of sectors."
During the mission in Berlin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will launch Enterprise Ireland’s fourth Enter the Eurozone programme, in partnership with the Berlin-based European School of Management and Technology (ESMT). The programme for Irish businesses is designed to accelerate Irish export growth to the Eurozone, now the second largest export market for Enterprise Ireland client companies.
With a population of 340 million, the Eurozone offers significant and untapped opportunities for Irish companies. Enter the Eurozone is an award-winning programme, having won international recognition for its quality and impact, including the EFMD Excellence in Practice global award for Ecosystem Development and the CXIA for innovation in Digital Delivery.
Coinciding with the Trade Mission to Berlin, Private Pier Industries GmbH (PPI) a Berlin-headquartered group active in Ireland in both the spirts and premium pet food sectors, is expanding its investment in Ireland by establishing Good Spirits Bottling (GSB) a new, state of the art spirts blending, bottling and maturation facility. PPI is investing €4 million directly in GSB as part of a wider €24 million investment in the whiskey sector. The investment is being supported by Enterprise Ireland.
The company initially plans to occupy a 20,000 square foot premises in its first phase, doubling in size within a year to 40,000 sq feet upon completion of construction. With an investment of €4 million in the Louth operation, GSB will create 15 jobs over the next two years, offering flexible blending and bottling solutions for its own flagship brands and to the spirits industry in Ireland and worldwide.
In addition to establishing this state-of-the-art blending, bottling and maturation facility, PPI is now one of the largest independent owners of Irish whiskey stock holdings. The facility will be used to blend and bottle PPI’s two Irish premium whiskey brands; Grace O’Malley Spirits and Proclamation Irish Whiskey. Launched in 2018 and 2020 respectively, the brands have secured distribution in 20 countries internationally including Ireland, USA, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Australia and the UK within the last 18 months.
Commenting on the announcement, Stefan Hansen, one of the PPI Group founders said:
"We are entering a very exciting phase in the growth of our whiskey brands over the coming months. The PPI Group is dedicated to growing our Irish operations, having invested over €15 million in Ireland to date. We will be investing a further €24 million in Ireland over the coming 3 years and adding 15 new positions to bring PPI’s headcount in Ireland to 23. The operation in Dundalk will act as the industrial hub for the Group in Ireland, preparing the product for export to international markets. This will be a cornerstone facility, creating premium brands that serve both Irish and international markets. We’re happy to have chosen Co. Louth as a location, close to our industry partners and in one of Ireland’s principal whiskey clusters."
Orla Battersby, Divisional Manager Food at Enterprise Ireland, said:
"Enterprise Ireland welcomes the announcement of PPI’s new project in Dundalk, which has been supported by Enterprise Ireland in our role of attracting Food FDI projects to Ireland. PPI has an experienced team and has developed strong Irish whiskey brands, and these will be the key factors in their future growth. We are particularly delighted that the group will be creating 15 new jobs in Co. Louth and that the project will support capacity for the wider whiskey sector, a sector for which Ireland has an excellent reputation internationally."
Irish micromobility tech platform Luna and Berlin-based TIER Mobility, Europe’s leading e-scooter operator, are currently collaborating on Ireland's first e-scooter scheme at DCU, delivering the world's first academic-industry computer vision research partnership. The purpose of the research project, which also involves the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, is to simultaneously improve e-scooter safety and to explore the Smart City possibilities associated with computer vision-equipped micro-mobility vehicles.
Following this successful collaboration, TIER and Luna, an Enterprise Ireland client company, have today announced a strategic partnership around piloting and deploying computer vision and smart city technology on shared e-scooter fleets. The partnership will build on the pilot project currently taking place across DCU’s campuses and is first exploring expansion to Paris and the Middle East, alongside other international markets. As part of this announcement, Luna has announced it intends to hire over 15 new full-time staff to assist with these projects.
Helios is Europe's leading hospital operator, with approximately 120,000 employees. Together with Quirónsalud in Spain and Latin America, Helios Kliniken in Germany is part of the holding Helios Health. Every year about 20 million patients choose Helios for medical treatment. In 2020, the company’s sales totalled €9.8 billion. Helios Germany operates 89 acute care hospitals, about 130 outpatient clinics, six prevention centers and treats approximately 5.2 million patients annually, of whom 4.1 million are outpatients. With 73,000 employees, Helios generated sales of €6.3 billion in 2020. Helios Germany is headquartered in Berlin.
TIER Mobility is Europe's leading shared micro-mobility provider, with a mission to Change Mobility for Good. By providing people with a range of shared, light electric vehicles, from e-scooters to e-bikes and e-mopeds, powered by a proprietary Energy Network, TIER helps cities reduce their dependence on cars. Founded in 2018 by Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug and Julian Blessin, TIER is headquartered in Berlin and currently operates in 130+ cities across 13 countries in Europe and the Middle East. With a focus on providing the safest, most equitable and most sustainable mobility solution, TIER has been climate neutral since 2020. TIER’s investors include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Mubadala Capital, Northzone, Goodwater Capital and White Star Capital. For more information, visit www.tier.app.
Private Pier Industries is a privately held company which creates, develops and operates internationally relevant brands. The company focuses on branded products in growth industries that require creative communication strategies. Private Pier Industries (PPI) operates and builds brands in 3 key sectors: Premium petfood sold internationally under the Irish Pure brand; alcoholic beverages through its flagship brands, Grace O’Malley Spirits and Proclamation Whiskey; and in the fashion sector through the LEMANJÁ fashion brand.