Irian Technologies

A powerful industrial conglomerate based on Irian in the Free Worlds League, Irian Technologies (IrTech) maintains Irian BattleMechs Unlimited, IMB Systems, Irian PersArms, United Fiber Optics, Irian Non-Ferrous and Technology Transfer as its principal divisions. The company also took actions of diversification, and by 3070 they were also owners of other firms, like Irian Cosmetics.

Overview
In July 2182 Irian Technologies was founded on the planet Irian as United Fiber Optics, then a manufacturer of underwater communications cables. It soon expanded into mining and raw materials production and had become Irian Technologies by the time Irian joined the Free Worlds League. After 2255 IrTech had become the de facto government of the planet.

The firm grew even more with the rise of BattleMech technology, being involved in the first domestic production League BattleMechs. At their Soapstone Mountain BattleMech plant they would produce the Hermes and Guillotine designs.

In 2698 IrTech expanded into weapons manufacture, sensor technology, and aerospace technology, opening new facilities in the Duchy of Andurien. At the onset of the First Succession War IrTech operated 87 production and laboratory facilities, but they became prime targets and less than a fifth survived the war.

In 3014 - during the early stages of the Marik Civil War - Duke Anton Marik's special operations forces together with disgruntled workers took control of the Soapstone Mountain BattleMech plant on Irian, which had been producing Hermes and Guillotine-class 'Mechs, and implicitly also Archer and Wasp designs, ) as part of Anton's effort to gain control of key industries. The First Marik Militia, reluctant to damage the factory, initially isolated it and tried to negotiate; however, when Captain-General Janos Marik demanded an immediate resolution to the situation on Irian the First staged an assault where the rebels' defense efforts effectively razed the factory. Dame Catherine Humphreys of Andurien poured considerable funds into its reconstruction; Sigmund Hughes, whose mistress Louise Humphreys was a daughter of Dame Catherine Humphreys, became president of the IMB Unlimited Division of IrTech and oversaw the reconstruction, which was completed within less than three years. It would resume production of Hermes II-class 'Mechs after the rebuild. According to a ComStar dossier, the credit for rebuilding the factory should have gone to two mysterious techs who spearheaded the effort and whose names were given as Nkrumah Blake and Gowarjapul Campion.

Between 3067 and 3072, Irian Technologies maintained a neutral stance towards the Word of Blake. This worked to IrTech's advantage: Where other manufacturers were destroyed by the Jihad, IrTech was able to survive and even succeed. When the tide turned against the Blakists, however, IrTech found that their neutrality cost them many favors and (more importantly) customers, leaving the Word of Blake as their largest customer. The Word ruthlessly pushed this advantage, and by 3072 the Word of Blake controlled Irian Technologies.

In 3072, Irian Technologies' newest prototype crashed, resulting in the death of long-time test pilot Jake "Flash" Wagner. The SBA-4S Sea Bass flying submersible was Irian's latest vision of the future, allowing one vehicle to patrol the sky and the ocean.

The resulting internal turmoil as the company's leadership struggled to find a way out of their desperate straights effectively shattered the company into smaller pieces. Some newly held companies located in the Lyran Alliance sided with the Blakists. On Irian, the company leadership put their full weight behind the resistance, leading to a liberated planet, while the rest of the company seemed to be stuck, floundering around for a successful strategy. When the Blakists were forced to retreat from Irian on 8 December they resorted to using scorched earth tactics to cover their withdrawal, targeting a number of IrTech facilities with tactical nuclear devices as they went.

In 3079, most of Irian's production was being commandeered by the 3rd Free Worlds Legionnaires so they could rebuild.

By 3081 Irian was expanding its exports in an effort to make up for huge corporate losses, with those satellite factories that survived the corporation turning against the Word of Blake continuing to supply the Marik Commonwealth with a trickle of FWLM staple units. However, production was still far below that of the original parent plants. They also maintained a repair and refit center on Angell II and Washburn.

In early to mid thirty-second century, various Irian Technologies planets would turn to start supplying their "native" Duchies and other nation states of the fragmented League.

By 3133 Irian Technologies was able to exert its influence to recover control of Irian, which had been lost when the system was ceded to the Republic of the Sphere. In that same year the company's security forces defended the world against strikes from multiple micro-factions of the disintegrating Republic of the Sphere. Eventually the company formed a long-term alliance with the Dragon's Fury, and integrated their self-defense units into a new planetary defense force that combined Dragon's Fury commanders with the IrTech security teams and Irian planetary militia. Between 3133 and 3135 Irian Technologies factories on Irian suffered heavy damage.

Leadership
The Company CEO of Irian Technologies in 3067 is Sigmund Hughes.

Manufacturing
Irian Technologies has manufacturing centers on the following planets:

Clipperton
After the Jihad the Clipperton lines stopped WarShip production to focus on commercial JumpShip production. They took no damage during the Jihad and were operating at maximum production in 3079.

Irian
In 3091 the Republic shut down the plant.

Lopez
Formerly a refit center, Irian Technologies converted this to a full fledged production center in 3079.

Shiro III
As of 3079 Irian Technologies had run out of room on Shiro III, leading them to open a new production line on Lopez. They took no damage during the Jihad and were operating at maximum production in 3079.