Japan is becoming an important export market for Irish companies.
Last year Ireland exported £150 million worth of goods to Japan, which is our eighth largest export market.
A wide range of industrial products, pharmaceuticals and precision instruments make their way from Ireland to Japan. Irish pork and fish, textiles and spirits can be found in high end department stores like Isetan in Tokyo.
Two years ago Isetan ran a campaign to promote Irish goods, and Linda Gale who works for the company brought Japanese buyers to Ireland. She was pleasantly surprised,
Córas Trachtála really did their best to help us.
The Japanese motor industry is one of the largest in the world, producing 11 million vehicles annually. Donnelly Mirrors Ltd., an Irish subsidiary of an America company, produces over one-third of rear view mirrors for the Japanese automobile market.
Their headquarters are in Naas, County Kildare, but Frank O'Brien is their representative in Japan. He maintains that good teamwork and professionalism are the backbone of Donnelly Mirrors’ success. The company is also very attuned to the needs of the Japanese market,
Every single person in Ireland is geared to Japan.
Pheilim Cluskey of Córas Tráchtála (the Irish Export Board) says that Donnelly Mirrors’ achievements in such a competitive market is an example to other Irish companies of what is possible to achieve. He attributes their accomplishments to their focus on
A professional approach which has attended to all the demands of quality and service.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 28 February 1985. The reporter is Conor Fennell.
