THE Smurfit Group is understood to be involved in negotiations to buy the former Semperit tyre plant at Ballyfermot in Dublin.
German rubber industry giant Continental AG closed the plant last September with a loss of 650 jobs.
The 500,000-square-foot factory stands on 46 acres and is valued at around £6 million.
Jack Golden, former managing director of Semperit (Ireland) Ltd, who now runs a similar plant for the company in France, confirmed it was in discussions to sell the plant but refused to identify the firm involved. He said the party involved had exclusive negotiating rights at this stage but it was too early to say whether a sale would be concluded.
The IDA has been involved in an intensive campaign to find a replacement industry for Semperit. Shortly after the closure was announced, Kieran McGowan, chief executive of the IDA, said Continental was not prepared to sell the Irish factory to a "fierce competitor", such as potential Korean buyers. Mr McGowan was referring to the company's decision not to sell specialised manufacturing equipment to a competitor.
