Recruitment starts next year for new roles in manufacturing as demand increases for products developed in Waterford.
Bausch & Lomb has announced a €90m investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Waterford and create a number of new jobs.
Capacity at the Irish facility is being built up to meet expected demand for the company’s range of disposable one-day contact lenses, which originated at this site.
“The Biotrue lens was developed by the team in Waterford and supported by our commercial colleagues around the world, and it continues to grow in our US, European and Asian markets,” said site lead Mark Hennessy.
Bausch & Lomb currently employs more than 1,500 people in Waterford. The expansion will create 130 jobs at the manufacturing site when production commences in 2023. Recruitment for these roles will being in 2022.
Presently, Bausch & Lomb Waterford is hiring people in operations, engineering, quality and other disciplines.
An additional 150 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the expansion.
The investment is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said the expansion in Waterford “demonstrates Bausch & Lomb’s continued commitment to the south-east region” after 40 years in business there.
“This expansion is a welcome addition to the south-east region’s thriving medtech cluster,” he added.
An international brand, Bausch & Lomb’s core business is in contact lenses and other over-the-counter products including dietary supplements and lens care products. The company also produces ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, surgical devices and instruments.
In November 2018, it announced an investment to increase contact lens manufacturing capacity in Waterford with the addition of multiple production lines. This construction has now been completed and production of the company’s latest line of contact lenses will begin at the facility by the end of this year.
“We recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Bausch & Lomb Waterford, and the decision to make this significant investment in Waterford was influenced by our track record in providing high-quality products and excellent customer service to markets around the globe,” said Hennessy.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, added that the news is “a great vote of confidence in Waterford and all it has to offer”.
