Baxter Healthcare started manufacturing in Castlebar in 1972, with nine employees, and today has been celebrating its growth over 50 years, which has seen its workforce expand to more than 1,200.
The facility in Castlebar now produces more than 150 million products each year, in a range of medical solutions for renal dialysis therapy and drug administration uses, exported to global markets including Europe, the US and Japan.
Plant manager James Morrison said: “We are very proud of all that we have achieved over the last 50 years in Ireland, with an extremely engaged workforce dedicated to providing products that help save and sustain patient lives across the globe.
“We have continuously evolved our operations in Castlebar through the introduction of new products and technologies, which has kept us to the fore of Baxter’s global manufacturing operations for five decades. Over this time, our team’s resilience and commitment has never wavered: most recently, through the COVID-19 pandemic, our team continued its daily mission of producing life-saving therapies for our chronic and acute patients.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin attended a celebration of the anniversary, together with IDA Ireland executives and global Baxter officers.
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Martin said: “I’m delighted to join Baxter today as the company marks 50 years of operations at its site here in Castlebar.
“It is no small achievement for a company to successfully operate, evolve and grow its business over decades in the face of various global and transformational changes to the business landscape. Today is about celebrating that success and thanking Baxter, and all their workers, for their commitment and contribution to Castlebar, the north west region and to Ireland. I wish them many more years of continued success in their operations here.”
IDA chief executive Mary Buckley added: “Growing from just nine staff in 1972 to more than 1,200 today, Baxter Healthcare’s Castlebar production facility is among the company’s largest in Europe. IDA Ireland wishes to congratulate Baxter Healthcare on reaching this noteworthy milestone and wish to assure James, his team in Castlebar and the wider Baxter Healthcare operations of IDA Ireland’s continued partnership.”
Baxter Healthcare has five sites in Ireland, employing a total of almost 2,000 people. It offers positions to production operatives, through chemists, microbiologists, IT specialists, R&D engineers, and finance professionals.
