Covidien Banks on Ireland
August 1, 2010 – 10:50 pmMultinational medical device manufacturer Covidien has opened a customer services centre in Dublin that will ultimately employ 200 people. The €11 million centre in Cherrywood, south of the city, replaces 17 separate operations the company ran in different European countries. The company also announced plans to invest €1.8 million in medical technology research in association with University College Dublin, Trinity College and National University of Ireland, Galway. Further details will be announced in September.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who officially opened the new centre last month, said it was “fully in keeping with the government’s policy to build a smart economy and to position Ireland as a global innovation hub,” reported the Irish Times. “We want to make Ireland the best place in Europe to turn research and knowledge into products and services, the best place in Europe to start and grow an innovative company, the best place in Europe to relocate or expand and scale an SME, and the best place in Europe for research-intensive multinationals to collaborate with each other and with clusters of small companies,” he said.
In related news, Covidien announced last week a 30% increase in profit for the third quarter of the fiscal year.
