Industry 4.0 Career Opportunities in the North West of Ireland

Industry 4.0 is the future of manufacturing, particularly in heavily regulated industries. Of course, the exact shape of the Smart Factory of the future is still evolving, but the benefits of Industry 4.0 technologies are hard to ignore.

Those benefits include improved productivity, greater manufacturing flexibility, more efficient business processes, reduced production costs, and better access to data.

Industry 4.0 doesn’t just present opportunities for companies and enterprises, however. The new technologies that will push us further into the fourth industrial revolution are also creating fantastic opportunities for automation engineers, controls engineers, programmers, robotics experts, and other manufacturing industry specialists.

Industry 4.0 and the North West of Ireland

The opportunities mentioned above exist across Ireland, with one of the main locations being Ireland’s North West. This is because Sligo and the surrounding area is a crucial hub for several industries that are becoming increasingly reliant on Industry 4.0 technologies.

One of the most prominent of these industries is medical device manufacturing. In fact, the MedTech industry in the North West is thriving with several multinational companies operating manufacturing facilities in the region alongside indigenous Irish companies.

In addition, there is a strong and growing MedTech ecosystem in the area, largely made up of Irish companies that offer support services to the MedTech sector under the Industry 4.0 umbrella. This includes industrial automation companies, systems integrators, manufacturing industry innovators, and more.

A View from the Inside

Garreth Finlay is the sales director at ATS, one of Ireland’s leading automation specialists. ATS is a member of the Atlantic MedTech Cluster. Garreth said: “We have automation and controls engineering talent here in the North West of Ireland that can rival any region in the world.

“In fact, some of the Industry 4.0-related solutions we develop for manufacturing facilities in Ireland are replicated by our clients for other production lines they operate in other countries.

“If you have experience in this field or a desire to direct your career towards Industry 4.0, the North West is the ideal place to be.”

Keith Moran, Managing Director at SL Controls (another Atlantic MedTech Cluster member), agrees. He said: “Engineers who come to this region of Ireland can expect to work on the most exciting and cutting-edge technologies that exist today. Plus, this area is responsible for innovations that will change the manufacturing industry forever.

“It isn’t all about work, though, as the North West also offers an excellent quality of life. In other words, we get to work with innovative Smart Factory technologies in growing industries like MedTech without having to live in a location like the greater Dublin area with its high house prices, endless traffic, and general high cost of living.”

What the Future Holds

This year has seen several large-scale jobs announcements in the North West, with investments being made by local and international companies alike. Many of those jobs are for specialists in the manufacturing industry.

This is further proof of the crucial role the North West currently has in the fourth industrial revolution. Your next career move could – and should – be right here.

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