Sectors of Excellence

In recent years the Metropolitan Cork area has enjoyed rapid growth. Foremost among the factors contributing to this development is a deliberate emphasis on Industrial Clusters - groups of companies located in a particular area who are involved in similar enterprises. This strategy encourages corporate and academic facilities, venture capitalists and other interested parties to congregate together, fostering greater innovation and entrepreneurship. Cork has been especially successful in attracting foreign investment in the following sectors:

• Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
• Information and Communication Technology
• Internationally Traded Services

This clustering strategy has proved popular with investors in these sectors when making Cork their location of choice, as the ratings below illustrate.

• Ireland has the world's third largest concentration of Pharmeceutical Companies - 13 out of the world's top 15 are located here with companies such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Glaxosmithkline, Johnson & Johnson and Schering Plough all based in the Metropolitan Cork area.
• 8 out of 10 of the world's top Software Companies have chosen Ireland with Motorola having a major development centre in the Metropolitan Cork area.
• 13 of the world's top 25 Medical Device Companies are located in Ireland with companies such as Boston Scientific and Stryker based in the Metropolitan Cork area.
• In addition, the Internationally Traded Services sector, which includes activities such as contact centres, shared services and financial services, has grown considerably over the last number of years. Companies such as Avery Dennison, Black & Decker, Marriott, Starwood, RCI and Citco all have operations in the Metropolitan Cork area.
• In addition, Cork is well represented in the world-wide computer technology industry. For example, internationally known companies, EMC Corporation and Apple Computers, both have major facilities close to the city which are of pivotal importance to their global operations.