US medical equipment firm Edwards Lifesciences insists Shannon is still in the running for its €80 million Irish expansion.
An initial manufacturing facility has opened in the Shannon Free Zone today, with capacity for 60 jobs but by 2020, the firm will employ 600 people in the MidWest.
The announcement in March by California-based Edwards Lifesciences that they would be opening a facility in Shannon was widely welcomed by the business community here.
Since then, work has been ongoing getting their state of the art facility in the Shannon Free Zone up and running.
The new premises is being described as their “initial facility”, with the capacity for 60 of the 600 total jobs the medical equipment firm plans to put in place here.
But the long-term plan is as of yet unclear, with Shannon competing with Limerick for their main plant.
Nathan Tenzer is the Plant Manager of the Shannon facility and outlines where plans are at right now:
News on where that €80 million plant is to be located is expected in the not too distant future but for now, focus is on their new Shannon facility.
While some of the 60 jobs there have already been filled, recruitment is ongoing for the remainder and it’s hoped these will be filled in the coming months.
John McGrath Corporate Vice President of Quality, Regulatory and Clinical for Edwards Lifesciences and says demand is strong for their products so their expansion needs to happen quickly:
Meanwhile, Clare’s Junior Minister Pat Breen says the decision by Edwards Lifesciences to base their Irish expansion in the MidWest is an endorsement of the young, educated workforce here.
