IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, and MGS Manufacturing site lead Michael Finneran.
From left: Martin Shanahan, IDA Ireland, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Michael Finneran, MGS Manufacturing. Image: Maxwell Photography

140 jobs to be created in Kildare through Nikon and MGS investment

11 Apr 2022

Both companies are expanding their operations in Kildare at the new innovation campus, with plans to hire for various technical roles.

140 new jobs have been announced at the Kildare Innovation Campus, through investments from technology firm MGS Manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturer Nikon Precision Europe (NPE).

The investment into the campus was announced today (11 April) by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, and IDA Ireland.

MGS plans to create 100 new jobs following a €7m investment to extend its Leixlip plant by 20,000 ft. The expansion will create ISO-8 cleanrooms, new offices, injection moulding machines, a precision measurement laboratory and expanded warehouse space.

The company said its plans to expand its Irish plant is due to continued success and growth within the healthcare sector. The Leixlip plant was established in 2011 and currently employs around 120 people.

The jobs listed by MGS include quality engineers, toolmakers, warehouse operators, general operators and maintenance technicians.

“We’re extremely excited for this next phase of growth, to be able to bring more jobs to the sector and in so doing, support the local economy and infrastructure as well.” MGS Ireland site lead Michael Finneran said.

“Our journey doesn’t stop here, this is just one of what we hope to be the many stepping stones in our story of growth to come over the next decade and beyond,” Finneran added.

NPE, meanwhile, plans to expand its Irish operations by opening new offices at the Kildare Innovation Centre. These offices will form part of the company’s worldwide support network.

The semiconductor company has been in Ireland since the 90s, with local staff supporting a number of multinational semiconductor customers. NPE currently has close to 140 employees in Ireland, with plans to expand this number by 40 in the coming months.

NPE president Harumi Sawada said: “Our continued investment in Ireland underlines the importance Nikon places on the support of our customers locally as well as creating a technical hub that can support our worldwide semiconductor operations.”

Some of the roles being advertised at the innovation centre are quality assurance engineers, materials handlers, service engineers, site coordination leader and engineer in charge.

More than 1,000 people are currently employed at the innovation campus, which was a former HP site. It is hoped that in time the campus will accommodate up to 4,000 people, RTÉ reported.

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Leigh Mc Gowran
By Leigh Mc Gowran

Leigh Mc Gowran was a journalist with Silicon Republic from November 2021 until September 2024. He has previously worked as an environmental and breaking news journalist, and a local radio presenter. When he’s not writing articles and stressing about the climate emergency, he enjoys judging the latest film releases and perfecting his renowned cooking skills. He also has a love for video games, coffee and cats.

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