Around 100 jobs are to be lost at Daktronics in Ennistymon, Co Clare, with the US multi-national confirming it will close its Irish manufacturing operations over the coming 12 months.
The company announced today that it is exiting the highly customised part of its International Transportation business, which supplies digital display and control systems to rail, bus and roadway customers outside North America.
Daktronics said its Ennistymon facility primarily supported that business and that no sustainable alternative had been identified to allow the plant to continue operating.
The company said it had notified approximately 100 employees in Ireland that it would begin a phased exit and cease operations.
The announcement comes weeks after the company began a collective redundancy consultation process, initially warning that jobs were at risk.
Vice President of International at Daktronics, Judd Guthmiller said the decision had been made with deep regret.
“This has been a very difficult decision and has not been taken lightly, but market realities have made it unavoidable,” he said.
He said the decision did not diminish the contribution made by employees in Ireland to the company and its customers.
“Our focus now is on supporting the team through the closure process in the best way possible,” he said.
Daktronics is a global supplier of audiovisual and digital display technology, with systems used in transport networks around the world.
The company has supplied more than 14,000 railway displays and 15,000 bus and tram displays worldwide, as well as around 8,000 airport displays.
Its technology is also used at Iarnród Éireann stations to provide real-time arrival and departure information.
The company has operated in Ennistymon for 12 years, following its acquisition of local business, Data Display in 2014.
Data Display was founded in 1979 and became a major producer of electronic displays for transport networks internationally.
Daktronics was founded in the United States in 1968 and operates across international markets.
