Braun Factory

Bagenal

I heard on the KCLR news this morning that the Braun factory has been sold, has anyone any clues as to who bought it?
It would be brilliant news to see a business starting up in it and creating much needed jobs.

Agent Coulson

That is good news for the town.

Carlow could be in line for another significant jobs announcement if another big business can be attracted to the former Braun site.

It has been confirmed that the site has been bought by a private developer and the IDA has visited in recent weeks to assess plans to develop it.

Local TD Pat Deering says its more good news for Carlow and that an announcement on it should be made within the next fortnight.

http://kclr96fm.com/possible-jobs-boost-for-carlow-as-braun-site-purchased

There was talk last year that Boston Scientific & Stobarts had both viewed the site.

brianblaze

Also word that an investor is buying the old Lapple building to turn it into offices

road_high

Hopefully something good as it's a fine facility.

brianblaze

Rumor is a Tesco petrol station but I doubt that

Bagenal

brianblaze wrote: »

Rumor is a Tesco petrol station but I doubt that

It'd be a fair auld size of a petrol station :eek:

road_high

Bagenal wrote: »

It'd be a fair auld size of a petrol station :eek:

I really hope not. That would be a criminal use of a site like this. What's needed is blue chip investment like traded services, pharma, etc.
not a foreign retailer selling petrol with a havdful of min wage jobs.

Agent Coulson

With a TD and IDA name checked in the above quote I'd be hopeful that it is more than a petrol station.

This is all coming out before the by-election as well.

fits

Agent Coulson wrote: »

With a TD and IDA name checked in the above quote I'd be hopeful that it is more than a petrol station.

This is all coming out before the by-election as well.

So they can show that Carlow hasnt actually been fecked up by years of mismanagement?
This is great news for Carlow, but there is a long way to go still too.

road_high

Agent Coulson wrote: »

With a TD and IDA name checked in the above quote I'd be hopeful that it is more than a petrol station.

This is all coming out before the by-election as well.

I'm hopeful its something decent too. It's a fairly sound building, doubt it would take huge effort to convert to other uses like manufacturing/office

brianblaze

I was informed Amazon looked at it a few years back but it would've cost too much to repurpose the site, as it was so bespoke to Brauns system. Friend of mine was in their Cork office for a few years and was involved in a few of the site investigations

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

I was informed Amazon looked at it a few years back but it would've cost too much to repurpose the site, as it was so bespoke to Brauns system. Friend of mine was in their Cork office for a few years and was involved in a few of the site investigations

Id say lots have looked at it. Thing it was one of the biggest factory buildings in the country at one state. Cost of converting prob a factor alright. Do the Ida or Braun still own it? What they did with the old Fieldcrest factory was split it up and convert to various units. This seems to have worked out well especially the VHI offices part.

brianblaze

A big single site owner and employer is what that site needs, and what Carlow needs. More empty office space, not so much

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

A big single site owner and employer is what that site needs, and what Carlow needs. More empty office space, not so much

Yea but that's hard got though nowadays. Most employment is being created in smaller type investments, like in financial services etc. if the building were split it may be attractive to a whole heap of smaller fishes rather than just one elusive big fish.

brianblaze

Plenty of empty units on o'brien road already

tonyheaney

No chance of say pennies buying it and moving there lol or perhaps some nice high rise flats and apartments??? would sort out the housing shortage quite nicely

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Plenty of empty units on o'brien road already

They're all small commercial
Type units. Not the high quality type units you could slot a call centre, large office or manufacturing facility into.

brianblaze

Not sure why you'd want to put a manufacturing facility in office spaces? I assume you missed where I said that's what the town needs, not more empty rentable space.

Latest rumour is a Chinese investment group bought it for a snip but we'll see. I hope it's a EuroCentric office for AliBaba or something, but doubt it

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Not sure why you'd want to put a manufacturing facility in office spaces? I assume you missed where I said that's what the town needs, not more empty rentable space.

Latest rumour is a Chinese investment group bought it for a snip but we'll see. I hope it's a EuroCentric office for AliBaba or something, but doubt it

Any idea as to what they want to do with it yet? I'd say it went cheap alright, been on the market fur years now.

brianblaze

Was up for 8m last I saw, if they paid more than 5 with a tonne of incentives, I'd be shocked

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Was up for 8m last I saw, if they paid more than 5 with a tonne of incentives, I'd be shocked

Who owned it? I assume if the IDA owned it they woukdnt have sold it.

brianblaze

Braun still owned it I assume

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Braun still owned it I assume

Know they're a private company and all the rest but I think the miserable whoors could have given it free to Carlow and the IDA, assuming P&G did actually own it...it would be loose change to them and would have been a nice goodwill gesture after many years in Carlow.

brianblaze

Can't see any business doing that

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Can't see any business doing that

Plenty have when they vacated an industrial site after a long time. Diageo in Kk for example. Good corporate social responsibility or such like.

brianblaze

Well, seems Netwatch bought it.... If you believe the Nationalist, but sounds legit

ForstalDave

brianblaze wrote: »

Well, seems Netwatch bought it.... If you believe the Nationalist, but sounds legit

FG website have it down as a developer having bought it and the IDAmarketing it to clients currently with a view to minor updates being done within a few months

brianblaze

Well, don't buy the Nationalist I suppose. Might be a site share with another company then, like Stobarts for the warehouse etc.

Agent Coulson

The Carlow People on it's front page has that Minster Deering confirmed the IDA is making available it's vast knowledge and expertise in terms of marketability of the site for future foreign direct investment.

The right type of investment and development to ensure maximum job creation.

tonyheaney

Agent Coulson wrote: »

The Carlow People on it's front page has that Minster Deering confirmed the IDA is making available it's vast knowledge and expertise in terms of marketability of the site for future foreign direct investment.

The right type of investment and development to ensure maximum job creation.

The same newspaper aid that Pennies Development was a done deal!!!

brianblaze

tonyheaney wrote: »

The same newspaper aid that Pennies Development was a done deal!!!

Get what you pay for with the Carlow People.... Although it is a done deal, just they ain't paying money to develop the site

slimjimmc

tonyheaney wrote: »

The same newspaper aid that Pennies Development was a done deal!!!

brianblaze wrote: »

Get what you pay for with the Carlow People.... Although it is a done deal, just they ain't paying money to develop the site

The Penny's development start date was also reported by the Nationalist (to be fair).

road_high

ForstalDave wrote: »

FG website have it down as a developer having bought it and the IDAmarketing it to clients currently with a view to minor updates being done within a few months

Ok news I supoose. Hardly the same as a new employer coming in immediately though.
What I'm getting here is Netwatch taking part of it and the IDA handling the rest?

Agent Coulson

road_high wrote: »

What I'm getting here is Netwatch taking part of it and the IDA handling the rest?

That's what I got from reading the Nationalist while in town today.

brianblaze

http://kclr96fm.com/new-business-technology-park-for-carlow/

So, now we can have another half full (I'm an optimist) complex in Carlow... Woo

madmaggie

General election, anyone?

BattleCorp

madmaggie wrote: »

General election, anyone?

Why do you think this is a political stunt?

brianblaze

Check out the front page of the nationalist..... The whitening job they've done on Gallaghers teeth is priceless

madmaggie

BattleCorp wrote: »

Why do you think this is a political stunt?

Just being cynical, as a former Braun employee I'd love to see the place being used again.

tonyheaney

Re: New Business & Technology park for Carlow

I'm thinking of going back and doing a course and if lucky a follow up degree in computers and electronics, software and game apps but im a bit unsure what course i should do. im thinking of applying to the carlow institute of further education and they have 4 im interested in doing. I don't want to go down the wrong road so want to plan a head.

• Multimedia Production & Digital Movie

• Games & Apps Development

• Information Technology & Network Technician

• Web Design & Digital Marketing

With the New Business & Technology park for Carlow coming soon what kind of jobs will be there? I have been told that the Web Design & Digital Marketing could prove useful in that area. But will there be jobs there if i factor the new park in to my plan?

slimjimmc

I don't think anyone can tell you what kind of jobs will be there, it might be all or none of your career choices. That would depend on what businesses the new developers manage to get in there and whether they have any vacancies in the foreseeable future. Some existing businesses might simply relocate there to reduce overheads rather than needing more space.

brianblaze

Pick a career path based on what you want to do, not on a half filled industrial plot.

road_high

Outside of Carlow IT, what are Carlows biggest employers?
There is MSD, Thermo Air, Burnside, Unum, Oglesby and Butler that employ decent numbers. How much each I've no idea?
Whatever way you look at it, there was a huge cull of large employers out of Carlow the past decade.

road_high

tonyheaney wrote: »

Re: New Business & Technology park for Carlow

I'm thinking of going back and doing a course and if lucky a follow up degree in computers and electronics, software and game apps but im a bit unsure what course i should do. im thinking of applying to the carlow institute of further education and they have 4 im interested in doing. I don't want to go down the wrong road so want to plan a head.

• Multimedia Production & Digital Movie

• Games & Apps Development

• Information Technology & Network Technician

• Web Design & Digital Marketing

With the New Business & Technology park for Carlow coming soon what kind of jobs will be there? I have been told that the Web Design & Digital Marketing could prove useful in that area. But will there be jobs there if i factor the new park in to my plan?

Be crazy to factor in a maybe plan of new jobs into any career planning. In today's jobs markets you have to be flexible, especially if seeking work for the first time. There is absolutely no guarantee of a related job in Carlow or indeed within commuting distance, so be open to the possibility of moving for a while if that's what's needed.

porsche boy

road_high wrote: »

Outside of Carlow IT, what are Carlows biggest employers?
There is MSD, Thermo Air, Burnside, Unum, Oglesby and Butler that employ decent numbers. How much each I've no idea?
Whatever way you look at it, there was a huge cull of large employers out of Carlow the past decade.

Is Thompson still open, the metal fabrication place??

road_high

porsche boy wrote: »

Is Thompson still open, the metal fabrication place??

Yes. Looks busy too these days. Plenty of cars in the car park.

foggy_lad

madmaggie wrote: »

Just being cynical, as a former Braun employee I'd love to see the place being used again.

It would make a great cattle mart.

road_high

foggy_lad wrote: »

It would make a great cattle mart.

Is this some kind of pisstake? Cattle marts belong on outskirts of towns and not in the heart of business and close to residential areas.

madmaggie

foggy_lad wrote: »

It would make a great cattle mart.

Seen a few mad cows in there over the years!

brianblaze

That'd be a bad moooooooove....

PeteFalk78

brianblaze wrote: »

That'd be a bad moooooooove....

Cud we just stop the cow puns?