33,000 square foot LEED Silver Advance building at IDA Butlerstown to be fit out by Repligen to expand their bioprocessing manufacturing capacity
Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins has warmly welcomed plans by US headquartered Repligen Corporation to significantly expand manufacturing operations in Waterford and create in excess of 130 jobs over the next two and a half years.
As part of the announcement it has been confirmed that Repligen Corporation intend to fit out a 33,000 square foot LEED Silver building which was constructed by IDA Ireland as part of their capital investment programme at their Butlerstown Business Park. The facility will serve as a Centre of Excellence for single-use consumable products used in bioprocessing applications, and will complement the existing 10,500 square foot Waterford facility (formerly ARTeSYN BioSolutions, which Repligen acquired in Dec 2020) that currently employs 74 people, a figure well above initial hiring expectations set out in Q4 of 2019.
Senator Cummins said “It is fantastic to see ARTeSYN growing from strength to strength as part of the Repligen group. As evidenced by the expected hiring of 40 roles in the second half of this year, it is clear to see the company is experiencing rapid growth and increased demand for its state-of-the-art bioprocessing products. I want to congratulate Jonathon Downey and all his staff at the Waterford site as they embark on the next phase of growth. I am sure it is a hugely exciting time for all the team and it is yet another huge vote of confidence in Waterford as a great location to live, work and invest in.
Senator Cummins added “I have been working closely with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar to emphasise the importance of job creation in Waterford and the wider South East region. Since Fine Gael came into government, we have seen the continued upward trend of IDA supported employment in Waterford. Job numbers have increased by over 50% from 5217 in 2011 to 7875 at the end of 2020 and I look forward to this trend continuing in the time ahead.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, stated, “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.”
Senator Cummins concluded by saying “This announcement goes to show the importance of having state-of-the-art advance buildings ready for prospective clients. The building that Repligen will occupy was constructed by the IDA and I will certainly be engaging with them an Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to ensure the next advance building solution which recently received planning permission is commenced without delay.