Leitrim has received a significant jobs boost with news that the medical devices manufacturer VistaMed is to create 163 jobs there with the opening of its new facility in Carrick-on-Shannon.
One of the largest employers in the county, VistaMed is a manufacturer of catheter and extrusion devices for the global medical devices industry and now, following a new €10m investment programme, has announced plans for a major expansion.
The first aspect of this expansion will be to open a new 45,000sq ft state-of-the-art research and development facility in addition to its current facility in Carrick-on-Shannon.
To cater for this new facility, VistaMed has also announced the creation of 163 jobs, with expectations of these positions being filled by the end of 2018.
The company also revealed that it has filled 37 positions so far for the new facility and, once this latest recruitment has completed, it will bring its total number of employees to 525.
VistaMed has said that the funding comes following an increased demand from the global medical device market for its products and within the new facility will be a 22,000sq ft cleanroom.
It is hoped this will facilitate the growing demand for diverse braided catheter systems, together with the expansion of the existing area providing thermoplastic extrusions for the stringent catheter tubing requirements for today’s challenging minimally invasive procedures.
Great boost for Leitrim
Managing director of VistaMed, Patrick Mulholland, said: “This new research and development facility will allow us to further enhance the rapid project turnaround times currently experienced by VistaMed’s global customer base.
“Combined with the addition of sophisticated equipment, this will enable us to continue to offer a world-class service to the global medical device industry and expand our talented technical resources”.
Adding to this, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, said: “Today we see the evidence that a rural county such as Leitrim can be home to successful international companies like VistaMed and can provide them with the community, infrastructure and resources that they need to thrive and grow their businesses.
“To announce 200 jobs for an Irish-owned, highly innovative, global supplier of medical technology out of Co Leitrim, sums up why we can be ambitious – indeed, must be ambitious – in our plans for regional development and job creation.”
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Catheter image via Shutterstock
