Farewell, Dell!
10,000. If Dell goes, that's the number of Irish jobs that will go. Or so goes some of the wilder speculation. The figure is based on 4,400 people employed directly by the company and the remaining 5,600 working in firms whose existence depends on Dell.
Two things we do know for sure: Michael Dell has said he wants to reduce expenses dramatically and the Wall Street Journal revealed last month that the computer maker was considering ending manufacturing in Ireland. The country's mid-western region would be traumatized by any such decision, but Ireland can no longer compete with China or Poland, for that matter, as a manufacturing base. Fact is, Dell's legendary supply-chain management is no longer tops. Apple has surpassed it there, and HP is winning on the low-end sales front. With everyone offering customization, Dell can't tout that as an advantage any more, either. So, the company has to rethink its role. A bit like the task facing Ireland, really.
