The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar will today visit Castletroy, Co. Limerick, to officially open a new manufacturing facility for Edwards Lifesciences, which will create 250 new jobs for the area, on top of the 600 announced in 2019.
The Tánaiste’s will visit the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick afterwards, where he will launch the second phase of a Government funded research programme into sustainability and competitiveness in the diary sector. Edwards Lifesciences, a world-leading medical device company, is expanding its operations in Ireland, with a new manufacturing facility in Castletroy, Co. Limerick. The Tánaiste today opened the new facility, which will employ 850 people from the surrounding area, up from an initial estimate of 600 new jobs.
The Tánaiste will then visit the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick where he will announce the second phase of funding for research in the Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC). Phase 1 of the DPTC which was founded in 2014, has been established as a centre of excellence for dairy processing research and innovation. This next phase will see an additional €14m investment, through Enterprise Ireland in new research looking at sustainability and competitiveness in the dairy industry.
The Tánaiste will also officially launch Ennis 2040, an economic and spatial strategy to make Ennis one of the best places to live, work, visit and invest. As the largest town in Munster, Ennis has massive potential and this new plan, will aim to create 5,000 new jobs and grow the population of the town by 1.6% per year until 2040. This growth will be based on the ’10 Minute Town’ concept with the Town Centre at the heart of a highly accessible and revitalised Ennis – the focus for retail, residential, commercial, educational, leisure and cultural growth.
Commenting on the investment, the Tánaiste said, "It’s great to be back in Limerick to officially open this fantastic new facility for Edwards Lifesciences. It will employ 250 more people than initially estimated in 2019, bringing the total new jobs being created to 850. It’s an enormous vote of confidence in the Mid-West region and the talent, skills and experience on offer here. Congratulations to the team involved and the very best of luck with this remarkable expansion."
Enterprise Ireland CEO, Leo Clancy added, "There are now eight Technology Centres operating across Ireland, focused on critical areas such as advanced manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, microelectronics, pharmaceuticals and food. Companies working with Technology Centres have higher domestic and international sales, more employees and a greater return on their R&D spend. The collaborative model deployed by the Technology Centre network will become increasingly important as our entire economy adapts to a low-carbon future and embeds sustainability at every stage of the production process and I would encourage companies to engage now with these engines of innovation."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
