Seagate bets millions on Northern Ireland plants

Hard drive giant Seagate is making one of the largest ever technology investments in the UK, developing nanotechnology expertise and creating its main global manufacturing facility in Northern Ireland.

It is investing £83m in its plants at Limavady and Springtown, creating 300 new jobs and bringing the company's total workforce in Northern Ireland to more than 2,000.

The move is supported by Invest Northern Ireland. The economic development agency is backing the expansion to the tune of a further £25m.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, in a statement described Springtown as "already the most advanced nanotechnology manufacturing facility in the UK". It will soon also be the main worldwide shipping point for hardware from Scotts Valley, California-headquartered Seagate.

The full extent of the investment over the next four years, including salary increases and further investments in the local community, is expected to total around $300m, a spokesman said.

The disk drive technology produced in Northern Ireland will be used in a range of computing and consumer electronics devices. The Limavady plant will focus on aluminium substrates used in hard drives within desktops and servers.