Five people stand in a lab wearing protective clothing, with TD Michael McGrath in the centre holding up a piece of equipment.
Aisling Murphy of Janssen Sciences Ireland demonstrates technology to IDA Ireland chief executive Martin Shanahan, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD, Janssen Sciences Ireland general manager Gary Hartnett, and Johnson & Johnson VP for manufacturing and technical operations Leila Schwery-Bou-Diab. Image: Michael O'Sullivan/OSM Photo

Janssen to create 180 new jobs with €150m expansion at Ringaskiddy

25 Mar 2022

Janssen is about to begin commercial production with a new €300m manufacturing suite and is planning further expansion in Cork.

Pharma company Janssen Sciences Ireland plans to create 180 new full-time jobs in facilities, engineering, quality, manufacturing and regulatory affairs.

The company, which is part of Johnson & Johnson, is expanding its biopharmaceutical supply chain facility in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork. Construction on the €150m expansion began earlier this year and is expected to take up to two years to complete.

As well as the 180 full-time jobs that the expansion is set to create, approximately 300 people will be employed during the construction phase of the project.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD said the announcement was “really fantastic news for Cork and for patients across the world” who use the medicines made at the Janssen site. He added that he was “really proud of Ireland’s thriving life sciences sector”.

Janssen’s expansion in Cork will add to its existing global manufacturing capacity, allowing the company to reach patients with crucial medicines faster.

The Ringaskiddy site manufactures medicines for immunology and oncology patients. It has been in place since 2005 and currently employs more than 700 people.

“This is a really exciting time for our team in Ringaskiddy,” said Gary Hartnett, general manager at Janssen Sciences Ireland.

“It is an incredible opportunity to join a diverse workforce made up of the best and brightest minds, delivering cutting-edge medicines that transform lives. The continued investment in our Ringaskiddy site is a real vote of confidence in the talent and dedication of our people, who I am proud to work with.”

Hartnett added that, as well as the expansion plans, Janssen is also about to commence commercial production with a €300m manufacturing suite that was announced in 2017.

In 2020, the Ringaskiddy facility was designated as a Global Lighthouse site by the World Economic Forum for its adoption of industry 4.0 technologies. Janssen’s Cork site functions as a global centre of excellence for clinical drug substance and drug product release and stability management, and it also hosts R&D programmes to support the introduction of new medicines to the wider Johnson & Johnson supply chain.

Earlier this month, SiliconRepublic.com heard from Ireoluwa Olajitan about his job as a bioprocess engineer at Janssen’s R&D department.

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Blathnaid O’Dea
By Blathnaid O’Dea

Blathnaid O’Dea joined Silicon Republic in 2021 as Careers reporter, coming from a background in the Humanities. She likes people, pranking, pictures of puffins – and apparently alliteration.

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