Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/513426
16 | /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING • May 2015 w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m Foreign attraction IRISH DAIRY COOPERATIVE Ornua-The Home of Irish Dairy was looking ahead when it purchased the former Thiel Cheese & Ingredients in Hilbert and then mapped out an expansion plan. Ornua, which until April was known as the Irish Dairy Board, was seeking outlets to expand and solidify its position in the global market now that European Union milk production quotas have come to an end. In place since 1984, the quotas were meant to curb overproduction. However, they also hampered European producers from exploiting growth opportunities in overseas markets that have emerged in the past decade. By investing $12 million in a state-of-the-art facility, now known as Ornua Ingredient North America, Ornua was giving "Irish farmers and the Irish industry a chance to truly develop its great products into a much bigger marketplace of a much higher production," says Kevin Lane, Ornua's chief executive officer. Ornua is just one of several foreign entities that have invested in manufacturing companies across the New North. The list is long and includes notable businesses such as Marinette Marine and Bay Shipbuilding (owned by Fincantieri of Italy) and Waupaca Foundry (owned by Hitachi Metals of Japan). David Ward, the chief executive officer of NorthStar Consulting, G L O B A L International companies show strong interest in New North manufacturers BY MARYBETH MATZEK