Sarah Slater
Up to 130 new jobs are to be created in the south-east as US headquartered Repligen Corporation is set to significantly expand its manufacturing operations in Waterford.
It has plans to fit out a 33,000 square foot LEED Silver building where the positions will be available over the next two and a half years.
Repligen is a bioprocessing-focused life sciences company bringing expertise and innovation to our customers since 1981. The company pioneers advances in bioprocessing through the development and commercialisation of high-value products and flexible solutions that address critical steps in the production of biologic drugs.
The facility will serve as a Centre of Excellence for single-use consumable products used in bioprocessing applications and will complement the existing Waterford facility that currently employs 74 people.
Repligen’s capital commitment to the Waterford expansion is supported by the Government through IDA Ireland.
'Globally recognised'
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar welcomed the announced: “This is excellent news from Repligen with the creation of 130 new jobs in Waterford. It comes on foot of a major jobs announcement by Bausch and Lomb. Waterford is on the move as a centre for jobs and investment.
“Ireland is globally recognised as a centre of excellence for life sciences and this significant expansion is a real vote of confidence in us and our capacity. It shows we are succeeding in attracting high-calibre companies and highly-skilled jobs to all our regions. I wish the team the very best with their expansion plans.”
James Bylund, senior vice-president of global operations and information technology at Repligen, explained the company is thrilled to continue the collaboration with the Government and the IDA that was initiated by the ARTeSYN team.
“The timing is excellent as we are actively expanding our Waterford site with the addition of 40 employees during the second half of 2021 and expect to open the new building as a Centre of Excellence in 2022. With its LEED Silver designation, the facility is closely aligned with our commitment to responsible growth and sustainability,” Mr Bylund said.
Dr Jonathan Downey, managing director at the Waterford site added that having delivered beyond their commitment in 2019 to bring new jobs to the region through our development of high-end manufacturing capabilities.
Dr Downey said they are “energised and excited about our integration with Repligen and this next phase of growth", adding: “In addition to our expansion of ARTeSYN products, and the transfer of manufacturing of certain of Repligen’s current products to our Irish operations, we expect to be utilising the Irish sites to advance additional Research, Development & Innovation programs”.
