Latest investment and jobs boost is a major vote of confidence in the local workforce in Donegal.
Pharma giant Abbott Laboratories has confirmed that it plans to expand its workforce in Donegal with 500 new jobs, which will be created over the next few years.
‘The company has been in Ireland for over 70 years employing around 3,000 people at nine Irish sites’
– MARY BUCKLEY
Abbott, founded in 1888, is a healthcare company that recorded 2017 revenues of $27.39bn.
It currently employs 400 people at its Donegal site.
Centre of excellence
“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,” said Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys, TD.
“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.”
Abbott opened its plant in Lurganboy near Donegal town in 2006 to manufacture the worldwide supply of the 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.
“Abbott Labs is a global leader in healthcare,” said IDA Ireland executive director Mary Buckley.
“The company has been in Ireland for over 70 years employing around 3,000 people at nine Irish sites.
“This expansion of Abbott diabetes care, and the 500 jobs it will create, bringing the workforce to some 900 in the coming years, is terrific news for Donegal and the north-west, which is a key area of focus for us. It demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to the Donegal site.
“IDA Ireland is happy to support the company and this expansion, which will be a considerable boost to the local and regional economy and furthers our strategy of winning investments for regional locations,” Buckley added.
Abbott sign. Image: Testing/Shutterstock
