For Dell (DELL), which has closed its factories in Ireland and North Carolina this year, this move is one more step toward its goal of slashing $4 billion from its annual operating costs by early 2011. Said company spokesman David Frink: “[This] is part of our ongoing effort to become more efficient. The intent is to leverage the capabilities of (third-party manufacturers) so we can direct our resources to other areas of our supply chain so we can innovate and add value.”

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But perhaps not for much longer. This morning, the company said it plans to sack 1,900 workers at its flagship manufacturing plant in Limerick, Ireland, and transfer production to an existing facility in Lodz, Poland. “We are proud of our 18-year tenure as a major manufacturer in Ireland,” said Sean Corkery, Dell vice-president of operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “This is a difficult decision, but the right one for Dell to become even more competitive, and deliver greater value to customers in the region.”

The right decision for Dell (DELL), perhaps, but the wrong one for Ireland. In recent years, Dell has accounted for approximately five percent of the country’s GDP. And according to economists, each Dell job underpins another four to five jobs in Ireland. A devastating blow for a country that’s seen its economic fortunes transformed by the IT industry over the last decade.

As one worker at Dell’s Limerick plant said, “Lads, it’s a jobs massacre.”

But perhaps not for much longer. This morning, the company said it plans to sack 1,900 workers at its flagship manufacturing plant in Limerick, Ireland, and transfer production to an existing facility in Lodz, Poland. “We are proud of our 18-year tenure as a major manufacturer in Ireland,” said Sean Corkery, Dell vice-president of operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “This is a difficult decision, but the right one for Dell to become even more competitive, and deliver greater value to customers in the region.”

The right decision for Dell (DELL), perhaps, but the wrong one for Ireland. In recent years, Dell has accounted for approximately five percent of the country’s GDP. And according to economists, each Dell job underpins another four to five jobs in Ireland. A devastating blow for a country that’s seen its economic fortunes transformed by the IT industry over the last decade.

As one worker at Dell’s Limerick plant said, “Lads, it’s a jobs massacre.”