THE CORK operations of storage technology company EMC have been “a big driver” of the firm’s growth in recent years, according to Rainer Erlat, president of the firm’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

EMC recently reported record revenues of $3.9 billion for the first quarter of 2010. Mr Erlat said the business had also turned a corner in EMEA.

“2009 was a very tough year but things are now a little more stable across EMEA, although it depends on the individual countries.”

Since Joe Tucci took over as chief executive in 2001, EMC has undergone a transformation from a storage hardware manufacturer to a broad-based provider of hardware and software to manage data.

Mr Erlat said having such a broad portfolio, largely built up through a series of acquisitions, meant the company was positioned well. “We can address a much bigger market than we could 10 years ago.”

EMC’s Cork base in Ovens employs 1,600 staff and is the company’s international hub. It was opened in 1988 as a manufacturing base but, just as the company has changed and expanded into new areas, manufacturing now accounts for just 30 per cent of activities.

Ovens is now home to activities like research and development, customer service, professional services, back-office functions and a solutions centre where customers from around the region are brought to see EMC technology in action.

Despite the changes, Mr Erlat said that EMC, which won a best place to work award last year, had striven to retrain staff for new roles wherever possible.

“It would be easy to get rid of people and rehire but those people know EMC and the network.”

Mr Erlat was in Ireland for the graduation of the first students from EMC’s new sales training programme. Thirteen staff from across Europe completed the five-month programme before returning to their home countries.

The programme gives executives exposure to Cork at an early stage in their career which bodes well for EMC’s commitment to it.

“As we roll out new initiatives, we always look to see if we can support them out of Cork,” said Tom Murray, chief financial officer with EMC in Europe.

While such investment will be dependent on the strength of the wider economy, EMC has emerged from recession in a strong position. “I am much more optimistic than I was in 2009,” Mr Erlat added. “I think we will have a great 2010.”