Athlone-based company announces major expansion
Zinkworks, which employs 180 people from its headquarters in Athlone, has announced the establishment of a software engineering hub in Donegal, creating 50 new jobs over the next 18 months.
The company, based locally at the head office in the Shannon Retail Park, Dublin Road, announced the IDA-backed expansion on Monday afternoon.
The new hub will be located in the CoLab facility on the Letterkenny IT Campus in Letterkenny, and will provide software development services including 5G network consulting, 5G network deployment, telecommunications R&D, and ICT consultancy.
Only founded in 2018, the company's focus is primarily in research and development in telecommunications, particularly on 5G, where it works with world leading clients, delivering its own portfolio of products to market.
The 50 new roles will be across the areas of senior and mid-level software developers as well as a graduate programme.
Paul Madden CEO of Zinkworks said: “As part of our ‘Bring the office to our people’ strategy, we are delighted to announce that we are opening a new branch in Letterkenny in the CoLab facility on the Letterkenny I.T. Campus. Since our launch four years ago, we’ve grown to a 180 people company in our head office in Athlone and today marks an exciting new step on our journey. We work with some of the biggest companies in the world and are developing our own product portfolio in telecommunications.”
Aileen Cramer, COO of Zinkworks added that the key to their success is our people.
“We build an environment where people can grow and be at their best. Instead of asking people to commute to us or asking them to work from home all the time, we’re bringing our office to where our people are. We’re delighted to be in Letterkenny and look forward our future here,” she commented.
This latest expansion project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD extended congratulations to the Zinkworks team on this expansion which will see the creation of 50 new jobs over the next 18 months,saying the investment is a testament to the wealth of talent Letterkenny has to offer and indeed the hard work of the existing head office team in Athlone.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Donegal Charlie McConalogue also welcomed the news of Zinkworks expansion to Donegal as an endorsement of the region and rural Ireland.
Meanwhile, Denis Curran, Head of Regions, Property and Enterprise Development at IDA Ireland said “The decision by Zinkworks to establish a software engineering hub in Co Donegal is very welcome news.
It is a strong endorsement of the high quality talent pool available in Donegal and across the North West region. It also demonstrates IDA Ireland’s continued commitment to winning jobs and investment for regional locations. I wish Zinkworks every success with their new investment"