Irish mechanical and electrical engineering contracting company Kirby Group Engineering has opened its new office in Cape Town – the company’s first base outside of Europe.

The company’s Cape Town team will be made up of engineers, quantity surveyors, talent acquisition specialists and others who can all contribute to projects on an off-site basis. Thirty people are expected to start working at the Cape Town office by the end of this year and the firm is expecting to grow that number further in 2024.

The management team at Kirby selected South Africa for the new base for several reasons, including the talented workforce, which has already seen many South African people join the Kirby team across Europe; the high standard of education within the graduate community; the lack of a language barrier; and the fact that South Africa has a similar time zone to Ireland.

“Our firm has recorded significant growth in recent years, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our team and the trust placed in us by our valued customers. Expansion outside the European Union and into South Africa represents a great opportunity to access local talent here and is a statement of confidence in the future of this company,” says executive chairperson Jimmy Kirby.

“This move has been 12 months in the planning and execution [phase], and we've enjoyed a very warm welcome from the South African government and business community,” he adds.

Kirby thanks manufacturing business support agency Enterprise Ireland and investment promotion agency Invest South Africa for their help thus far and says he looks forward to building on Kirby’s relationships in South Africa long into the future.

“[Investment promotion agency] Wesgro welcomes Kirby to Cape Town and the Western Cape. With our world-class infrastructure, top universities, young talented workforce, excellent governance record and a commitment to making it easy to do business, the Western Cape supports thriving manufacturing and construction businesses,” says Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander.

“We thank Kirby Group Engineering for choosing to invest in our province, which will contribute immensely to the economy of the province and create much-needed jobs,” she said.

Further, Enterprise Ireland South Africa country manager Nicola Kelly says commercial ties between Ireland and South Africa have continued to expand in recent years.

“Kirby’s decision to establish a base here in vibrant Cape Town is very welcome news and is a vote of confidence as they continue to deliver large, complex projects for major international clients,” she adds.