Abbott is building a new facility in Kilkenny to substantially increase production of its FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system.
Medtech giant Abbott Laboratories plans to create 1,000 jobs across across two sites in Ireland through a €440m investment.
Abbott has announced plans to construct a new greenfield manufacturing facility in Kilkenny, along with further investment in its Donegal Diabetes Care site.
The planned 250,000 sq ft Kilkenny facility will help Abbott substantially increase the production of its FreeStyle Libre technology for people with diabetes. It will be located at the IDA Business and Technology Park in Loughboy, subject to planning permission.
The new jobs will be in areas such as engineering, quality control and medical device manufacturing, according to The Irish Times,
The US medtech currently employs around 5,000 people across Ireland and has been in the country for more than 75 years.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD, said Abbott’s plans to bring in more jobs and expand its medtech manufacturing is “hugely welcome news”.
“Abbott has a long and successful history, first establishing operations in Ireland in 1946, and this new investment is a great vote of confidence in the workforce here, and in this country as a place to invest,” Martin said.
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre tech lets people with diabetes monitor their glucose level without routine fingerpicks. Through a quick scan, users can see their current glucose reading, an eight-hour history and a trend arrow indicating if their glucose level is going up, down or staying steady.
As well as the company’s Donegal site, Abbott has manufacturing facilities in Cavan, Longford, Clonmel and Sligo. It also has commercial, support operations and shared services bases in Dublin and Galway.
Last year, Abbott shared plans to invest €37.8m at its Clonmel base to focus on the continued development of cardiovascular devices.
IDA Ireland executive director Mary Buckley said Abbott has made a “substantial and valued contribution to regional economies” throughout its time in Ireland.
“This significant and transformative investment in a new greenfield manufacturing facility in Kilkenny is fantastic news for the south-east region and for Ireland,” Buckley said. “It is also most welcome and demonstrates continued commitment to its Donegal site that it will benefit from further investment and new jobs.”
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