Companies' expansion leads to 470 new jobs

Up to 470 new jobs will be confirmed this morning with the announcement of the expansion of three companies based on the east coast.

The investments, totalling €70m, will bring jobs to Louth, Dublin and Wicklow.

The three companies based in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, Dundalk, Co Louth, and Arklow, Co Wicklow are in the IT and pharmaceutical sectors.

Symantec, which is based in Blanchardstown, specialises in Internet security. The company is to establish the company’s only research and development facility in Europe and expand its existing production facility and creating around 250 new high quality jobs.

In Dundalk, the expansion of operations in the Quantum Corporation is creating 120 jobs. The company works in the areas of data protection and network storage.

Meanwhile, Arklow based Servier Industries is to significantly expand its pharmaceutical operations in a €52 million investment. It will add more than 100 new jobs and treble the production facility at the plant.

The Tánaiste has described the announcements as a tribute to the success of the IDA’s strategy of targeting high quality jobs in the ICT and pharmaceutical sectors.