US firm Acuity celebrates official Cork opening

Industrial tech company said it already has 30 people working at the new site, with a further 70 still to be hired 

Pictured L–R are: Ger Flaherty, Project Manager, Engineering & Green Economy, IDA Ireland, Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork City, Cllr. Margaret McDonnell, Kevin O’Riordan, Site Lead Acuity DoCE and Conor Healy CEO Cork Chamber.

US industrial technology company Acuity has celebrated the official opening of its new digital centre of excellence in Cork. 

Marking the next phase of its long-term investment in Ireland, the company's new office in Penrose Two is set to create more than 100 jobs in the next three years.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Kevin O'Riordan, site lead at Acuity Cork, said hiring is already "well underway," with 30 staff members already working at the site since it announced the opening in September last year. 

"Our hiring is already ahead of schedule. We initially sought to hire 100 staff in three years, but it looks like we're going to meet that target in advance of that."

The roles on offer will span software engineers, data and AI engineers, product managers, architects, and management.

Speaking on its decision to open in Cork, Mr O'Riordan said the city's strong educational offerings largely informed the decision, along with the availability of talent.

"Our decision to come to Cork was based on three key reasons. There is a very strong talent and ecosystem here, which makes it very attractive. The second was the strength of the local universities, and we were happy to host both representatives from University College Cork (UCC) and Munster Technological University (MTU) here today to celebrate our official opening."

"We also had an established relationship with IDA Ireland, which also helped us in choosing to locate in Cork."

Atlanta-headquartered Acuity is divided into two segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Acuity Intelligent Spaces. The company employs around 13,000 people and operates across North America, Europe and Asia.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner last year, Neil Ashe, president and chief executive of Acuity said the new Cork site might one day expand to become the company's European headquarters.

“Our Digital Centre of Excellence in Cork, Ireland brings together the best of Acuity’s technologies, serving as a hub for research and development to build innovative software solutions," Mr O'Riordan added.

Looking forward, the site lead said the company will continue to grow its base in Cork, and that it will "definitely be larger" by 2030.

"We want to collaborate more with the universities and be a part of the local economic ecosystem.

"We’re building a team of disruptive thinkers, data-forward engineers, and product innovators who are helping to shape the future of our technology."