JobsFair.ie

NEARLY 200 jobs are to be created in the south after further investment was announced at a global eye care company.

NEARLY 200 jobs are to be created in the south after further investment was announced at a global eye care company.

Alcon Inc said it would be spending €21.14m on its existing Cork plant, which was described as a "massive boost" for the city.

Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Martin announced the jobs as he stressed that, despite the challenging global environment, Ireland continued to be an attractive investment centre for major industry.

The jobs will all be created at Alcon's plant expansion on an IDA business park on Cork's southside. The investment will virtually double the existing workforce of 200.

Mr Martin yesterday opened Alcon's new phase development and hailed the expansion announcement as "a massive boost". The bulk of the new jobs will involve graduate recruitment.

Sound

"I think this proves that the fundamentals of the Irish economy are sound -- and that we remain an attractive investment location for major international firms," he said. "It illustrates that the country is in a position to attract, and continue to attract, quality investment -- and great tribute is due to the IDA in this regard.

"We must work to continue to ensure that we have a strong foreign direct investment sector in Ireland into the future."

The jobs will be created as part of an expansion of Alcon's Model Farm Road facility.

The company manufactures a range of equipment for the healthcare sector, but is best known for its market-leading range of eye-care products and devices. Alcon was founded in Texas in 1945 but is now part of the giant Nestle multi-national.

The firm employs 15,000 people worldwide and operates in a total of 180 countries.

It began operations in Cork eight years ago and Ireland is the first site outside of the US to manufacture Alcon's leading surgical product, AcrySof, a prosthetic lens that replaces the eye's natural lens after cataract surgery.

Cataract surgery is now one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the developed world.

The Alcon job news came as a major boost for Cork, which was left reeling by job losses including 180 lay-offs at Pfizer's Little Island plant. Doubts remain about 300 Pfizer jobs at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork.