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THE Taoiseach Enda Kenny had high praise for Killarney company Tricel during a visit to Kerry today. Mr Kenny arrived at Tricel’s headquarters, at Ballyspillane Industrial Estate, shortly after lunchtime, as part of a whistle-stop tour of the county.

Referring to Tricel’s business links across the globe, the Taoiseach said: “Tricel is an example of an Irish company that is going the way it should be moving, not just focused on one country."

Mr Kenny had also been present at Tricel’s signing of contract agreements during an official visit in 2015 which took place in France.

Following this, the Taoiseach highlighted his intention of visiting Tricel’s company headquarters in Killarney once the opportunity arose, and this visit was duly scheduled for today. Mr Kenny was taken on a tour of the plant, where the owners, the Stack family, highlighted the company’s continued expansion, which includes the purchase of three new companies last year and the current opening of a second French location based in Avignon.

The ongoing success of the company has generated a large listing of job opportunities and led to the filling of over 65 new positions last year and a further 24 so far to date this year alone, both in Kerry and throughout the UK.
The Taoiseach, who concludes his visit to the county in the newly refurbished Coastguard station in Waterville, started his itinerary in Tralee.

He turned the sod on the new Kerry Sports Academy at the Institute of Technology, Tralee. This €16.5 million facility, scheduled to open in autumn 2018.

The Taoiseach also joined forces with the CEO of IDA Ireland, Martin Shanahan, to cut the ribbon on the IDA’s new Advance Technology Building in Tralee as well as unveiling IDA Irelands new website promoting Kerry for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), “Invest in Kerry”.

The Advance Technology building is designed to provide high quality production and office accommodation, which will be suitable for future technology or life sciences projects.

IDA Ireland’s CEO Martin Shanahan said: “IDA continues to market Kerry for investment throughout our global network of offices. Today, our new marketing tool - 'Invest in Kerry' - which highlights the key attributes of Kerry as a location for investment, will go live.

“From talent to property availability investors can go online and experience what Kerry has to offer. Potential Investors can hear about the experiences of companies like Fexco, Astellas, Borg Warner, JRI America and Liebherr.

“Kerry is a great place to invest. It has an existing base of overseas and indigenous companies, fantastic amenities and the Institute of Technology making it an attractive place to live and work. These attributes combined with IDA’s new world-class property solution, suitable for clients in the pharma, med tech, engineering or technology sectors, makes Kerry a compelling location for investment.”
 

 
Above: The Taoiseach Enda Kenny on his visit to Tricel, Killarney, today.