Ó Fiontraíocht Éireann; An Roinn Fiontar, Trádála agus Fostaíochta
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The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, will today (Friday, 22 October 2021) visit Castletroy, Co. Limerick, to officially open a new manufacturing facility for Edwards Lifesciences, which will create 250 new jobs for the area, on top of the 600 announced in 2019. The Tánaiste will visit the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick afterwards, where he will launch the second phase of a government funded research programme into sustainability and competitiveness in the diary sector.
The Tánaiste will also visit Ennis to launch an ambitious new plan to make Ennis one of the best places in the world to live, work, invest and visit.
Edwards Lifesciences, a world-leading medical device company, is expanding its operations in Ireland, with a new manufacturing facility in Castletroy, Co. Limerick. The Tánaiste today opened the new facility, which will employ 850 people from the surrounding area, up from an initial estimate of 600 new jobs.
The Tánaiste said:
"It’s great to be back in Limerick to officially open this fantastic new facility for Edwards Lifesciences. It will employ 250 more people than initially estimated in 2019, bringing the total new jobs being created to 850. It’s an enormous vote of confidence in the Mid-West region and the talent, skills and experience on offer here. Congratulations to the team involved and the very best of luck with this remarkable expansion."
The Tánaiste will then visit the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick where he will announce the second phase of funding for research in the Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC). Phase 1 of the DPTC which was founded in 2014, has been established as a centre of excellence for dairy processing research and innovation.
This next phase will see an additional €14m investment, through Enterprise Ireland in new research looking at sustainability and competitiveness in the dairy industry.
The Tánaiste said:
"With our climate law, Ireland is now one of the most ambitious countries in the world on climate. At the same time, agriculture is one of our largest and most important indigenous industries. We make enough food to feed our population nine times over. That’s something we should be proud of and we want it to continue. This research is crucial as we move to a low carbon society, to ensure our food industry can thrive, modernise and continue to compete globally."
Enterprise Ireland CEO, Leo Clancy, said:
"The establishment of the Dairy Processing Technology Centre anticipated the significant market disruption that would occur with the removal of milk quotas in 2015. Anticipating disruption is now an essential part of business planning, and the DPTC was ahead of its time. Since then it has proved how effective collaboration between industry leaders and our research community can be and I am delighted that Enterprise Ireland will provide €14m to back its next phase of research.
"There are now eight Technology Centres operating across Ireland, focused on critical areas such as advanced manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, microelectronics, pharmaceuticals and food. Companies working with Technology Centres have higher domestic and international sales, more employees and a greater return on their R&D spend. The collaborative model deployed by the Technology Centre network will become increasingly important as our entire economy adapts to a low-carbon future and embeds sustainability at every stage of the production process and I would encourage companies to engage now with these engines of innovation."
Dairy Processing Technology Centre Director Dr Anne Marie Henihan stated:
"We, at the DPTC, are looking forward to delivering on the full potential of this investment and building on the successes and achievements of Phase One of the Centre.
"Over the next five years our industry partners will encounter many opportunities and challenges as they progress their growth ambitions and we will support and facilitate them in their pursuit of innovation and operational efficiencies that are grounded in sustainability.
"Our strength in delivering innovative solutions is based on the great level of co-operation and collaboration among our industry and academic partners. We look forward to broadening and deepening these existing relationships as well as expanding the number of industry partners we serve.
"We will be relentless in our drive to provide world class innovative research that provides game-changing advances for the future of Irish Dairy Processing."
The Tánaiste will also officially launch Ennis 2040, an ambitious economic and spatial strategy to make Ennis one of the best places to live, work, visit and invest. As the largest town in Munster, Ennis has massive potential and this new plan, will aim to create 5,000 new jobs and grow the population of the town by 1.6% per year until 2040. This growth will be based on the ’10 Minute Town’ concept with the Town Centre at the heart of a highly accessible and revitalised Ennis – the focus for retail, residential, commercial, educational, leisure and cultural growth.
The Tánaiste said:
"I’m really happy to launch this exciting and ambitious plan for the future of Ennis, which sets out how the town will grow its population by 1.6% per year and create 5,000 new jobs by 2040. Ennis has huge potential, with its location, talent pool and natural beauty, all providing excellent opportunities to invest, live and visit here. I know a lot of effort has gone in to involving the entire community in developing this plan. Congratulations to all in bringing together this vision."