- OT
- Industry
- Contact lenses
- B&L invests in Waterford plant
B&L invests in Waterford plant
A €75m investment in Bausch + Lomb’s facility in Waterford, Ireland will increase its manufacturing capacity and create 125 new jobs
05 May 2015
The news comes a year after its parent company Valeant made 200 workers redundant at the same site.
Supported by Ireland’s Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through IDA Ireland, the investment will be completed by the end of 2017 and bring extended capacity to meet the demand the company expects for its Biotrue one day contact lenses, the company said.
B&L plans to add 112,000 sq ft of new manufacturing space on a 17-acre site close to the current plant. Planning permission has been granted for the development, which would also create 150 construction jobs.
The investment will also strengthen the Waterford facilities’ ability to support the contact lens manufacturer as it strives to increase its share in the contact lens market. It also follows a similar announcement last November when it was confirmed that €41m was being invested into the plant, creating 50 new jobs.
Minister for jobs, enterprise and innovation, Richard Bruton, said: ‘The people of the southeast and, in particular, the staff at B&L have been through a massively difficult time.
‘Today’s announcement that, with the support of my department and IDA, the company is investing heavily in an expansion and creating 125 jobs is a huge boost. I look forward to continuing to work with all the Valeant team as they roll out this major investment and job creation in Waterford.”
Chairman and CEO of Valeant, Michael Pearson, added: “B+L’s Waterford site will continue to play a very important role in our strategy to rebuild B+L as one of the leading contact lens producers. The facility is a first class site for contact lens manufacturing and distribution, and with the planned new contact lens manufacturing lines, the added capacity will support both current and future demand.”
The company currently employs 1,000 people at its Waterford facility.
Advertisement
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in