Two hundred jobs will be created over the next five years at a €20m Merit Medical Systems facility in Galway, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, announced this morning.
Today marks the official opening of Merit Medical Systems’ expanded facility at Parkmore Business Park East in Galway. The €20m facility will result in 200 jobs in R&D, shared services, operations support and manufacturing, with at least 30pc of these going to third-level graduates.
Merit is a worldwide designer, developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices used in interventional and diagnostic procedures. This investment, supported by IDA Ireland, more than double’s Merit Medical Ireland’s capacity in Galway, providing more than 75,000 sq feet of space, allowing for the expansion of R&D and other activities.
Centre of excellence
The Parkmore West facility, which now employs 379 people, is already a designated centre of excellence for Merit’s guide-wire technologies, but this state-of-the-art expansion will see it become a centre of excellence for a range of new products and technologies.
“Our high level of satisfaction with our Galway facility’s ability to take on new challenges and its successful track record in developing new products over the past 16 years were major factors in implementing this crucial investment there,” said Fred P Lampropoulos, Merit’s chairman and chief executive officer. “In addition, we believe the proven commitment of the Irish management team and workforce will help to ensure that these latest developments will be implemented successfully and result in the facility increasing its already significant role in our global business.”
“This IDA Ireland-supported investment is an important endorsement of the Galway operation, which has proven itself to be a key strategic location for the parent company,” said Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland. “Merit is an excellent employer in the West and is a key component of the medical device cluster operating successfully from the region. Ireland boasts an enviable cluster of medical device companies with 17 of the top 25 global medical-device companies having a significant presence here.”
