98 jobs lost in Blanchardstown

A Co Dublin company has announced the loss of 98 jobs in Blanchardstown. Zomax/MPO, which was engaged in CD and DVD replication for clients in the electronic industry, said it was closing its manufacturing plant with immediate effect.

Managing director Paddy Burke said staff at the company had been aware of a difficult trading environment for some time.

The company was principally involved in outsourced manufacturing for global client companies, and while it "had made strenuous efforts to keep the business running", he said the industry here had been in decline for years due to lower-cost Asian and eastern Europe competition.

Mr Burke said the Blanchardstown plant had no new customer orders and none in prospect.

The business had become unsustainable, a feature that was "indicative of the global competitive landscape in which Irish-based manufacturing must now attempt to operate".

Staff at the company's sister facility, a contact centre at Santry that operates services on behalf of international clients, were unaffected by yesterday's announcement.

However, protective notice to 100 of the 155 Santry staff was given last month.

The company said this had followed the decision by one of Zomax/MPO's large customers to consolidate its outsourced activities with a different supplier, Mr Burke said.

Referring to the Santry business, he said that "unlike the Blanchardstown manufacturing and assembly operation, our Santry facility delivers contact centre and fulfilment services on behalf of international clients.

"It is a good business with opportunities. Issuing protective notice to 100 of our 155 Santry staff was the responsible and prudent action for the company to take at the time as it seeks to secure replacement business for the lost contract and to secure the jobs of all the staff there.

"I remain confident that we will be successful in building a future for the Santry operation."

Mr Burke added: "We have delayed this very difficult decision as long as possible in the hope that alternative business could be found for the facility."

However "by closing now we are able to ensure that all our staff and all our suppliers are paid in full all monies and entitlements due to them".

He said the staff were an excellent team of people.

"We will work with them to assist them in their search for alternative employment," Mr Burke said. "We are contacting other companies in the Blanchardstown area to determine if they have any vacancies."