This article is from page 6 of the 2014-08-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
ONE hundred and fifteen jobs at one of Clare’s leading employers are safe – following the buyout of Ennistymon’s Data Display by US firm Daktronics yesterday.
The buyout, which was announced to the US stock market yesterday morning, could see an increase in employment in Ennistymon with an investment promised by the NASDAQ-listed company.
Data Display has been a landmark company since it was founded by local businessman Kevin Neville in 1978. While Mr Neville took a step back from the company in 2007, both Paul and Ann Marie Neville retain a senior management role within the company and are expected to remain in their roles as the company passes to Daktronics.
According to a company spokesperson, careful negotiations have been underway between Daktronics and Data Display for the past 12 months.
“Daktronics have given a firm commitment to the company here and the employees in Ennistymon. They have a long-term view of the facility here and they want to bring investment here for production and engineering,” said Paul Horan of Data Display.
“A growth in employment is certainly possible but I would not want to overstate it at this point. There is talk about the future but everyone is being very careful not to overstate anything. My own personal view is that there is good potential for growth here in the future.”
In a statement to The Clare People yesterday, Daktronics confirmed that they would retain the Data Display workforce.
“We believe Daktronics and Data Display complement each other well. Daktronics is active in the transportation business, mainly in the United States, and we have a global presence with offices and people in many countries, currently focused on sports, third-party advertising and video solutions,” said Daktronics CEO Reece Kurtenbach.
“Adding the strengths of Data Display will allow our combined organisations to better serve transportation customers worldwide and broaden our leadership position on a global scale. Daktronics looks forward to further expanding its customer and market focus in Europe and surrounding areas.”