170 new high-skilled jobs for midlands

THE midlands region is to benefit from 170 extra jobs created by US multinationals, involving investment of over €7 million, Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin has announced.

The jobs will be located in Roscommon, Athlone and Longford and will all be in the key knowledge based sectors. They will be based in three new facilities and one existing operation and will service global markets.

Minister Martin said, “the diverse nature of these investments and their geographic spread is a further endorsement of Ireland’s ability to attract leading-edge high-value investments across a range of sectors.”

US pharmaceutical company Innocoll Inc is establishing two facilities, creating up to 60 jobs over four years, 70% of those highly-skilled.

The facility in Roscommon Town will benefit from a €6m R&D and manufacturing centre, which will interact with third-level Irish institutions in the course of its work.

This will be the group’s primary R&D and manufacturing centre worldwide, said the minister.

In Athlone, Innocoll will establish its European Sales and Marketing Headquarters, where the products made in Roscommon will be marketed.

Innocoll’s president and chief executive said the strategic investment would shift the company from contract manufacturing to the production of its own products serving the healthcare market.

US drug developer Conor Medsystems Inc a developer of innovative controlled vascular drug delivery technologies, is to invest over 1m in Athlone. The facility will manufacture coronary stent products and expects to create up to 40 jobs over three years, 50% requiring third-level qualifications.

Cooper Cameron Corporation, a top manufacturer of products for the global oil and gas exploration industry, is set to expand its Longford facility.

This will be a global centre of excellence for certain technologically advanced products, which could create 57 jobs over five years.