Temporary shift work in dell

RINO87

i was thinking of working in dell in the summer (temporary shift work).
Does anyone know what its like to work there? whats the pay like, what are the shifts etc, or is it a horrible mundane repedative job that will drive you mad in a week??

billy the squid

It's a horrible repetative job. The hours can vary also. Monday to Thursday 0730 to 1730 or 0800 to 1800. There are also a Friday Saturday Sunday shift which is three twelve hour shifts.

The starting pay is above the minimum wage, but not by much, maybe a euro or two above it.

People there can be very cliquey. Many of the people working there, even the ones working on the lines with you, will hang you if they can save dell a few extra pounds so that they can get the "I saved dell a mint" award and a bonus.

Lazers pew pew

i worked there for 18 months
finished up in U.L in 2003, got an honors degree in Business, went to Dellfor a summer job and got stuck there for a year and a half
I wouldnt recommend it, there's nothing worse than travelling in on that bus startin your shift at 7.30 in the evening and not finishing up until half 7 the next

zig

I did some Dell time myself, probably the closest thing to a prison ive be in!! Still though if your not too picky about your work and you want to make some nice cash go for it

AF5081

Hey, my advice.....Stay away...as far away as possable. I work there (not a dell employee, an external contractor). I have first hand experiance of the dumbasses they really are. Eg: The line leaders/supervisors....80% of them are the thickest, ignorant a**wipes you will ever meet in your life (all recruited from withen up thru the 'ranks' with no experiance or training in the job they are supposed to do) - the attitude is one of - 'for the company at all costs' - irrigardless of who they stab in the back on the way. Thank god im not working for them but for an engineering consultancy........

Dunnes is the better option - without any doubt

DarkJager

AF5081 wrote: »

Hey, my advice.....Stay away...as far away as possable. I work there (not a dell employee, an external contractor). I have first hand experiance of the dumbasses they really are. Eg: The line leaders/supervisors....80% of them are the thickest, ignorant a**wipes you will ever meet in your life (all recruited from withen up thru the 'ranks' with no experiance or training in the job they are supposed to do) - the attitude is one of - 'for the company at all costs' - irrigardless of who they stab in the back on the way. Thank god im not working for them but for an engineering consultancy........

Dunnes is the better option - without any doubt

Stay well clear of Dunnes unless you want to be coming home after every day smelling of cat and dog food. Managers in Dunnes are just jumped up little schoolboys who get a power trip from wearing a suit. They haven't got the first clue about what they are doing so they lever all the sh1t jobs they get onto the employees and spend their time walking around trying to look important.

This also holds true in the most part for working in Dell. Arrogant little bastards who's faces are a dark shade of brown from kissing so much ass to get to where they are. I've done 3 spells in Dell and as the other poster said, the shifts can be an absolute nightmare. Of course it all depends on where that sprinkler test puts you. You could end up in build which is all target driven and can be quite draining over a 12 hour shift, or if you're seriously unlucky, you might end up stapling together boxes for 12 hours straight. Believe me, you'll have different ideas and targets for that staple gun after working 7.30pm to 7.30am.

zig

Yes I was a merchandiser for a while so I got a taste of all the supermarkets and their attitudes. I could not believe Dunnes,now maybe they were worse to merchandisers because we didnt work there officially, but I could not get over the attitude of the managers, serious problems. It was so bad that I left my merchandising job even though I was only in Dunnes an hour a day, I refused to work in there and loved all the other supermarkets so I had to leave the job anyway. But ive had friends work there that dont seem to have as much a problem. This was consistent throughout all the Dunnes branches. Anyway thats my rant. It kinda makes Dell seem ok lol

bazz26

Welcome to the real world.

Everytime you think your place of work is the worst in the world there is always a place out there 100 times worse. And believe me there are worse places than Dell.

Young people these days, they don't realise they are born!

RINO87

cheers for the opinions. im moving to canada in september so it might be a handy earner over the summer. do they allow you to listen to headphones??

dunnes would be a big no for me. a friend of mine worked there and got sacked for not smiling, they said her attitude didnt fit the dunnes image!

mad man

I worked in Hasbro in Waterford packing boxes when I was in college for five months. This was the most physically demanding thing I ever did. It was modern day slavery and that is not being melodramatic.It also had all the trappings of a factory ie cliques and all the rest of it.There was some lovely people there but there was a lot of gossip mongering and the usual ignorance you find among in factories.The money was crap and but I did have a well toned upper body at the end of it:D

When I left college I did a stint in Dunnes for five months.I thought it would be a relatively easy number compared to my previous job.I have to say that this was the worst five months of my life.The managers there were scum with absolutely zero people skills. There was kids there who started and were not paid for weeks because of the "tax man" not sending in their details:rolleyes:Same kids were unable to assert themselves. Backstabbing was rampant because of people trying to get the few good numbers (which there wasn't any) for themselves.You would go out in the evening to bring in the trolleys.Spend two hours doing this when you got back to clock out the managers would have locked up the store and you would not get in to clock out.After four months I literally used to go to work and turn around walk past the entrance and out the rear of the shopping centre and go to the early house.I was sacked eventually and this was the one of the best days of my life.It was literally a burden off my shoulders.Everone I knew said I looked happier afterwards.The day they suspended me they asked me to move a refrigeration unit with another guy.One of the huge units you see the dairy products in.They gave us a thing like a metal skate booard to balance it on.I dropped the unit on my toe and I was injured. I could have made a claim but the only reason I didn't was because they might not have sacked me if I did.

I work in Intel now and the conditions are quite good although I don't be whistling going into work every day I just have to think of Dunnes stores to apreciate it.I would suggest work anywhere including MacDonalds before Dunnes.I know **** all about Dell but I think there is an element of youthful naivety about what to expect in work,Most jobs are ****e even the skilled ones.My ex left her "all right" programming job to do well paid contract work.She used to be crying in my arms many evenings from the pressure.Even if you do get a good number there is a danger you get into a comfort zone not upskill or stay too long in a job and end up waiting for a redundancy that will never come.As one poster said.Welcome to the real world.However do yourself a favour and avoid Dunnes like its a dose of the clap.

zig

bazz26 wrote: »

Welcome to the real world.

Everytime you think your place of work is the worst in the world there is always a place out there 100 times worse. And believe me there are worse places than Dell.

Young people these days, they don't realise they are born!

Im not sure though, Ive worked alot of jobs in my days and i think Dell is up there as one of the most soul destroying!, perhaps not physically hard though

MarkR

Did the dell thing after a redundancy to tide me over till I got a proper job. Despite coming from a job repairing notebooks / tech support I got the aforementioned job of box stapler. Hard job, scrapes all up and down my arms. On the plus side it was like weight training, I went up a shirt size in a month!

Come end of quarter I and the rest of the "unskilled" labour was let go. I pointed out my relevant experience (which I had helpfully written on my cv initially) and was rehired onto the server line a couple of days later.

Hard job, long hours. But that's life.

watsgone

bazz26 wrote: »

Welcome to the real world.

Everytime you think your place of work is the worst in the world there is always a place out there 100 times worse. And believe me there are worse places than Dell.

Young people these days, they don't realise they are born!

The real world bites! good luck, keep trying til you find a job you like

Cato

worked in dell, laptop comes down copveyor belt, press button to bring in laptop scan barcode, apply correct stickers including windows license key double chexk stickers are straight and are correct ones by checking the screen infront of you, press button on conveyor belt, repeat 100+ times for an hour for 10-12 hours other wise you get a bollicking by some sad prick who thinks hes import with his ****ty clipboard which you would just like to shove down his throat, go for a break try to talk to polish people,cant speak english grand go outside chain smoke, go back start process all over, go home sleep all day/night depending wake up for a few hours go again, spend weekend dreading about going back drying to drown out those thoughts with alcohol, start over agiain repeat 365 days a year and again for a few more years untill you get the clip board and everyone calling you a wanker and depising you behind your back, working there has destroyed any chance i once had of stringing a single useful thought and appying it in the real world,which would explain my poor grammar, so yea apart from that go for it.

bazz26

watsgone wrote: »

The real world bites! good luck, keep trying til you find a job you like

I'm quite content in my current job.

And the OP is only looking for something temperary.

zig

Cato wrote: »

worked in dell, laptop comes down copveyor belt, press button to bring in laptop scan barcode, apply correct stickers including windows license key double chexk stickers are straight and are correct ones by checking the screen infront of you, press button on conveyor belt, repeat 100+ times for an hour for 10-12 hours other wise you get a bollicking by some sad prick who thinks hes import with his ****ty clipboard which you would just like to shove down his throat, go for a break try to talk to polish people,cant speak english grand go outside chain smoke, go back start process all over, go home sleep all day/night depending wake up for a few hours go again, spend weekend dreading about going back drying to drown out those thoughts with alcohol, start over agiain repeat 365 days a year and again for a few more years untill you get the clip board and everyone calling you a wanker and depising you behind your back, working there has destroyed any chance i once had of stringing a single useful thought and appying it in the real world,which would explain my poor grammar, so yea apart from that go for it.

LOL great post

zilog_jones

It's great to hear all these other stories about Dell and Dunnes. I've been in Dell since June doing the weekend shift (7:30am-7:30pm Fri-Sun), in what was supposed to be just something for the summer. I was in kitting (basically taking parts out of a box to put them in a different box ad nauseam) on one of the notebook lines for a few months - mind numbing stuff but the part of the line I was pretty enclosed so I got to know everyone else pretty well and there were actually a few Irish people there. Every week I would ask my trainer if I'll be going into build (I was allegedly on some mystical "waiting list"), and in like September I eventually did - however the novelty soon wore off. OK, building laptops is a bit more mentally stimulating, but you're put under a lot pressure (unlike in kitting where you just had to be there) and it's a lot more tiring. It's now got to the stage where I can't remember what I just built, thinking about the food there makes me feel sick and at the end of the day I can't see 5 feet in front of me (two years ago I was told I didn't need glasses to drive!).

I'm so happy I'm getting out of that place in a couple of weeks - sure I'll be poor and jobless, but I'll have weekends again! I'm surprised they kept me on for so long. I only did overtime once in 7 months and I was out sick at least 5 times (I think that place was detrimental to my health), and I was never particularly cheerful or sociable towards the supervisors and line leads. If it wasn't for the few friends I made there, I would have left long ago.

But yeah, there are worse jobs, and thanks to standing for about 33 hours a week I now have rock-hard calves and I can wear my 32" jeans again They also seem to care somewhat about our wellbeing there - there's been three fires while I've been there (only one caused by spontaneously combusting laptop batteries!), and the place was evacuated promptly with no one injured etc.

I was also previously a merchandiser in Dunnes (mostly the old Jetland), and the managers were tools. I'd certainly recommend Dell over that place.

do they allow you to listen to headphones??

Yes, it's the only thing that keeps me sane there, plus it can be damn noisy depending on where you are. You'd want to be able to still hear the fire alarms though!

Of course it all depends on where that sprinkler test puts you.

I hear they're changing the sprinkler test because too many people know about it. However, like all the other rumours in Dell (like the ones about half days) it may be bollox.

Cato

Wow they fired me for taking one day off for my birthday i tried calling supervisor in the morning but bitch dident answer the phone, not that i care im glad i got the sack, there was a risk i might actually have forced myself to stay if it wasent the case, probably causing some sort of mental breakdown.

Rhino your going to canada? lucky bastard i was thinking of moving there the past 2 years now i cant for varios reasons, in hindsight i wish i did!

Blazer

I work in dell and am laughing my arse off here reading all the comments. Bet everyone bitching is about 18 or so. Remember I came to dell from bar work..long hours ****e pay..came to dell..long hours great pay...basically tripled my wages by moving to dell
As I alway say "Working for living is over-rated" but Dell is certainly not the worse of em..
Dunnes is supposed to be a real bitch of a place to work though.

Cato

Free pr for Dell! yay always happy to help Dell anytime!

Grogg

Worked there on and off since I was 15..... I mean 16..... ahumm....

Last stint was about 2.5 years. The work on the lines has improved majorlly over the years. Its alot better than it was before. The health and safety in Ireland as a whole has had to change so the job is that bit easier.

Working on the lines is perfect IMO if you just want cash, limited responsibility and you can ignore managing knobs. Life is too short to take that work serious.

I'm with Mr.Fitt. Its a laugh as long as you make it a laugh. PMA!

OK, I'll never be going back to be honest cause I have served my sentence but it could be worse.

And Mr O'Rielly, don't get me started. He spends most of his waking life in a chair - lol

Take care all,

Grogg

Blazer

**** off the lot of ye

-l-Z3k3-l-

i dink del is da gretest
dey toot me te spelt

khmk

Cato wrote: »

worked in dell, laptop comes down copveyor belt, press button to bring in laptop scan barcode, apply correct stickers including windows license key double chexk stickers are straight and are correct ones by checking the screen infront of you, press button on conveyor belt, repeat 100+ times for an hour for 10-12 hours other wise you get a bollicking by some sad prick who thinks hes import with his ****ty clipboard which you would just like to shove down his throat, go for a break try to talk to polish people,cant speak english grand go outside chain smoke, go back start process all over, go home sleep all day/night depending wake up for a few hours go again, spend weekend dreading about going back drying to drown out those thoughts with alcohol, start over agiain repeat 365 days a year and again for a few more years untill you get the clip board and everyone calling you a wanker and depising you behind your back, working there has destroyed any chance i once had of stringing a single useful thought and appying it in the real world,which would explain my poor grammar, so yea apart from that go for it.

Sgt Hartman

bazz26 wrote: »

Welcome to the real world.

Everytime you think your place of work is the worst in the world there is always a place out there 100 times worse. And believe me there are worse places than Dell.

Young people these days, they don't realise they are born!

Anyone here ever had the misfortune of working in Irish Express Cargo out in Raheen? (It's called Flextronics now). The worst job I EVER had. Ignorant, abusive team leaders/supervisors and people who like to use and abuse you.

kippy

Dell, worked there for a year round 2000.
I have to say, the work CAN be mundane(I was lucky enough to work on the extended test area.). The product builders and packers had a very mundane role.
There were a lot of positives for me however.
1. I personally thought the pay was excellent for the type of work that you did. Especially if you worked shifts and picked up the shift bonus. There was also ample opportunities for overtime. (If your main aim is to make money while not doing a whole lot, then this point is key)
2. I had never even thought of a career in computers before working there. But troubleshooting issues/problems in the test area was something I liked. I went back to college after working there to get into computers and have worked my way up trough various organisations from Support Desk to Net Admin now. Good job, conditions and I love what I do. Without working in Dell I can honestly say I wouldnt be where I am now.
3. The awards scheme they have is fantastic if you get in permanent. (Shares,Bonus and their awards for improving things) I dont think anyone was ever hung while I was there by someone else trying to get an award (These awards can be of benefit on a threadbare CV and for me were a talking point in any interview I did since - I got an award while I was there)

I've also worked in Dunnes. Dell is FAR better IMHO.
It is what you make it and it wasnt something I would have liked to do all my life but the work is EASY, the pay is excellent for what you do and you can make friends in there as there tend to be a lot of temp students etc in there at the same time.
Kippy

Mr. CooL ICE

Worked in build there for a few months as I had to repeat half a year in college. Whatever about the work being extremely repetitive and the shifts being draining, what really got to me was the Americanised team-building crap that they constantly shoved down my throat. The whole place is plastered with posters with stereotypical motivational slogans and lots of fake smiling people.

During my first comms meeting (biweekly event of your line leader giving out crap to everyone because too many people put PCI cards in the wrong order - makes fcuk all difference), our line leader was away on holidays, so the lackey that was standing in for her uttered the words "Mrs. X is on holidays in New York this week. Work hard enough for dell and you will also be able to go to New York too". It was only my third day there and this type of bullsh1t was enough to give me the proverbial kick up the arse to work harder in college.

But as for the OPs question: If you are only planning on being there for the summer to make some quick cash, go for it. It's not the worst, but there are far better jobs out there. Try Vistakon, out towards Annacotty - the shift pattern is odd but the job is generally wayyy better (they expect you to use your brain!!!) and the pay kicks the arse out of anywhere else I worked for any summer.


edit -> About working for Vistakon... May not be a good idea if you are a smoker. All J&J companies implemented new health measures so you aren't allowed smoke during shift hours. It is banned on company grounds, and due to fire drill measures, you can't leave the premises either. Bring in some nicotine gum/tablets and you should be ok though

n3gwave

hi, I am interested in working in dell as well, does anybody know if there's any way to apply for this job online, or is it only possible by going there in person and going throw all this silly interviews?:)

Cato

Call 1800490390,(i think) i still have the number in my mobile i cant beleive it!
but i would tell you take a moment and consider other job options before you call that number!

Mr. CooL ICE

Oh yeah, don't mention any past illnesses unless it is really necessary. When filling out a form, there was a big space to detail all these, and since it was looking pretty empty, I decided to mention a hernia operation when I was 4. They called me in for a 2nd medical just to ask about this for some stupid reason.

zilog_jones

Cato wrote: »

Call 1800490390,(i think) i still have the number in my mobile i cant beleive it!
but i would tell you take a moment and consider other job options before you call that number!

The number I used last year was 1890500221. You might be too late looking for a job there right now as the current contracts are up on the 1st February (i.e. they've probably already done interviews for new people). Temporary contracts are for 10 weeks I think.

I've also heard Vistakon is supposed to be a better place for work like this too. Any other places worth mentioning? Anyone know what it's like in Analog?

rmacm

LordChessington wrote: »

Try Vistakon, out towards Annacotty - the shift pattern is odd but the job is generally wayyy better (they expect you to use your brain!!!) and the pay kicks the arse out of anywhere else I worked for any summer.

Did a summer there myself. The pay does kick ass indeed (were/are you in QC or on the lines).

LordChessington wrote: »

edit -> About working for Vistakon... May not be a good idea if you are a smoker. All J&J companies implemented new health measures so you aren't allowed smoke during shift hours. It is banned on company grounds, and due to fire drill measures, you can't leave the premises either. Bring in some nicotine gum/tablets and you should be ok though

****ers they finally did it. Ah unless something drastic has changed you can leave the premises during shift hours I did it plenty of times for lunch breaks.

billy the squid

Sgt Hartman wrote: »

Anyone here ever had the misfortune of working in Irish Express Cargo out in Raheen? (It's called Flextronics now). The worst job I EVER had. Ignorant, abusive team leaders/supervisors and people who like to use and abuse you.

I thought they were nice enough, but then I was only working there for 45 minutes.

I also worked in EMF 3 a few months after it first opened, back then there was plenty of overtime.

I would say however, that if there is one thing worse than being a dell employee in a dell factory, then it would have to be a dell contractor in a dell factory. Where as Dell employees could chose if they wanted to stay back for overtime, certain contractors did not have that choice. You would be told at 1145 pm that they were staying back until 2am.

6-4 evening shifts were possibly the most soul destroying of the shifts. youre going home at 4 in the morning and in winter the roads could be deadly., at least if you were going home at eight there was a chance that they might have been gritted.

zig

kippy wrote: »

Dell, worked there for a year round 2000.
I have to say, the work CAN be mundane(I was lucky enough to work on the extended test area.). The product builders and packers had a very mundane role.
There were a lot of positives for me however.
1. I personally thought the pay was excellent for the type of work that you did. Especially if you worked shifts and picked up the shift bonus. There was also ample opportunities for overtime. (If your main aim is to make money while not doing a whole lot, then this point is key)
2. I had never even thought of a career in computers before working there. But troubleshooting issues/problems in the test area was something I liked. I went back to college after working there to get into computers and have worked my way up trough various organisations from Support Desk to Net Admin now. Good job, conditions and I love what I do. Without working in Dell I can honestly say I wouldnt be where I am now.
3. The awards scheme they have is fantastic if you get in permanent. (Shares,Bonus and their awards for improving things) I dont think anyone was ever hung while I was there by someone else trying to get an award (These awards can be of benefit on a threadbare CV and for me were a talking point in any interview I did since - I got an award while I was there)

I've also worked in Dunnes. Dell is FAR better IMHO.
It is what you make it and it wasnt something I would have liked to do all my life but the work is EASY, the pay is excellent for what you do and you can make friends in there as there tend to be a lot of temp students etc in there at the same time.
Kippy

I worked there in 2000 as well, and not to take away from what youve achieved as youve went through college etc to get there also but back then there was a serious boom in the IT/computer industry and things were a bit different to now with regards to working somewhere like Dell. They were short staffed, high paying, brilliant hours if you wanted the cash, and mainly irish working there. This isnt a race issue i know, but it did make it easier to have a laugh and enjoy the job due to the basic ability to communicate with co workers

I dont know do they still do that 40% shift bonus but back then that was enough to keep me motivated.
I do agree though, Dell is FAR better than dunnes but i wouldnt say the work is easy. Id rather a 12 hour shift of varied tough labour than a soul destroying shift of pushing keyboards into laptops for that lenght of time.

Cato

zig wrote: »

Id rather a 12 hour shift of varied tough labour than a soul destroying shift of pushing keyboards into laptops for that lenght of time.

QFT +1

zilog_jones

zig wrote: »

Id rather a 12 hour shift of varied tough labour than a soul destroying shift of pushing keyboards into laptops for that lenght of time.

The keyboards are like the easiest part! You must have had it easy back then - nowadays some of the laptops now have up to 4 wireless cards, each with up to 3 crappy little antenna cables. The newer systems seem to be getting continuously more difficult to build, especially regarding crazy routing for said cables. On the latest sytems we got on our line (Inspiron 1525), the cables have to go from behind the LCD screen from both sides, across to the centre of the base, through a hole, and routed in an L shape to the wireless cards at the front. Compare this madness to some of the older systems where there's like 5cm of cable between the wireless card and the LCD. :rolleyes:

RINO87

any idea how to get shift work in vistakon??

rmacm

RINO87 wrote: »

any idea how to get shift work in vistakon??

Drop a CV in to the factory.

oleras

RINO87 wrote: »

any idea how to get shift work in vistakon??

Is it just a summer job you are after ? between college years ? What are you studying? Or are you looking for full time permanent ?

RINO87

summer job yeah, its either back to college or canada in september (dont know if i have a 4th year yet!) doing video and sound tech. its an electronic engineering course

oleras

RINO87 wrote: »

summer job yeah, its either back to college or canada in september (dont know if i have a 4th year yet!) doing video and sound tech. its an electronic engineering course

I would say go for it then, drop a CV in about March/April.

As long as you dont mind working every second weekend !

RINO87

ah shur aren't i doing that already!

Aglomerado

Sgt Hartman wrote: »

Anyone here ever had the misfortune of working in Irish Express Cargo out in Raheen? (It's called Flextronics now). The worst job I EVER had. Ignorant, abusive team leaders/supervisors and people who like to use and abuse you.

Nope, but sounds like I had a lucky escape! I was out of work 3 years ago and was sent there by an agency for an interview. Heard nothing since from the agency or the company...

erie

Just want to add something here....

I think, it's not fair to compare working condition between DELL and Dunnes... coz these two company in different field of environment... DELL is a manufacturing sector and Dunnes in retailing sector...

You should compare Dunnes with Tesco, Lidl, Aldi... and Dell with Vistakon, Intel...

Sgt Hartman

billy the squid wrote: »

I thought they were nice enough, but then I was only working there for 45 minutes.

I also worked in EMF 3 a few months after it first opened, back then there was plenty of overtime.

I would say however, that if there is one thing worse than being a dell employee in a dell factory, then it would have to be a dell contractor in a dell factory. Where as Dell employees could chose if they wanted to stay back for overtime, certain contractors did not have that choice. You would be told at 1145 pm that they were staying back until 2am.

6-4 evening shifts were possibly the most soul destroying of the shifts. youre going home at 4 in the morning and in winter the roads could be deadly., at least if you were going home at eight there was a chance that they might have been gritted.

45 minutes? Count yourself lucky it was only that long. I had to go to a stress counsellor because of the sh!t I took in that place. My confidence and self-worth were at zero. Leaving it was the best thing I ever done.

Regards Dell contractors, IEC in Raheen was primarily a Dell warehouse so you could say that we were Dell contractors. There was nothing worse than coming in for a 4pm shift, only to be told at 11 that Dell were working till 4am so you had to stay for a 12-hour shift.

I spent a month as a temporary employee doing some work in EMF3. Wasn't too bad for the month to be honest. The lads I was working with were grand.

blue too

This article was in the IRISH TIME YESTERDAY,
Does it look like its coming to the end of the line for DELL in Ireland.

BUSINESS OPINION : FINALLY THE unspeakable has been spoken: Dell, the US computer giant that employs 4,500 people and accounts for something in the region of 6 per cent of Ireland's GNP, is on the way out the door and we better face up to it.

It is not going to happen overnight and it's not going to happen tomorrow, but it will happen.

The closure of the single biggest industrial concern in the country, with annual sales estimated at more than €10 billion, will send shockwaves through Limerick - where most of the jobs are - and beyond.

Whom do we have to thank for this unpalatable dose of realism? Is it the IDA, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment or even Dell itself?

No. The appalling vista was in fact unveiled last week by a Trinity College professor, Frank Barry, and his colleague from NUI Maynooth, Dr Chris Van Egeraat. It took the form of comments they made after presenting a paper accompanying the Economic and Social Research Institute spring quarterly which was released on Thursday.

The prediction is based on a comprehensive study of the demise of the hardware industry in Ireland, which in its heyday in the late 1990s assembled one in every three PCs sold in Europe.

Since then the industry has been in a steady decline, with 10,000, or about one third of the jobs in the sector, being lost in 2000-2004.

The report is littered with the names of once great computer companies that arrived in Ireland with a bang and left with a whimper: Gateway, AST and Digital, among others. And Dell is sure to join them.

The reason is simple - production has relocated to lower-cost centres in China and central and eastern Europe.

Dell has already set up a second European manufacturing plant at Lodz in Poland (managed by staff from Limerick) and clearly there is more to follow.

"I would be very sure Dell is on the way out of Ireland, given the trend in the sector," was how Prof Barry stated the obvious last week.

The good news, if that is the correct term, is that according to the report's authors, the impact of Dell upping sticks will not be as bad as you might think. They base this assertion on their study of what happened to the people who lost their jobs in other hardware operations that closed down.

The first point they make is that many of the hardware firms that pulled out were replaced by firms operating in related but higher technology segments.

In addition, many firms did not pull out entirely, but instead shifted their Irish operations from assembly into higher value added, non-manufacturing functions such as sales and technical support.

Some 1,000 plus of the people employed by Dell in Ireland are involved in such functions and these jobs would not necessarily follow the assembly jobs out the door.

Prof Barry and Dr Van Egeraat go so far as to conclude that people who lost their jobs when hardware makers shut down found work elsewhere relatively easily, many of them in services industries linked to the technology sector. One company they looked at in some detail was Gateway, which shut up shop in 2001 with the loss of some 650 jobs, of which 400 where in manufacturing.

Some 150 technical support staff transferred to the company which took over the job of providing technical support to Gateway customers, while a quarter of the staff were reported to have found jobs before the plant closed as a result of outplacement initiatives.

Another 250 or were said to have found work within months after a small amount of retraining.

The balance was accounted for by overseas staff - mainly from Europe - returning home and then younger Irish staff taking time off to travel and so forth.

However, the authors did point put that production line operatives who tend not to have tertiary level educational qualifications, fared less well.

Another important caveat put in by the two authors was that the economy's ability to absorb 10,000 people who lost their jobs in computer hardware was linked to the sustained economic boom that has just come to an abrupt end.

An assembly line worker in Dell in Limerick might not be so lucky as the staff at Gateway.

A more useful parallel, which was also looked at in some detail, was the closure of Digital Electronics Corporation (DEC) in Galway in the early 1990s. It employed 1,700 people and contributed £100 million to the local economy.

As a result, the closure of its manufacturing operations with the loss of 760 jobs generated the sort of headlines that can be expected when the axe falls at Dell in Limerick.

However even then, according to Prof Barry and Dr Van Egeraat, employment at DEC had grown back up to 1,400 by 1998, mostly in software and administrative jobs.

In addition, various initiatives put in place and informal networks among former Digital staff all played a part in the ongoing transformation of the local economy and the emergence of Galway as a leading European medical instruments cluster.

It will be a black day when they hand out the P45s at Dell, but it does not have to be the end of the world.

zilog_jones

Pure speculation. It's likely they won't be here forever but they're not leaving any time soon. When I left Dell there was only one line running in Lodz - it's going to take years for that place to start outputting the same kind of numbers as we are. And EMFP in Lodz was built as an addition to EMF3 in Limerick - not as a replacement. They need the extra plant because of new emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia and rapidly increasing sales of laptops worldwide. They're going to need to build yet another manufacturing facility somewhere else as well as Lodz to replace EMF3.

Also, they have invested lots in replacing and adding new lines in EMF3 recently - they're assembling most LCDs for the laptops within EMF3 (they used to be assembled by Sercom) now, for example. It would be a waste of money to close down soon after all this development...

Doc47

Ya....Bet he's got a great BROWN tan !!!!!!!!!

blue too

jonees you still think the same another load of workers on the way out, this time complusory redundancies!!!! IT in Limerick is been cut yet again!!!

Mr E

(a) cuts are mainly in Dublin (with some in Limerick)
(b) cuts are marketing, sales and support

zilog_jones

Yeah it's worldwide restructuring just like they did last year. It bares little relation to manufacturing output.