Rebranded digital firm bringing 30 jobs to Belfast in £1.3m investment

A EUROPEAN tech company has announced it is creating 30 jobs in Belfast.

The move by Assystem Technologies, which originated in France, comes as it announced a rebrand to become Expleo following its acquisition of digital business partner SQS.

Expleo helps businesses carry out technological change across consultancy, product design and production. It said its focus will now be on the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, aerospace, automobile and government industries as key growth areas for the future.

And the track record of SQS in Northern Ireland would help its growth, the firm said.

Rob McConnell (left) and Scott Armstrong of Expleo

The jobs in the SQS Digital Labs at Catalyst Inc in the Titanic Quarter are the result of a £1.3m investment. It is also creating

120 jobs in Dublin. Expleo is recruiting for roles in robotics, quality engineering, project management and business agility. The Belfast arms provides digital software engineering and governance services to global clients.

Further services include automation and robotics, security and performance engineering, business intelligence and DevOps.

Rob McConnell, director and global head of Digital Labs, Expleo, said: “We are delighted to become Expleo today and to mark the beginning of this exciting new chapter with jobs and investment in Northern Ireland.

“We have a wealth of incredibly talented and educated people in Northern Ireland and they will be key to our future growth and success.

“There is a rich digital ecosystem within the island of Ireland and we look forward to becoming an even greater driving force at the heart of it.”

Expleo employs around 15,000 people in more than 25 countries worldwide. It now plans to expand its footprint in Germany, North America and India.

Its growth in Belfast comes after Catalyst Inc’s annual knowledge economy report said the sector — encompassing tech, manufacturing and pharma firms — needed more support to grow in future.

Catalyst Inc said that a future 80,000 jobs in the knowledge economy could be in jeopardy as growth was slowing down.

It added that the knowledge economy was likely to prove resilient post-Brexit, as just 20% of sales were made into the European Union.