With nine sites in Ireland, Johnson & Johnson has found the Emerald Isle a welcoming place to do business.
Friday, the company revealed a 100 million euro ($100 million) expansion of its National Technology Park facility in Limerick, which will add up to 80 new jobs in operations, engineering and quality control. The plant currently employs about 1,600.
The 26-year-old factory is one of the largest in the world that produces disposable contact lenses, including daily-use Acuvue and Tecnis intraocular lenses for cataract patients.
Construction is underway, with production scheduled to begin in 2024.
“The Medtech sector is a crucial part of the Irish economy,” Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a statement. “And the continued commitment shown by Johnson & Johnson Vision to do business here is most welcome.”
A year ago, Johnson & Johnson revealed a $176 million investment in its biologics manufacturing site in Ringaskiddy, Ireland, which would add 27,000 square feet and 180 employees. The company began building the factory in 2005.
In 2015, the company revealed a major investment push in medical device manufacturing in Ireland, sinking $112 million into its site in Limerick and opening a $59 million plant in Cork.