Stryker to invest €30m in plant ahead of demand

STRYKER, the US multinational which makes surgical orthopaedic implants, yesterday announced it is to invest €30 million in its Limerick facility to ensure it can cope with the huge international demand for cobalt knees.

Stryker employs 680 at its site at Raheen Industrial estate in Limerick and 620 at two sites it has at Carrigtwohill in Co Cork.

The ‘Triathlon’ artificial knee which Stryker makes in Limerick is now a world leader, selling 200,000 units so far this year.

Gerry McDonnell, vice president of Stryker Ireland, said sales of their Triathlon cobalt knee are rising by 10% a year and this led to a major two-year review of their Irish operations.

“We have taken on 120 new workers in Limerick and Cork over the past 18 months and the new investment will help copper fasten and consolidate our operations here.”

Mr McDonnell said their review was a broad-based one that led to new resources being deployed into R&D, quality, cost saving and other critical areas. It had resulted in making their Irish operations more competitive in the international environment where its products are world leaders.

“Over the past two years we have been looking to see how we can understand that (international) environment and what is required of us in approaching that environment to copper fasten our position. The purchase of new equipment with this $40m investment will enable us to keep pace with the growth in demand for our Triathlon.”

Mr McDonnell said the decision to invest in Limerick is hugely important as it will enable them gear up and replace older technology.

The Triathlon knee made in Limerick consists of cobalt chrome and plastic components.

The special plastic used in the artificial knee was developed by Stryker.

The company makes hips, medical tools and other equipment at Carrigtwohill.

Mr McDonnell said: “We make the majority of our Triathlon knees for the world market in Limerick and over the past few years we have seen sales grow by 10% from year to year. Our biggest market is the US, followed by Europe, Japan, Canada and Asia.”

Stryker, which has its headquarters in Michigan, employs 17,000 worldwide. Stryker took over Howmedica in 1997, a company that set up in Limerick in 1972.

When surgeons carried out a hip replacement operation on Pope John Paul II at a Rome clinic, they used an implant made at Raheen which was specially flown to Italy.