West Pharmaceuticals has doubled its Waterford workforce in the past year.
The US group, which opened its plant here in 2018, specialises in packaging for insulin for use in pen injectors but it also works on the company’s range of stoppers that are used in Covid vaccine vials, among other things.
The growth in demand for these products as a result of the pandemic has seen the US group scale up operations and working schedules at the Waterford plant. It now employs 260 people, up from 130 last March.
Brendan Fitzpatrick is the Site Director for West in Waterford he says the company will supply millions of rubber vial stoppers to more than a dozen global customers that can be used to package more than a billion vaccine doses in multi-dose vials.
The rapid expansion means the company now employs over 900 team members across Ireland. It has a contract manufacturing business in Dublin.
Brendan says there are still vacancies in Waterford:
"We're really happy with the people we've recruited, very high quality talent we've managed to get in the South East region and we have vacancies still, so we're hoping to recruit many more people between now and the end of the year."
West has invested upwards of $125 million in the Waterford facility on the old Kilmeaden road, which is on a 44-acre site that allows for future expansion.
West also partners with local schools to encourage careers in science and technology. It partners with Waterford Institute of Technology’s CALMAST engagement hub which works in partnership with schools, industry and business to address issues in STEM and to educate children in primary and secondary schools on what career and learning opportunities are available in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
