The company initially said it would hire 600 people for its Limerick facility, but has now increased that figure.
US-based medtech company Edwards Lifesciences is officially opening its new manufacturing centre in Limerick today (22 October), which is expected to reach a workforce of 850 over the next few years.
This figure is 250 positions more than the 600 announced in 2019, when the medical devices giant said it was doubling its investment in the Castletroy plant from €80m to €160m. The facility will manufacture delivery components for its transcatheter heart valve therapies.
Edwards Lifesciences, headquartered in Irvine, California, focuses on innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring. It first began operations in Ireland in 2018 at a facility in Shannon and already employs 250 people in the region.
“By expanding our presence in the area, we aim to create a hub for Europe and bring us closer to the patients in the region who will receive these life-saving therapies,” said Michael A Mussallem, chair and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, said that Edwards Lifesciences’ decision to hire an additional 250 people is an “enormous vote of confidence in the mid-west region and the talent, skills and experience on offer here”.
Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland, added that an investment of this scale is “terrific news” for the mid-west and Ireland as a whole.
“It demonstrates the company’s commitment to the region and its ambitions for its operations here. IDA Ireland remains committed to winning jobs and investment in regional locations,” he said.
The Limerick facility will focus on innovative therapies and life-saving medical technologies for patients with heart valve disease. When it was first announced, Edwards Lifesciences said that the facility was expected to hire for roles ranging from leadership opportunities to planning, quality control, assembly, engineering and finance.
Mussallem said at the time that it would be a “modern, state-of-the-art facility” that will serve as an “important addition” to the company’s global supply chain. “We have appreciation for the excellent business environment [in Ireland] to help develop our operations.”
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