Canadian ethanol and alcohol refiner Greenfield Global Inc is to establish its EU manufacturing headquarters in Portlaoise.

The project is supported with taxpayer funding from IDA Ireland and is expected to create 75 jobs over the next five years, in a range of operations including production, quality, supply chain, and sales.

Greenfield is the largest fuel ethanol producer in Canada and owns and operates four ethanol refineries, three specialty chemical manufacturing and packaging plants, and three next-generation biofuel and renewable energy R&D centres.

The 3,800 sq m manufacturing facility in Portlaoise will be constructed on the IDA Ireland Business and Technology Park and is expected to be operational in the second half of 2020. An estimated 100 jobs are expected to be created during the construction and fit-out phase of the project.

Greenfiled Global CEO Howard Field (pictured) commented: “Our commitment to building a world-class GMP manufacturing facility in Portlaoise is our first foray into manufacturing outside of North America. This facility will ensure we have the capacity to meet increased demand from our life science customers throughout Europe and the region."

In Association with

Meanwhile, global payment and risk management provider AFEX is hiring at its offices in Dublin where it will bump up numbers from six staff to 16, with positions available in sales, operations, finance and compliance. 

Chief executive Finian Brett said: “We’ve seen an increasing amount of interest and activity from businesses across the country, as they look to maximise their international growth potential. We are excited to be extending our Irish operation and look forward to continuing to provide local firms with a more tailored service to address their global payment, treasury and risk management needs. AFEXDirect, provides clients with one consolidated overview of their currency exposure and makes it easy for companies to manage international invoices.”

The company specialises in cross-border transactions and opened its Dublin base two years ago.