US safety firm picks Shannon for EU HQ

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Leo Varadkar said the announcement confirms 25 highly skilled jobs for the Mid-West. File picture: Julien Behal Photography

An American safety firm has chosen Shannon to set up its European headquarters, creating 25 new jobs over the next five years. 

Exida, which specialises in functional safety, industrial cybersecurity, and alarm management, will open in Shannon's Gateway Hub, supported by IDA Ireland.

Exida provides certification, services, assessments, and tools to automation, automotive, robotics, and machinery equipment manufacturers as well as pharmaceutical, chemical, petro-chemical, oil and gas, subsea, metals and mining, pulp and paper, and power utilities customers.

Chris O’Brien, CEO of Exida said: "We are very excited to launch Exida IRL to provide local support for our European customers and expand Exida’s technical capabilities."

"There were several factors that led to choosing Ireland for this expansion including; proximity to European customers, strong local talent pool to recruit from, support from IDA Ireland, and the country’s proven track record for foreign direct investment,” he said. 

Iwan van Beurden, director of Exida IRL said the initial hiring process is already completed for the Shannon office, with plans to bring the total staff count up to 25 in the next three to five years. 

"This staff will allow us to expand our software development capability and resource EU projects," he said.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the announcement confirms 25 highly skilled jobs for the Mid-West. 

"Exida is a world leader in a highly specialist field and it will be a welcome addition to the business ecosystem in the region," he said.