by Niall Murray | Apr 18, 2016 | Engineering and Technical, Industry, Medical Technology
This is part 2 of our regional overview of the medical device industry in Ireland. Last week we looked at the West of Ireland, today we look at the South, South East and Midlands regions. South Cork has significant expertise in orthopaedic technologies. Stryker, which manufactures orthopaedic implants, minimally invasive surgical equipment and neurovascular products, is the biggest medical device employer in Cork. Stryker are building a new 44,000 sq. ft. surgical innovation centre in Cork that will conduct research on the surgical issues of bone cutting and soft tissue dissection. Stryker employs 1,200 people across its 3 Irish sites, two of which are located in Cork. DePuy Synthes produces orthopaedic knees and hips from its Cork plant, employing over 600 people. This site also includes a global supply chain operation and an R&D Innovation Centre. Boston Scientific employs approximately 1,100 people in Cork and produces over 5,600 devices, primarily for their Cardiology, Rhythm and Vascular Group, Endoscopy, and Urology & Women’s Health Divisions. ‘ South East Waterford hosts contact lens manufacturer Bausch & Lomb and precision engineering company Schivo. Bausch & Lomb is investing €75 million to increase its manufacturing capacity. Nypro Healthcare announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art facility in Waterford, which will create more than 200 jobs manufacturing complex respiratory and injection devices. Clearstream in Enniscorthy, which was bought by CR Bard, has added 160 roles since 2011 and, after a significant capital investment in its facility, will have the capacity to add 200 more roles in the coming years. Boston Scientific employs over 700 people in Clonmel and manufactures all of their pacemakers and implantable defibrillators for the global market. Abbott Vascular is also located in Clonmel and manufactures a host of vascular devices for the international market. Midlands Medical device activity in Athlone with KCI, Covidien, AMS Medical and Teleflex all located there. Other notable companies in the region include Abbott Diagnostics and B. Braun in Longford. These companies, with the exception of Teleflex, are all involved in the manufacturing of various medtech products, from diagnostic kits and advanced wound care products to an assortment of medical tubing. Teleflex has a shared services centre and its European HQ in Athlone and runs key back office operations from this site. It currently employs 160 people in Athlone and is set to add a further 100 jobs over the next three years. Renew Health established its manufacturing business in Athlone in June 2014 and now employs 30 staff. Integra Life Sciences are continually investing in their site in Tullamore. They have expanded to over 100 staff and are refurbishing their facilities to increase automation. Moss Vision are a new start up in Roscommon that manufacture contact lenses. This completes our regional overview of the medical device industry in Ireland. It is quit clear that this is a vibrant sector of the economy, one that creates demand for a broad range of skills, particularly engineering skills, and is regionally diverse. Ireland will continue to attract FDI over the coming years and an already strong indigenous medtech sector will further expand. Download our entire Medical Technology Industry Report for 2016 here. Niall Murray Managing Director Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services...Read More
by Niall Murray | Apr 14, 2016 | Industry, Irish Market, Medical Technology
Medical device companies are dispersed across Ireland. The presence of these companies throughout the country means that there is a steady supply of talent in every region, allowing medical device companies to easily set up a facility anywhere they choose. In part 1 of our regional overview of the medical technology industry in Ireland we take a look at the West of Ireland – encompassing the Midwest, West, and North West regions. West Galway is the most important medtech cluster in the country. It accounts for approximately 31% of all medical device employment. Galway has significant expertise in vascular technologies, which are dominated by Boston Scientific and Medtronic. Boston Scientific is the largest medical device employer in Ireland with a staff of more than 4,500 across 3 sites located in Clonmel, Cork, and Galway. Boston Scientific employs around 3,000 people in Galway. Medtronic has roughly 2,000 staff working at its Galway facility, including over 100 employees working in R&D. Other notable companies in Galway include Merit Medical, Creganna, Crospon, and Zimmer, Aerogen, Creganna (800 staff) Mayo has several large multinational medtech companies with manufacturing operations, including Baxter and Hollister. They produce renal dialysis equipment, and ostomy/continence care products respectively. Hollister has invested €80 million in its Ballina plant, which currently employs over 600 people. North West The North West is home to several large medtech companies. Abbott has a number of facilities in the region including Abbott Diabetes in Donegal, Abbott Diagnostics and Abbott Nutrition in Sligo, and Abbott Medical Optics in Mayo. with Irish owned Arrotek and Inblex Plastics based in Sligo. Multinationals B. Braun, Hospira, Amcor Flexibles, and...Read More
by Niall Murray | Feb 24, 2016 | Industry, Irish Market, Medical Technology
Download the full ‘Medical Technology Industry in Ireland 2016‘ report Ireland’s medical technology sector employs over 27,000 people. It is an important contributor to the Irish economy providing €9.4bn worth of exports annually, creating a large number of well-paid, high-skilled job opportunities. To put Ireland’s success in this sector into context, the European medical technology market is worth roughly €100 billion, and accounts for 31% of the world market. As the 5th largest exporter of medtech products in Europe, Ireland is undoubtedly a major contributor to the global medtech industry. Ireland has developed an excellent reputation as a producer of complex medical technologies. This reputation attracts some of the largest players in the medical technology industry. Ireland currently hosts 18 of the 25 largest medtech companies in the world. Companies such as Abbott, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, Baxter, Boston Scientific and Stryker all have major operations in Ireland. But it’s not all FDI led, indigenous companies are also major contributors to the Irish medical device sector. There are over 350 medtech companies in Ireland and 60% of these are indigenous SMEs – Creganna, Trulife, Vistamed, and Steripack are just a few of the indigenous Irish medtech companies exporting their products globally. With all that success comes major investment. In the last 2 years, medical technology companies invested €652 million in Ireland, and Ireland also secured one third of all medtech investment into Europe in 2015. Ireland now develops some of the most sophisticated products in the industry, with particular strengths in high value manufacturing and R&D. R&D is growing in importance in the Irish medtech sector, with half of all...Read More
