SEAGATE Technology, the US computer company which took over the old Digital plant in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, has merged with disc drive manufacturer, Conner Peripherals. The merger, announced yesterday, makes Seagate, which also has a plant in Derry, one of the biggest manufacturers of computer hardware in the world. The company has taken on 1,200 people at its Clonmel plant since last October and is still recruiting engineers and technicians for its new products and development groups.