A VISION OF innovation, new products and employment linked to Irish bogs was described when new jobs were announced yesterday at Bord Na Móna headquarters at Newbridge, Co Kildare.
Two Ministers, one from Fine Gael and one from Labour, jointly announced that Bord na Móna is to create 91 jobs as part of a €6 million research and development investment over the next three years, including a grant of €860,000 from Enterprise Ireland.
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said he had “always admired the ambition and creativity” of Bord na Móna. “It is really exciting the way in which Bord na Móna has transformed itself from a company that was predominantly in the peat market, now to be in so many different markets.” He added: “Every euro that is spent by a company like Bord na Móna in winning an export sale has four times the employment impact of a euro of export sales by a multinational.”
Ireland was “very privileged to attract some of the most exciting and creative companies” from abroad but it was also important to have “exciting and innovative” indigenous companies as well.
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte said he had been “a considerable admirer” of Bord na Móna for a very long time. “It is great to see this R&D investment in a company like Bord na Móna, to ensure that it can get on with its pioneering work,” he said.
Sooner or later, Bord na Móna was going to run out of peat: “It has been diversifying, creating new products and services, it is a substantial exporter.” The new jobs now being created would “greatly enhance that effort”, Mr Rabbitte said.
Bord na Móna chief executive Gabriel D’Arcy said: “Innovation is about changing the whole organisation around its strengths and capabilities and focusing those on the markets and the customers.”
The result was to enable Bord na Móna “to be more competitive and, indeed, more enduring”, he added.
The announcement is part of Bord na Móna’s innovation programme that has already seen recruitment commence for 20 high-tech positions, which are expected to be filled by March 2012. The 91 jobs announced yesterday are in addition to these 20 positions.
Enterprise Ireland is supporting the work of the innovation division of Bord na Móna in a number of high-technology growth areas such as clean technology and carbon reduction.
Also yesterday, Bord na Móna announced a new strategy to collaborate with and mentor start-ups and small and medium enterprises in the midlands.
The 20 jobs currently being recruited are skilled and graduate positions in business, science and IT. The additional 91 jobs will be in R&D, engineering, science and business and will comprise graduate and skilled positions.
The total value of this RD programme is €6 million, which represents a 50 per cent increase in Bord na Móna’s R&D spend over the previous three years and an intensification of its transformation effort.
