Boston Scientific is to create more than 400 jobs in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, as part of an €80 million investment in its operations there.
The money will be put towards expanding its medical technology manufacturing and research and development (R&D) capabilities at the site, the medical devices firm said in an emailed statement on Friday. It will also increase office and manufacturing space overall while helping shift the plant to sourcing more than 90 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources.
“The decision by the company to invest again in Clonmel shows real confidence in the talent and infrastructure available in the southeast, including the new Technological University, improved roads and broadband,” Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said.
Hiring is under way for positions in highly specialised roles within production, engineering, quality, supply chain and R&D functions.
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“Our growth in the region has been possible thanks to our talented workforce here in Clonmel,” said Conor Russell, vice-president for operations with the company. “Our team has worked to build strong manufacturing and R&D capabilities and also a high-performing and inclusive culture that we are proud to continue to foster as an employer of choice.”
The Clonmel plant makes devices that “support the treatment of more than 400,000 patients globally each year”, it said, including products to treat patients with heart disease, neurological disorders, kidney stones, and diseases of the pancreas, bile ducts and oesophagus.
The Boston Scientific investment is the latest in a string of moves in the medtech sector in Ireland in recent months, with numerous big firms lining up to expand their interests here. That has provided a boon to the economy even amid a wave of lay-offs across big technology firms such as Facebook-owner Meta Platforms and Google.
US medical device company Dexcom said earlier this month it would invest €300 million over the next five years to build a new manufacturing site in Co Galway, which it says will create “up to 1,000 high-skilled” jobs in the region, as well as 500 construction jobs.
Last August Abbott Laboratories said it would spend €440 million in Ireland with plans for a new manufacturing plant in Kilkenny and additional jobs in Donegal. That expansion would see the company adds 1,000 jobs to its Irish workforce and make the State a leader in the production of high-tech diabetes glucose monitoring devices.
The Boston Scientific investment is the third significant jobs announcement by an IDA-backed company in recent weeks. As well as the Dexcom announcement, semiconductor firm Analog Devices plans to create 600 jobs in Limerick.
“The Government has prioritised balanced regional development, and so the announcement of 400 jobs in Clonmel on foot of 600 in Limerick last week and 1000 in Athenry the week before shows that our policies are working,” Mr Varadkar said. “There’s more in the pipeline,” he added.
