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Cork-based Janssen win top award

Wednesday, October 03 15:13:46

Cork-based multinational Janssen has won the overall Engineers Ireland Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Company of the Year award for 2012 for an innovative overhaul of its business model.

This ensured that more than 500 hi-tech jobs were sustained across its two locations, Little Island and Ringaskiddy, in Cork.

Speaking at the 9th annual Engineers Ireland CPD Symposium, Dr Michael Napier, Global Technical Services at Janssen said investing in its engineering and technical staff was an essential element in turning the pharmaceutical business around. "We were facing reduced volumes and overcapacity on a global scale so we focused on ensuring our staff received the technical and management skills necessary to reduce costs, improve quality and delivery. As a result we won major new clinical products to develop and manufacture at the site introducing new technologies thereby growing the business in its Cork operation"

Other 2012 winners included ON Semiconductor in the small-sized company category; Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in the medium-sized category; PM Group in the large-sized company category and Fingal County Council in the public sector category. KCI Manufacturing Ltd, Athlone, was presented with an 'Outstanding Achievement Award' for a first-time entrant to the competition.

Commenting on the award winners, Engineers Ireland Director General and Chartered Engineer, John Power said: "The success stories that we've heard about today clearly demonstrates that investing in the professional development and up-skilling of people is money well spent. Increasing Ireland's competitiveness and creating jobs is in everyone's best interests. That the Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard is helping to do just that is a wonderful endorsement of the scheme and I would like to thank the Department of Education and Skills who have backed the initiative since its launch."

Engineers Ireland's judging panel for the annual CPD Company award included invited experts Tommy Fanning, the Head of Engineering for IDA Ireland as well as Tom Kelly, Divisional Manager - Cleantech, Electronics and Life Sciences, in Enterprise Ireland.