The
Challenging Journey
of Seagate Springtown
Dr Brian Burns, Vice President writes for CONNECTED To establish a highly complex nanotechnology facility in a region still struggling from the demise of its formerly thriving shirt making industry may have seemed an odd choice for Seagate back in 1993. Clearly, however, the choice was a good one. The growth and evolution of the facility over the last 22 years must rank it as one of the province’s most successful foreign direct investments of the last few decades. That Derry-Londonderry is open for business and able to deliver at the very highest level, certainly provides a level of confidence to others contemplating the establishment of a business in the region. However, it takes more than a supportive business environment to run a thriving organisation and Seagate’s journey since 1993 has taught us valuable lessons that all businesses—large, small and anywhere in between— can draw upon. Let’s set the context first. The original proposal for Seagate’s Recording Head Operations in Springtown was a maximum headcount of 500 people, providing supplementary manufacturing support for our sister facility in Minnesota. Today, there are 1,400 employees working in a facility that produces 70 percent of Seagate’s recording head requirements and approximately 25 percent of the entire world’s demand for this complex component. Even more significant is the fact that the site now boasts a research and development group of nearly 100 highly qualified engineers tasked with designing cutting-edge future technologies and products. Why such an expansion of our original charter? The answer is simple—we earned it: by hiring excellent people who have consistently demonstrated their ability to innovate and to drive continuous improvement and efficiency; by investing in employees through training and development; by driving diversity, thus benefiting from a larger pool of ideas and experiences; and by nurturing mutually beneficial partnerships with further and higher education establishments—and influencing course content wherever possible. 16
Of course it must be acknowledged that Seagate Springtown benefits from the distinct advantage of being part of a large cash-rich organisation. It’s an indisputable fact that research and development requires financial investment—and we’ve been extremely fortunate to have been provided with the resources to build up a first class R&D group within our facility. But like everything else in life, it’s all relative. Small and medium sized enterprises—even those with a handful of employees—still have an obligation to invest in their staff and to future-proof their enterprises. Let’s think about that obligation for a moment. When we employ someone, it’s on the basis of a specific role which requires a certain set of knowledge, skills and abilities. However, if roles and responsibilities change—and they will—then it’s incumbent on us as employers to invest in our human capital by equipping employees for those changes. By doing so, we’ll be so much better positioned to adapt to the rapidly changing demands of tomorrow’s work environment. If we don’t, then we’ll have failed our employees and our business. Unfortunately, during periods of economic uncertainty, professional development can all too often become the casualty. Indeed, over the last several years there has been a dramatic decline in organisational employee development investiture. However the good news is that it’s not all about costly courses, hefty travel bills and tuition assistance programmes. For the last few years, Seagate Springtown, in partnership with North West Regional College, has been rolling out a