Spotlight On Timmy O’Dwyer, Site Leader, Dell EMC Limerick Campus

  • Timmy O’Dwyer, Site Leader, Dell EMC Limerick Campus

Limerick.ie's Q&A with Timmy O’Dwyer, Site Leader, Dell EMC Limerick Campus, as the company celebrates winning business of the year at the Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards.

Dell EMC won the overall prize for business of the year and best large business at the Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards.  What does it mean to the 900 strong staff in Raheen?

Winning these awards is a very strong recognition of the tireless work that has been done in recent years to make the campus here in Limerick a great place to work, to develop careers and to innovate through technology.

The combination with EMC was recently completed and sets us up well as a partner for business, enabling us to bring digital transformation and the full benefits of the latest advances in technology to our customers.

Our team members in Limerick are helping to drive that change as they work across core business functions ranging from support and deployment services, solution development and information technology to supply chain operations, legal, HR, facilities and finance.

These awards will also embolden our people to continue to work to make a difference in the community. From educational initiatives, such as Junior Achievement and ‘IT is Not Just for Geeks’, which see our team members mentor young people and equip them with technology skills for the future, to fundraising activities that benefit local charities and causes, we are working across many fronts to have a positive impact.

We also have a range of programmes which see us share our expertise with local businesses, including Dell for Entrepreneurs, which focuses on the start-up community.

Dell EMC won Overall Business of the Year at the 2016 Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards
Dell EMC won Overall Business of the Year at the 2016 Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards

For a company that has operations across the globe, will the winning of the awards resonate with Corporate Headquarters?

Yes absolutely – we are fortunate to have global and regional leaders based at our campus in Limerick which means that news like this travels fast.

We are constantly engaged with team members in the U.S. and elsewhere, highlighting all that Limerick and Ireland have to offer.

Over the past number of years, we’ve been fortunate to attract key elements of the business to Limerick. For instance, Dell EMC’s EMEA Solutions Centres are led from here, and the site is also home to one of our leading EMEA Internet of Things labs. The lab brings together end-to-end IoT solutions that span hardware, software and services.

Dell in Limerick has re-imagined itself since it moved away from manufacturing.  What has that success been down to?

Our team in Limerick has always worked hard and we’ve been able to generate results here across a whole range of functions which are impressive in an international context.

In recent years, Dell EMC has emerged as a new company. We have our strongest-ever product and services portfolio, we have acquired significant new skills and capabilities, reorganised our operations, optimised our global supply chain and put a world-class management team in place – all to provide solutions with the best value, ease of use and flexibility.

Our campus in Limerick has evolved along with that change and we are fortunate to have expertise located here which is central to what we do on a global level. 

Dell EMC is at the cutting edge of Research and Innovation and the Global Solutions Centre, how easy is it to attract suitably qualified staff?

This is one of the things that makes Limerick such an attractive location for business. You have world class educational institutions on your doorstep including University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology. We have good relationships with these and other third level bodies in Ireland, and have had an active graduate hiring programme over the past number of years. We see this programme as a major success in the business – we’ve been able to bring in really talented team members who are bringing their own unique perspectives to bear.

When it comes to hiring experienced professionals, we’ve certainly seen no shortage of talent. People tell us they are attracted by the quality of life and global impact they can have from Limerick.  

Dell operates in a competitive environment, how does Dell EMC view the decision by other companies to locate here in the Limerick region re: costs, staffing, standards of living, etc?

We celebrate the recent success in new entrants to the region. Dell EMC works closely with IDA in helping with the process of attracting companies to Limerick.

We are always happy to share our positive experience with others, and take the view that we all benefit from a robust, thriving regional cluster that continues to attract world class talent.

How is the Limerick plant regarded company-wide, given the recent takeover of EMC? Where does Raheen sit within the company?

Dell EMC in Limerick continues to be valued for the work it delivers and the innovation and engagement that emanates from the operations here.

Looking at the Ireland landscape, our three sites – Dublin, Limerick and Cork – are already well connected and in tune with the latest company strategy. 

As business development director, what changes have you seen in the business landscape in Limerick over the past number of years?  Are you optimistic about the future?

It’s refreshing to see the recent developments in Limerick, particularly the uptick in business investment in the city.

The IDA has delivered some great recent success with companies such as WP Engine, TruSource Labs, Fazzi and Casa Systems. There is a lot to be very positive about. 

Does the recent flurry of new jobs announcements and steady hiring by others mean we have got things right in Limerick?

We are on the right track, though there is no room for complacency. We all need to continue to work together – existing industry, universities, city officials, the Chamber of Commerce, relevant agencies, and so on, to continue the focus on securing a pipeline of future talent that will be needed by the next batch of new entrants to the region. 

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