Abrel were delighted to attend the Vin D’Honneur following the presentation of the Letters of Credence by H.E. Mr. Nadhavathna Krishnamra, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand in London to H.E. Mrs. Catherine Connolly, President of Ireland at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin.

The Vin D’Honneur was held on Thursday 25^th June at the Anantara the Marker hotel in Dublin.  In attendance at the event were many representatives from business and other dignitaries including a representative from the Irish Department for Tourism and Trade and the newly appointed Ambassador of Thailand for Ireland, Ms. Nora Delaney, who takes up her position in August this year.

The event offered Abrel an opportunity to highlight its products and services and to establish and enhance mutually beneficial relationships with officials and others doing business in the Thai market.

In addition, Abrel Engineers carried out a number of successful installations of Abrel’s Endzone Burn-in Systems, onsite at customer locations in Canada.  The installations were fully completed on time, to the Customers Satisfaction and met all relevant quality standards required for the Semiconductor Industry.

Overall Abrel had a very successful visit to the US and Canadian Market.  Future collaborative projects were discussed in great detail and planned for the year ahead.

 2 Burn-in system solutions, designed, built, installed and certified by the Abrel Team.

The MIDAS Skillnet report from 2021 on, “Electronics Sector Resources & Skills Needs “identified a need for talent across a broad spectrum of technical skills”. The report was compiled based on the results of a survey on future resource and skills needs conducted across 68 companies in the Irish electronics sector, the majority of whom agreed that “future trends in electronics will have the effect of increasing hiring needs, and considered that future trends will require skill levels to improve a lot or a great deal”

The most recent Government report in “Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy” compiled from the Deloitte survey, states that ‘Ireland’s talent market remains highly competitive with recruiters continuing to have difficulty in hiring for certain roles, particularly across science, engineering, and technology’.  It goes on to state that in order ‘to facilitate projected growth in semiconductor output, Deloitte predicts that the global semiconductor workforce, estimated at 2 million in 2021, will need to grow to 3 million by 2030, adding approximately 100,000 annually”.

With all these predictions of future explosive growth in the sector we need to put measures in place to ensure the supply of a suitably qualified and readily available talent pool. This meeting and networking forum event launched new and innovative ideas on addressing the skill shortages that businesses are currently experiencing.

We are looking forward to working with high profile semiconductor businesses and universities on supporting this journey especially in the rollout of upcoming CPD Modules from MIDAS Skillnet.

“The event and network opportunities arising from same could not occur without the great work being carried out in the background by the combined efforts of Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Embassy”. “The endorsement they provide to Abrel and the continued backing they offer my Irish Business is absolutely fantastic.”

“A special thanks to both Mr. Pat O’ Riordan and Mr. Robert Kiely, from Enterprise Ireland for their endless ongoing support and help in relation to growing my business in the SEAN market and for organising this invitation on behalf of Abrel in Manila Philippines. It was a pleasure for the Abrel team to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with you all”.

“The hospitality shown to Abrel and the on-going assistance being provided by all parties is greatly appreciated and we look forward to developing further new business opportunities in this region”.

“The evening was great opportunity to meet people and yielded great networking connections for Abrel in Manila, the Philippines and further afield.  A big thanks to all for facilitating and organising such a wonderful event, it makes us all extremely proud to be Irish and doing business in this great part of the world of Asia”, says Joe Powell, CEO Abrel.

In conjunction with this event, Joe took the opportunity to visit new and existing customers in this market to outline new and exciting product developments being currently worked at Abrel.

“This kind invitation from the Ambassador of Ireland to Thailand Mr. Pat Bourne and Mrs. Sonali Rajasingham Bourne was greatly appreciated”.

“The event and networking opportunity could not occur without the great work being carried out by Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Embassy in the background, the continued support and assistance they have provided and continue to offer my Irish Business is absolutely fantastic.  A special thanks Mr. Pat O’ Riordan and Mr. Robert Kiely, from Enterprise Ireland for the endless ongoing support they have shown in relation to growing my Irish Business in the SEAN market”.

“It was a pleasure celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day event with you all along with the Minister of state, Mr Charlie McConlogue TD.  It was both a great evening and opportunity to meet people in conjunction with building networking connections for Abrel in Thailand and further afield”.

“A big thanks to all for facilitating, organising and running such a wonderful event, it makes us all extremely honoured to be Irish and doing business in this great part of the world.” says Joe Powell, CEO Abrel.

A special thank you to Ambassador Mr. Pat Bourne and team for their kind words following the event to the Abrel team.  We look forward to continue to work with you in growing our business in the SEAN.

We are looking forward with anticipation to what 2026 brings……

ASEMEP is a networking committee under SEIPI, the association of Semiconductor Electronics Industries in the Philippines.

SEIPI, the leading organization of multinational and Filipino-owned semiconductor and electronics companies in the Philippines has over 380 members, including manufacturing firms, allied and support industries, and the academe. The Philippine semiconductor and electronics industry is a significant driver of the Philippine economy and the largest contributor to the country’s manufacturing sector.

In 2024, the industry accounted for US$ 42.74 billion, or 58.4%, of the country’s total exports and employs over 3 million direct and indirect workers. SEIPI’s vision for the Philippines is to improve its competitiveness as a business environment for semiconductors and electronics technologies in the global market. SEIPI carries out its mission through TRAINS, namely Training, Roadmap/R&D, Advocacies, Information, Networking, and Services.

Abrel’s CEO and owner Joe Powell, has the great honor of appearing as Guest Speaker at this prestigious event, delivering a presentation entitled ‘Semiconductor Burn-in Global Landscape: Transition from Current Technology to Future Burn-in Technology with AI’

Whilst Abrel didn’t take home an award this time, being nominated put us in the company of some of the best companies in Ireland and we are proud to be recognised among such strong talent. We have learned a lot through this experience and have built valuable connections which is a win for us. The response to our work by Asia Matters, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA has been incredibly encouraging……….

We are just getting started.

The categories under which the nominations have been received are:

High Potential – Asia Market Entry

To identify and recognise a high potential start up with a viable product or service which is surpassing its potential, has excellent product differentiation and is demonstrating a commitment to enter markets in Asia and/or the Middle East.

Technology – Exporter of the Year

Ireland has a strong technology global export footprint in many sectors including Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Sports Tech, Education Tech, AgriTech and Digital Tech. This category also includes technology services organisations who have a clear globalisation strategy focussed on the region through building talent hubs and/or acquisition. This award will recognise the achievements of cutting edge Irish companies innovators playing a pivotal and disruptive role in Asia with their cutting-edge services, solutions and exceptional talent

Winners to be announced on Tuesday 2nd December 2025.

More information on these awards can be found on Asia Matters Business Awards 2025 – Asia Matters

“ From small beginnings in 1994 we are very proud of what the company has accomplished. The company is now a global and highly respected supplier to the semiconductor industry. This is due in no small part to the dedicated and loyal team employed by Abrel, some of whom have been with the company since its inception. We wish Joe and his team every success for the future”

About Abrel

Abrel was founded in Limerick, Ireland in 1994 and the company is a leading supplier of reliability solutions to the semiconductor industry, serving markets in Europe, USA and ASEAN. The range of products and services includes Burn-in Boards, Endzone Burn-in System, Bibtest55XL Board Tester, and Socket Test Probes.

Moving Forward

As the new owner, Joe Powell will now be taking over the running of the organisation.  Note it is business as usual.  The job security and prosperity of all our highly skilled and experienced team is secure and safe with this MBO.

Joe says

“I have ambitious plans to continue to grow the business and follow an exciting Six Sigma Roadmap to ensure Abrel remains at the forefront of technology. Key focus areas include delivery time, capacity, quality, and new R&D and these will be at forefront of projects going forward for 2025. Growing the company and expanding our client base and product portfolio is key to achieving our business priorities and compounding Abrel’s future as a leading player in the Semiconductor industry globally. Abrel really appreciates the continued loyalty and business from all its customers across the globe and as the new owner, I am really looking forward to developing a new legacy for Abrel for another 30 years and beyond, with the great staff and team that I have.”

Wishing everyone a healthy & happy new year for 2025.

Best Regards,

Joe Powell | CEO Owner