The top-ten companies in the sector accounted for nearly half of all industrial production in 2016, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The firms had a combined net selling value (NSV) of €64.8 billion, with the remaining 3,116 industrial enterprises reporting €68.5 billion.
The top 50 industrial enterprises represented more than 80% of the total value of products manufactured and sold in Ireland in last year – accounting for €107.7 billion of a total of €133.3 billion for the sector.
The CSO says this indicates that the manufacturing sector in Ireland is heavily reliant on a very small number of enterprises.
The most significant increase in NSV was in the pharmaceutical sector, with basic pharmaceutical products and preparations increasing by 128.5% over a two-year period – from €25.5 billion in 2014 to €58.3 billion in 2016.
Strong performances were also reported in the food, chemical and computer sectors.
