Abbott in Donegal announced this week that it is to expand its existing manufacturing facility which will result in the creation of approximately 500 new jobs over the next number of years.

Abbott is a global healthcare company devoted to improving life through the development of products and technologies that span the breadth of healthcare.

Abbott initially established operations in Ireland in 1946 and is one of the country’s largest healthcare companies with operations in all four provinces across 10 sites, including 6 manufacturing facilities. The company’s first medical device manufacturing location in Ireland was established in Sligo in 1974.

Abbott opened their plant in Lurganboy near Donegal town in 2006 to manufacture the worldwide supply of their FreeStyle and FreeStyle Lite brands of blood glucose test strips which are used in conjunction with FreeStyle blood glucose monitoring meters. The facility is a Centre of Excellence for blood glucose monitoring.  

Speaking this week, Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, Heather Humphreys said, "I am absolutely delighted that State support is going towards this hugely significant announcement for Donegal and the entire region. The Government has been working hard to ensure we have the right conditions in place to encourage job creation outside of our urban centres, and this is another positive signal that our pro-business policies are bearing fruit in Ireland’s regions. I would like to warmly congratulate Abbott on this big achievement for the company, which is a considerable vote of confidence in the local workforce."

Source: www.businessworld.ie