Ireland’s largest indigenous pharmaceuticals manufacturer Chanelle Group is to invest €70m in a major manufacturing expansion supported by Enterprise Ireland that will result in the creation of 175 new jobs in Loughrea, Galway.
Founded by CEO Michael H Burke in 1985, Chanelle Group currently employs 375 people in Ireland, the UK, Jordan and India. Burke, a former veterinary surgeon, started the company with just two staff.
The company provides a spectrum of services to its customers, including research and development, registration and production of generic pharmaceuticals for both human and veterinary pharmaceuticals.
The 175 new jobs will bring total employment in Chanelle Group to more than 550 people.
These will be high-value jobs: 50pc of Chanelle Group’s existing workforce hold a third-level qualification.
Michael Burke
‘This growth has been driven by research and development of new products and the expansion into new markets’
– MICHAEL H BURKE, CHANELLE PHARMACEUTICALS
Construction on the expansion of production facilities, which will add 30,000 sq ft of manufacturing plant, will commence in March. 45 jobs will be created during construction.
Chanelle Group’s Headquarters is located on a 15-acre site and includes two manufacturing plants, three research and development centres, warehousing and offices.
Burke said that Chanelle Group’s revenue has grown 100pc in the last five years and employment has increased by more than 200 people.
“This growth has been driven by research and development of new products and the expansion into new markets,” Burke said.
“We invest over €8m annually in research and development and this investment will continue as we launch 75 new products over the next five years in both human and veterinary products.”
“A key role of Enterprise Ireland is to support companies to scale internationally and Chanelle Group’s commitment to continuously strengthening its R&D capability, its embrace of Lean Business principles, its investment in its people and in modern plant and equipment have provided the foundations for its success in global markets,” said Enterprise Ireland’s head of industrial life sciences, Tom Kelly.
“Most critically, the visionary and courageous leadership of its founder and CEO, Michael Burke, has resulted in a company of true excellence in its field and one that will achieve even greater success in the decade ahead.”
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Loughrea image via Shutterstock
