Around 100 jobs have been placed at risk at Daktronics in Ennistymon, Co Clare, after the US-based technology company began a collective redundancy consultation with employees in Ireland.
The company is considering withdrawing from its highly customised international transportation business, which provides digital display and control systems for railways, buses and roads in markets outside the United States and Canada.
Daktronics said affected employees had been informed that their positions were at risk as the company examines the future of its Ennistymon manufacturing facility and other Ireland-based roles. It stressed that no final decision has been made.
The proposed withdrawal is now subject to a formal consultation process. Daktronics said it would engage with employees in good faith and follow local employment laws throughout the discussions.
Judd Guthmiller, the company’s vice president of international, described the proposal as a difficult decision. He said the move reflected wider market conditions rather than the performance or commitment of employees.
“We are committed to supporting our Ireland-based colleagues with transparency and respect throughout this process as we consider the future,” he said.
The potential job losses would represent a significant setback for Ennistymon and the wider north Clare region.
Clare TD and Minister of State Timmy Dooley said the announcement would be particularly difficult for workers and their families who had built their financial lives around their employment with the company.
“These have been very good jobs,” Mr Dooley said. He noted that workers had made long-term commitments, including mortgages, based on their employment.
The minister said he had been in contact with the Industrial Development Agency and government colleagues and promised state support for affected workers as the consultation continues.
Daktronics is a global provider of audiovisual and digital display technology, with its products used extensively across the transport sector. The company says it has supplied more than 14,000 railway displays and 15,000 bus and tram displays worldwide, along with about 8,000 airport displays.
Its technology is also used at Iarnród Éireann facilities, where digital concourse screens provide passengers with real-time arrival and departure information.
Daktronics has operated in Ennistymon for 12 years following its acquisition of local company Data Display. The US company was established in 1968 and now has operations across several international markets.
The proposed change to its transportation business could have major implications for the Ennistymon facility, but its future remains undecided while the redundancy consultation takes place.
Employees and local representatives are expected to await the outcome of the discussions before any final decision is made on the jobs or the future of the manufacturing operation.
