Global healthcare solutions provider Covidien has announced 200 new jobs at its €11m state-of-the-art contact centre in Cherrywood, which serves 16 European countries, as well as a planned R&D investment for later this year.
Covidien also announced today that it will be putting an initial €1.8m investment into a medical technologies research and development project which will involve three Irish academic institutions.
Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies. With 2009 revenue of $10.7bn, Covidien has 42,000 employees worldwide in more than 60 countries, and its products are sold in more than 140 countries.
“This new European Services Centre and today’s announcement of new investment in collaborative research and development is very much in keeping with the Government’s policy to build a smart economy and to position Ireland as a global innovation hub,” Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD said.
Prior to the investment in Cherrywood, each country operation of Covidien in Europe was responding to customer questions, product orders, inquiries and returns separately and independently.
Activity at Covidien’s Cherrywood centre
Now, the activity is centralised in the Cherrywood centre, which is directly responsible for 16 countries and supports 58 countries indirectly. The employees in Cherrywood handle 6,500 contacts daily with more than 50,000 products ordered each day. Recruitment for positions at the site is nearing completion.
“Covidien has manufactured in Ireland for more than 30 years,” said Richard Meelia, chairman and CEO of Covidien.
“Ireland is, in fact, where we have the greatest number of employees in all of Europe. Our excellent experience here, coupled with the Government’s long-standing policies supporting business and innovation, clearly makes Ireland an ideal base for our company.”
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD, said Covidien is one of the leading medical device firms based in Ireland.
“The new European Services Centre reaffirms Covidien’s commitment to Ireland and demonstrates to the global investor community that we have the right mix of skills, workforce flexibility and pro-business policies to support business expansion plans and create jobs. I look forward to Covidien’s planned medical technologies research and development investment which will recognise our reputation as Europe’s emerging innovation hub.”
The official opening was also attended by Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland.
“The establishment by Covidien of its European Services Centre in Dublin is strategically important to Ireland and the company,” O’Leary said.
“It is a welcome addition to the increasing number of leading life science companies who have recognised the benefits of locating European Services Centres here. This operation fits neatly with IDA’s Horizon 2020 strategy, which places a strong focus on winning services-based investment and assisting companies to win new international mandates for Ireland.
“Covidien’s Centre is an excellent operation and its establishment here is a vote of confidence in Ireland as a key location to carry out international services,” O’Leary said.
