Motorola returns to Cork with plans for 200 jobs 15 years after it left the city

“We’re looking to get up and running soon with a temporary facility, until the end of the year, and then we’re going to move to a more permanent facility in Cork City centre, hopefully during the next year,” said Fergus Mayne, country manager for Ireland and the UK.

Staff will focus on designing software for the firm’s land mobile radio (LMR) portfolio, with plans for expansion across other technologies.

The company chose Cork because of the level of software skills being taught in the universities in the area and Mr Mayne said the firm’s decision to invest in Ireland was not deterred by the chronic lack of housing. Mr Mayne said: 

Across the Western world, in every location we’ve looked at, whether it be London or any city, there’s always pressure on housing.

Mr Mayne also said the company will expand its operations in Cork to meet high demand among clients in government, emergency services, transport, and utilities for its video security and analytics services.

This demand has largely offset the impact of the tech slowdown, according to Mr Mayne, which has resulted in mass layoffs across the globe.

“We’re very different from other tech companies, because of our customer base. People want safer streets, safer communities, and that is our focus for that and how we provide that for governments and emergency services,” said Mr Mayne.

The announcement offsets 200 jobs lost this week at medical-device manufacturer BD (Becton Dickinson and Company), which has decided to wind up operations at its plant in Drogheda.

The state body responsible for foreign direct investment into Ireland, the IDA, is set to publish is half-year results on July 8, which will give a clearer picture of Ireland’s attractiveness as a place to do business. IDA chief executive Michael Lohan said: 

This investment decision by Motorola Solutions to select Ireland and Cork as the location for their new global R&D centre is an important vote of confidence in the technology sector. 

Meanwhile, in 2020, Motorola Solutions featured on a UN database of companies involved in activities relating to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

The company was among those supplying surveillance and identification equipment for settlements.

Motorola Solutions and Motorola Solutions Israel continue to be involved in these activities, according to a UN update last year.

In 2011, US multinational Motorola split into two firms, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions.

Motorola Mobility is now a separate company, owned by PC maker Lenovo.

In 2007, before the split, Motorola closed its operations in Blackrock, in Cork City, resulting in the loss of more than 300 jobs.

Motorola Solutions, therefore, will be establishing its presence in the Republic’s second largest city for the first time through its new R&D centre.

In total, Motorola Solutions now has more than 20,000 employees and over 100,000 customers across 100 countries.

The company has invested some $12bn (€11bn) in R&D and acquisitions over the past decade.