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Why the Irish Eyes are Still Smiling...
Merrill Brink (www.MerrillBrink.com), whose center of operations is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the result of an acquisition in 2005 of PH Brink International, which was founded in 1987 by Merrill Corporation, a diversified global communications company. Brink first set up operations in Ireland in 1998 in the remote Western Galway. However, even that location has been discovered by now, as Cisco opened a global research center there in 2006.
This was brought out by the Minister of Science, Technology, and Commerce (An Roinm Fiontar, Trádála agus Fostáiochta, in Gaelic). He could have been talking about all the localization investments in his country when he said this at the PH Brink International opening, “The availability of workforce, which is predominantly young, with strong technological, business, and language skills makes Ireland an ideal location.” Years later, Jeff Brink added “No one talks about Ireland as the cheapest place to get things done, but it has become the command and control as well as the technological center for much of the world’s localization.” This is why many labor-intensive tasks have migrated to lower cost countries. METRICS WORTH MENTIONING It’s worth mentioning what has happened in Ireland in the last couple of decades. Other countries are now trying to replicate Ireland’s experience, but without the same success.
LOCALIZATION IN IRELAND In probably the most unscientific survey imaginable, the Localization Research Center (LRC), established in Dublin during 1995, recently published the results of a 53-person survey that asked this question: Do you think Ireland is an important hub for the localization industry? The results: 54.7% = yes 30.2% = no 15% = didn’t know An Irish publication titled Software Focus noted that localization “is a low profile function that rarely attracts attention, unless it’s done badly.” The editor stated further, “Consolidation and price pressure have taken a toll on the localization industry, which is now dominated by a few large service providers.” Dublin has retained its role as a localization center. But its position in the industry is changing. As the delivery of localization services moves to other locales, the city has been evolving into a focal point for the development and implementation of technologies and standards. I got the chance to dig into developments in Ireland on a bitterly cold day (-15 degrees Fahrenheit) in Minneapolis with Jeff Brink. At the time of the acquisition of PH Brink International, 40 percent of Brink’s sales came from Ireland. Merrill Brink now ranks 17th in Commonsense Advisory’s listing of the 20 largest firms in the localization field. “We aim to climb much higher than that,” stated Jeff. With its base in Minneapolis, Merrill Brink has begun to tap into the many international offices of Merrill Corporation. On that day, Jeff Brink and I exchanged favorite anecdotes about Irish optimism. Jeff‘s story was when he played golf with Charlie Mulligan on a windy, rainy day in Galway, often referred to as Ireland’s Wild West. While Jeff commented on the conditions, all Charlie Mulligan offered was that “the rain would soften the cough.” The anecdote I shared occurred a couple of years before the Irish hi-tech boom, when the firm I was working for wanted to acquire an Irish conglomerate. Two of my hosts were determined that I see everything and have a good time. They took me on a drive to the hill behind Dublin, where people frequently dig for peat moss. It was a foggy day, and you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. They pulled over at a turnout. We got out of the car and one of them motioned me over. In the midst of the fog, he took out a postcard depicting Dublin on a sunny day, and he said “This is what Dublin would look like on a sunny day.” This perennial optimism is important, as Merrill Brink, in addition to performing localization for a number of clients for almost nine years in Ireland, has embarked on a new service—supply chain logistics. Like many new initiatives in the localization field, this grew out of an existing client’s needs. Merrill Brink was handling a variety of localization tasks for a global medical device manufacturer, and Merrill Brink saw that there was not a smooth flow of information and processes between the localization it did, and the printing, and then distribution of the printed materials. Thus, Merrill Brink saw the need for someone to “consolidate” the whole localization-printing-logistics process. By having this localization supply chain work consolidated, the medical device manufacturers saved time and money, and Merrill Brink ended up with a new service initiative. Charlie Mulligan, Merrill Brink’s Director of Strategic Development, summed it up by saying “We Irish keep spawning new things to do.”
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The rumors of my death have been greatly
exaggerated. This was the famous quote of the then aging
and now deceased American writer Mark Twain. But Jeff
Brink, Chief Operating Officer of Merrill Brink International,
thought it would be an apt metaphor for the neglect
that Ireland has been getting in the localization field.
“All eyes seemed to have turned to India and China,
but Ireland is as strong as ever,” notes Jeff. But he
also admits, “It’s role has changed.”
